What is a prerequisite for an application to be eligible for Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)?

An application must have at least one allowed claim in the corresponding application to be eligible for the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). This requirement emphasizes the relationship between the applications in the PPH program.

The essence of the PPH is to expedite the examination process by allowing applicants to leverage the examination results from other patent offices. When a corresponding application (which could be in another jurisdiction) has at least one claim that has been allowed, it indicates to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that the invention has already been thoroughly examined and found to meet the patentability criteria, which can guide and enhance the examination of the U.S. application.

This approach promotes efficiency in the patent system by allowing resources to be better allocated, reducing examination workload, and ultimately helping to expedite the granting of patents. Since the PPH relies on the allowance status of claims from a corresponding application, it underscores the necessity of having allowed claims as a prerequisite for entering the program.