What is the maximum time you can request for suspension of action at the PTO?

The maximum time you can request for suspension of action at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is six months. This is based on the rules established by the USPTO, which allow applicants to request a suspension of their application while awaiting specific information, such as the results from a related application or additional resources to complete the submission.

After the six-month period, if circumstances arise that necessitate further delay, the applicant would typically need to either take action on their application or potentially file a new request for suspension, which would require justifications for any extensions beyond this six-month limit. This policy is designed to keep applications progressing within the system and to minimize backlogs.

While options for indefinite suspensions or longer durations may exist under specific circumstances, they are typically not applicable for standard requests, which makes the six-month period the generally accepted maximum in common scenarios.