Changes

The USPTO's funding process through congressional appropriations left the Office subject to "fee diversions," when Congress took excess funds accumulated by the USPTO but not requested in the annual budget and appropriated them to the general Treasury fund. This practice of fee diversion helped other sectors of the federal government cover additional expenses without exceeding appropriation limits. The USPTO reacted to this practice by closely estimating expected revenue and matching this estimate with its annual appropriations proposal for Congress.

==Criticism==