Editor’s Note:
As of April 2025, the USPTO has suspended the Design Patent Rocket Docket program. This article was originally published in 2023 but updated in 2025 to note program suspension.
About the Design Patent Rocket Docket
Patent applications are critical to innovation and intellectual property protection, yet they can often be expensive, complex, and time-consuming to process. The Design Patent Rocket Docket was created as an alternative to shorten the wait.
Why Inventors Used It
This docket dramatically reduced the time it took to process a design patent application, making it easier for inventors to protect their valuable intellectual property.
Design patents became especially popular for protecting things like computer interfaces, graphical user interfaces, mobile apps, and even websites. They were also less expensive and time-consuming to obtain than utility patents.
How the Program Worked
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allowed applicants to request special treatment by filing a petition and paying an additional fee. Petitioners also needed to provide initial search results for the examiner.
Once granted, the design patent application was placed on the Rocket Docket track. The USPTO’s goal was to process these cases within 12 months. Many applicants saw even faster timelines — sometimes as little as 6 months from filing to issuance.
Why It Mattered
Compared to the standard 18-month examination timeline, the Rocket Docket was a cost-effective way to obtain design patent protection quickly and begin enforcing against infringers sooner.
Next Steps
If you’d like to know what options remain today for expediting design patents, please contact Larson & Larson to discuss your questions with a patent attorney or agent.
Published by Larson & Larson, a Florida-based intellectual property law firm serving clients since 1987.
