By Michael Borella — Patent examiners have a hard job. They are given a relatively short amount of time in which they are supposed to thoroughly review a patent application, search for relevant prior art, and write a well-reasoned Office action. Given the challenges of doing so, each of these tasks — reviewing, searching, and writing — may not get the attention that it needs. Further, examiners are sometimes asked to examine applications from technology areas in which they lack the appropriate expertise. Moreover, relatively few examiners are attorneys and thus may struggle to apply the relevant law in a…
