.through Dennis Crouch.The USPTO has 2 conventional functionalities: (1) high quality exam to guarantee requests please the requiring judicial criteria of patentability as well as (2) well-timed as well as effective processing of those applications. Current information suggests the Workplace is actually having problem with the second of these mandates, as mirrored in a sharp uptick in Patent Phrase Modification (PTA) awards. [Graphes below]