Here are some recent USPTO announcements:
"Filing a new non provisional 111(a) application? Starting June 30, 2023, specification, claims and abstracts not filed in DOCX format will incur a non-DOCX surcharge of up to $400 for this filing type. See the Federal Register notice for more information.
Any known issues and workarounds for Patent Center can be found on the Patent Center information page.
Extended through June 30, 2023, exclusively in Patent Center, applicants have the option to upload a backup (auxiliary) PDF version of their application with their DOCX version. There are no fees associated with this auxiliary PDF. See the Federal Register notice for more information.
Attend a DOCX training webinar or visit the DOCX information page to learn more about filing in DOCX format.
Beginning April 18, 2023, the USPTO will begin issuing electronic patent grants (eGrants) to patent recipients, which minimizes paper waste, potentially reduces patent pendency, and allows recipients to get their patent grant in PDF format on the day of issue."
I don't see this as "such a benefit" as some who like to get the original red ribbon of the US patent will now need to pay for it, and it may create a pitfall for those applicants who cannot decide whether or not to file that continuation near issuance of the parent application.
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