The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will close its Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program on October 27, 2026, ending a temporary pathway that moves certain pending patent applications to the front of the examination queue. The program, which began accepting requests in 2025, allows eligible applications to receive a first Office action ahead of their normal turn. For inventors and small businesses with applications already in the backlog, the deadline represents a final chance to accelerate review without paying a petition fee.
According to the USPTO, the pilot advances qualifying applications out of turn until a first Office action is issued. The agency has also waived the petition fee for requests filed under the program since June 10, 2026, removing a cost barrier that previously discouraged some applicants. The pilot will close on October 27, 2026, or earlier if a Technology Center accepts approximately 200 pilot applications.
Eligibility is limited to original, non-continuing utility nonprovisional applications filed before October 27, 2025. Applications that claim priority to another nonprovisional or international application, including national stage applications, are excluded. The claims may include no more than one independent claim and ten total claims, and multiple dependent claims are not allowed. The USPTO must not have issued a first Office action on the application. Applicants must submit Form PTO/SB/472 through Patent Center, and the specification, claims, and abstract must meet DOCX format requirements. An applicant may file a preliminary amendment to bring a pending application within the claim limits before submitting the petition.
"Many inventors in Livingston County and across Michigan have applications sitting in the examination queue, and this pilot lets some of them move forward without a USPTO petition fee," said J. Baron Lesperance, founder of The Patent Baron, PLLC. "Fewer claims can mean narrower protection, so we walk each client through that before filing."
The trade-off between speed and scope is central to the decision. A streamlined claim set can secure a faster first examination, but it also limits the number of claims and may reduce the breadth of protection ultimately obtained. For inventors weighing whether to file, the calculus involves both the value of earlier feedback from the patent office and the potential need for broader coverage that a standard application might allow.
The program's closure also signals that the window for free acceleration is closing. Once the pilot ends, applicants seeking prioritized examination may need to rely on other, potentially costlier options. For pending-application owners, confirming eligibility before October 27 is critical, as the USPTO will not accept requests after the deadline or once the 200-application cap is reached in a given Technology Center.
With the deadline approaching, patent owners are encouraged to review their portfolios for qualifying applications. The Patent Baron, PLLC, an intellectual property firm led by a patent lawyer in Howell, MI, is reviewing pending applications for inventors and small businesses that may still qualify. The firm notes that early action can prevent missed opportunities, especially for those who have been waiting in the queue and could benefit from a faster first office action.
