What is a primary reason to file a Continuation application?

Filing a Continuation application is primarily motivated by the desire to restart prosecution and amend the application. This type of application is filed while the original application is still pending and allows the applicant to present new claims or modify existing claims based on feedback received during the examination of the original application. This could include making changes in response to rejections or objections raised by the patent examiner, allowing for a wider scope of protection or more refined claims.

The Continuation application maintains the benefit of the filing date of the original application, which can be crucial for establishing priority. This process facilitates the iterative nature of patent prosecution, enabling applicants to navigate through the complexities of patent law and refine their invention's legal protection strategically.

The other choices do not align with the primary purpose of a Continuation application. For instance, abandoning the original application entirely goes against the intention of continuing the prosecution of the original intent; appealing to a higher court involves a different procedural path and is not directly tied to the filing of a Continuation; and expediting the grant of the original application is not a function of filing a Continuation, as this application is meant to explore or refine claims rather than hasten the issuance of the original patent.