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It is not uncommon for applicants to file related patent
applications in the United States and in Japan. When the
applications claim priority to a common patent application, or one
of the applications claims priority to the other, the
applications' family relationship can be used advantageously to
speed prosecution in one or both jurisdictions. Multiple programs
exist to expedite prosecution at the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO). Evaluating the
available options for a particular pair of U.S. and Japanese patent