The use of delaying tactics to obtain submarine patents and amend around a patent that a competitor has designed around.

Efforts to prevent the use of submarine patents, or keeping a patent application active through the use of continuing applications or interference proceedings, will most likely consign them to history. The three solutions suggested as solutions to the submarine patent problem are limiting the patent term to 25 years from the date of filing, requiring the publication of patent applications 18 months from their date of filing, and preventing the addition of claims to a pending application when 35 USC 102(b) would have barred this material in a new application.