What is a primary reason to file a Continuation application?

Filing a Continuation application serves several important purposes, one of the primary reasons being to restart prosecution and amend the application. When an applicant wants to make further changes or additional claims based on the original application's disclosure, a Continuation application allows the applicant to pursue those changes without the drawbacks of starting a completely new application. This can be particularly useful for the applicant if the original application has been fully examined or if certain claims were rejected, as it permits them to present new arguments or data to overcome those rejections while maintaining the filing date of the original application.

The option of abandoning the original application does not align with the purpose of a Continuation application, as the intent is to continue pursuing the benefits of the original filing. Allowing for an appeal to a higher court or expediting the grant of the original application are not direct objectives of a Continuation application either. Instead, a Continuation focuses on keeping the examination process active with possibly revised claims or additional arguments, which is essential for applicants looking to adapt their applications based on shifts in patentability or strategy.