New USPTO Streamlined Claim Set Program: Faster Patent Examination

The USPTO has launched the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program (SCSPP), offering a faster path to a first office action for qualifying applications—at a fraction of the cost of Track One prioritized examination.

Key metrics:

• USPTO fees: $150 ($60 for small entities) vs. $4,665 for Track One ($1,866 for small entities)
• Result: Accelerated first office action (standard timeline is 23 months from filing)
• Primary requirement: Limit application to 1 independent claim and up to 9 dependent claims

The program runs through October 27, 2026. Please contact Miller Johnson’s Intellectual Property team to discuss whether this program makes strategic sense for your applications.

Full eligibility requirements:

• Maximum 10 claims total (1 independent, 9 dependent)
• Not a continuation or national phase application
• Filed before October 27, 2025, as DOCX format
• Not yet docketed to an examiner
• No nonpublication request, multiple dependent claims, or preamble-changing dependents (such as “A system comprising the sensor of claim 1…”)
• Each inventor limited to 4 SCSPP applications
• Subject to 200-application cap per Technology Center (counts not yet available)