IT departments have become more involved in collaborative endeavors in recent years as their business-side colleagues recognize the role of innovation in neutralizing the effects of recession. According to PC Advisor, this is leading many chief information officers on a path to the patent office as business directors demand protection for their companies' IT breakthroughs.

According to one intellectual property attorney interviewed by the news source, there is currently a veritable "gold rush" for IT-related patents. As technology comes closer to the center of business models in industries ranging from retail to healthcare, firms are moving fast to stake their claims to what could be market-changing inventions.

"You have to make those land grabs before you're even sure what you're going to do," Teresa Lunt, a research and design firm executive, told PC Advisor. "If you wait until you're certain of all the business analysis, someone else has grabbed the space."

While careful forethought must still be a central component of patent management, Lunt is one of many professionals convinced that speed is a stronger determinant of success than ever before. As a result, companies would be wise to take into account all the additional channels and opportunities that USPTO has opened up in recent months to facilitate streamlined application procedures and more efficient prosecution.