How long takes the process to patent something in the US?

[burt]

How much time does it take to the US patent office determine if the filed patent is eligible or not?

[raleah]

There are periodic publications from the US Patent Office that report the approximate time it will take for a particular type of invention to be examined and the average issuing period for a given "art group". For instance, if you have a computer software patent it will take MUCH longer than if you have a lipstick chemical patent. I have seen patents issued in under 3 years from date of application. In fact, one was issued in slightly more than a year, mostly because it was such a strange invention that nobody in the patent office could figure out how to reject it.

There are times when it takes the USPTO almost a year to even acknowledge that the patent application has been received, let alone assigned to an examiner. Once it is assigned to an examiner the time to get your first rejection is often six to eight months, after which you have the rest of the whole dance to argue, amend, etc.

[kyledyr]

It depends a lot on what the invention is, but it can take up to five or seven years or so.

Though if it's obviously ineligible the application will be denied more quickly.