The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will close its Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program on October 27, 2026, ending a temporary pathway that allows qualifying patent applications to skip ahead in the examination queue. The program, which began accepting requests under its current fee-waived structure on June 10, 2026, advances eligible applications out of turn until a first Office action is issued. It will also close earlier if any Technology Center accepts approximately 200 pilot applications, according to the USPTO.
The pilot matters because it offers a rare chance for pending applicants to accelerate examination without paying a petition fee. Since June 10, 2026, the agency has waived the petition fee for requests filed under the program, removing a cost barrier that often deters individual inventors and small businesses from seeking expedited review. However, the window is narrow and the eligibility rules are strict.
Only applications filed before October 27, 2025, qualify, so the pilot does not apply to new filings. The application must be an original, non-continuing utility nonprovisional application. 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.
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 before the deadline. “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 claim scope is central to the pilot. By limiting applications to one independent claim and ten total claims, the program reduces examination complexity but may also narrow the scope of protection an applicant ultimately receives. That makes the decision to participate a strategic one, not merely a procedural shortcut. For applicants with pending applications that meet the requirements, the program could mean a faster first action and earlier clarity on patentability. For those who miss the October 27 deadline, the opportunity to accelerate without a petition fee will lapse, at least for this program.
With the deadline approaching and a cap on accepted applications, eligible applicants have little time to confirm whether their pending filings qualify and to prepare the required petition and any necessary preliminary amendment.
