State of the US Patent and Trademark office:

"...the same ineptitude by USPTO examiners in different technological arts on a regular basis. My colleagues in other patent law firms constantly complain to me about their similar experiences.

Here is a quote, from an article recently published by one of my very experienced colleagues, patent attorney John Rogitz, a U.S. Naval Academe graduate:

            "The PTO has also established, as a proxy
             for "quality", a declining allowance rate
             (for example, in a December 2006 posting
             on its website), as if quality materializes
             from obstructing one's customers from
             gaining protection they seek without
             reference to whether the increased
             obstruction is due to better searches and
             more penetrating analysis - or simply
             to heightened institutional intransigence."

No doubt your competitors are experiencing similar difficulties in getting their U.S. patent applications allowed with reasonable claims.

..."