The earliest ruling in an IP case I could find was as follows, for anyone who missed that earlier post.

The window for a formal opinion vs a preliminary opinion in this particular case...

"There was a very quick decision from Markman by the judge in the form of a preliminary opinion:

THE COURT: November 9th. I am getting a little behind. It may be six weeks or two months before I can get a formal opinion out. Let me ask you if it would be helpful to the parties for me to get out a preliminary ruling that would not include the full-blown opinion but give you some guidance in working with your experts

At the end of the Markman Hearing the judge talks about the mediation process which picked up speed and lead to more settlements thanks to the avalanche of product scope:"