This is basically a cave-in to the EU/Japanese system, and IMNSHO it will increase not decrease the number of frivolous patents.
What it really does is remove the option of protecting something as a secret. You have to either publish or patent (which is basically a state-sanctioned form of publishing with monopoly benefits). It completely changes the calculus of small inventors, who will now be forced to file multiple provisional patents ($100+ a shot plus time spent) and then within a year decide to shell out $5K++ to have any chance at all of not being beaten over the head by corporate patent trolls.
What it really does is remove the option of protecting something as a secret. You have to either publish or patent (which is basically a state-sanctioned form of publishing with monopoly benefits). It completely changes the calculus of small inventors, who will now be forced to file multiple provisional patents ($100+ a shot plus time spent) and then within a year decide to shell out $5K++ to have any chance at all of not being beaten over the head by corporate patent trolls.
Not good.