"Hopefully, This will take only a short few months"

This is an outrage, after all this time. Is it not the job of an examiner to exhaust all possibilities of prior art when performing an INQUEST of the already certified patent. Now, multiple requests later, they concede that prior art should be considered. This is what we get , I think, without a court decision. The PTO will honor all requests in true democratic fashion. Sometimes it works against you. Alot, I think. A request costs nothing. The defense is enormous. At some point, does not the job assigned to a government entity rest with their conclusion. Perhaps, all investigations, should be labeled with the disclaimer.....this is our initial decision,but three appeals are necessary to come to the right conclusion. AGGHH! Whatever! 10 years can take a toll!