37 C.F.R. § 1.102 Advancement of examination.
Title 37 - Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
(a) Applications will not be advanced out of turn for examination or for further action except as provided by this part, or upon order of the Director to expedite the business of the Office, or upon filing of a request under paragraph (b) of this section or upon filing a petition under paragraphs (c) or (d) of this section with a showing which, in the opinion of the Director, will justify so advancing it. (b) Applications wherein the inventions are deemed of peculiar importance to some branch of the public service and the head of some department of the Government requests immediate action for that reason, may be advanced for examination. (c) A petition to make an application special may be filed without a fee if the basis for the petition is: (1) The applicant's age or health; or (2) That the invention will materially: (i) Enhance the quality of the environment; (ii) Contribute to the development or conservation of energy resources; or (iii) Contribute to countering terrorism. (d) A petition to make an application special on grounds other than those referred to in paragraph (c) of this section must be accompanied by the fee set forth in §1.17(h). (36 U.S.C. 6; 15 U.S.C. 1113, 1123) [24 FR 10332, Dec. 22, 1959, as amended at 47 FR 41276, Sept. 17, 1982; 54 FR 6903, Feb. 15, 1989; 60 FR 20226, Apr. 25, 1995; 62 FR 53191, Oct. 10, 1997; 65 FR 54671, Sept. 8, 2000; 69 FR 56542, Sept. 21, 2004]
Title 37: Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
PART 1—RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES
Subpart B—National Processing Provisions
Examination of Applications
§ 1.102 Advancement of examination.
