What determines the priority of examination within an examiner’s docket?

Within an examiner’s docket, the primary factor determining examination priority is the effective U.S. filing date. The MPEP states: “Each examiner will give priority to that application in his or her docket, whether amended or new, which has the oldest effective U.S. filing date.” However, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, reissue applications,…

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