Get Your Applications In Now: USPTO Still Open

As most of you have now realized, there has been a government shutdown.  However, the USPTO reports the following about its continued operations:

USPTO Operation Status

During the general government shutdown that began October 1, 2013, the United States Patent and Trademark Office will remain open, using prior year reserve fee collections to operate as usual for approximately four weeks. We continue to assess our fee collections compared to our operating requirements to determine how long we will be able to operate in this capacity during a general government shutdown. We will provide an update as more definitive information becomes available.

Should we exhaust these reserve funds before the general government shutdown comes to an end, USPTO would shut down at that time, although a very small staff would continue to work to accept new applications and maintain IT infrastructure, among other functions. (Should it become necessary for USPTO to shut down, details of the agency’s plan for an orderly shutdown is [sic] available on page 78 of the United States Department of Commerce’s shutdown plan.) Any new or updated public information related to USPTO operations during the government shutdown will be placed on this page.

As you can see, the USPTO is expending its prior year’s reserves to continue to operate for the next month. Applications are still being accepted and according to the USPTO, it will maintain a skeleton crew to accept new applications even in the event of an actual shutdown. I wouldn’t want to take the chance and would file any contemplated patent applications as soon as possible.  Also, I would try to schedule any desired patent examiner interviews sooner than later.