Patent Bar MPEP Q & A Podcast

Question: Name one item the submission of Article 19 amendments should comprise. Answer: The submission of Article 19 amendments should comprise: (i) a complete set of claims in replacement of the claims originally filed (ii) a letter which must indicate the differences between the claims as filed and those as amended plus the basis for […] The post MPEP Q & A 104: What Submission of Ar...

Question: What are the grounds for seeking inter partes review limited to compared with post-grant review? Answer: The grounds for seeking inter partes review are limited to issues raised under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 and only on the basis of prior art consisting of patents or printed publications. In contrast, the grounds for seeking post-grant review […] The post MPEP Q & A 103: What Gro...

Question: What is an earlier concluded examination or review of the patent? Answer: An earlier concluded examination or review of the patent is: (A) the original examination of the application which matured into the patent; (B) the examination of the patent in a reissue application that has resulted in a reissue of the patent; (C) […] The post MPEP Q & A 102: Earlier Concluded Examinati...

Question: What must a petition for a derivation proceeding provide? Answer: In a petition for a derivation proceeding, the petitioner must: (i) identify which application or patent is disputed; and (ii) provide at least one affidavit addressing communication of the derived invention and the lack of authorization for filing the earlier application. Chapter Details: The […] The post MPEP Q &#0...

Question: List two activities that can be used as an indication of commercial exploitation? Answer: The following activities should be used by the examiner as indicia of this subjective commercial intent: Preparation of various contemporaneous “commercial” documents, e.g., orders, invoices, receipts, delivery schedules, etc.; Preparation of price lists and distribution of price quotations; Display...

Question: List two types of information that are considered status information. Answer: Status information of an application means only the following information: whether the application is pending, abandoned, or patented; whether the application has been published; the application number or the serial number plus any one of the filing date of the national application, the […] The post MPEP...

Question: List at least 2 fees that are reduced by 75% for micro entities. Answer: The fees which are reduced by 75% for micro entities include filing fees (nonprovisional and provisional), search fees, examination fees, issue fees, and appeal fees for utility, design, plant, and reissue patent applications. Also included are patent maintenance fees including […] The post MPEP Q & A 98:...

Question: What must any nonstatutory double patenting rejection made under the obviousness analysis make clear? Answer: Any nonstatutory double patenting rejection made under the obviousness analysis should make clear: (A) The differences between the inventions defined by the conflicting claims — a claim in the patent compared to a claim in the application; and (B) The […] The post MPEP Q &#...

Question: When is a nonpublication request not appropriate? Answer: A nonpublication request is not appropriate if applicants have already filed a counterpart foreign or international application in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires publication of applications at eighteen months after filing. Chapter Details: The answer to this question can be found in...

Question: What may an examiner do after he or she has considered the issues on appeal? Answer: After an appeal brief has been filed and the examiner has considered the issues on appeal, the examiner may: reopen prosecution to enter a new ground of rejection with approval from the supervisory patent examiner ; allow the […] The post MPEP Q & A 95: What an Examiner May Do After Considerin...

Question: Except as provided in 37 C.F.R. 11.107 (b), a practitioner shall not represent a client if the representation involves a concurrent conflict of interest. When does a concurrent conflict of interest exist? Answer: A concurrent conflict of interest exists if: The representation of one client will be directly adverse to another client; or There […] The post MPEP Q & A 94: When a...

Question: What is essential material? Answer: “Essential material” is defined as that which is necessary to: provide a written description of the claimed invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it […] The post MPEP Q & A 93: What is Essential Material appeared first...

Question: What are the two statutory requirements that must be met before a Certificate of Correction for an applicant’s mistake to issue? Answer: Two separate statutory requirements must be met before a Certificate of Correction for an applicant’s mistake may issue. The first statutory requirement concerns the nature, i.e., type, of the mistake for which […] The post MPEP Q & A 92: Sta...

Question: List three non-limiting examples of the types of characteristics considered by the courts when determining whether there is a marked difference. Answer: Non-limiting examples of the types of characteristics considered by the courts when determining whether there is a marked difference include: Biological or pharmacological functions or activities; Chemical and physical properties; Phenot...

Question: What 5 conditions should an examiner check for before requiring an applicant to add a claim to provoke an interference? Answer: The 5 conditions an examiner should check for before requiring an applicant to add a claim to provoke an interference include:  that the application is otherwise completed  that the required claim does not […] The post MPEP Q & A 90: Conditions an Exa...

Question: List 3 examples of concepts courts have found to be laws of nature and natural phenomena. Answer: The types of concepts courts have found to be laws of nature and natural phenomena are shown by these cases, which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting: An isolated DNA; a correlation that is the […] The post MPEP Q & A 89: Concepts the Courts Have Found to be Laws of...

Question: What does the Patent Prosecution Highway or PPH attempt to accomplish? Answer: The Patent Prosecution Highway, or PPH enables an applicant who receives a positive ruling on patent claims from one participating office to request accelerated prosecution of corresponding claims in another participating office, which allows the applicant to obtain a patentability decision in the […] Th...

Question: List one reason a practitioner should act as an advocate at a proceeding before a tribunal in which the practitioner is likely to be a necessary witness. Answer: A practitioner shall not act as advocate at a proceeding before a tribunal in which the practitioner is likely to be a necessary witness unless: The […] The post MPEP Q & A 87: Reasons Practitioner Should Act as an Ad...

Question: If a patent is assigned, will that change the “correspondence address” or “fee address”  used for maintenance fee purposes? Answer: An assignment of a patent application or patent does not result in a change of the “correspondence address” or “fee address” for maintenance fee purposes. Chapter Details: The answer to this question can be […] The post MPEP Q & A 86: Assignment o...

Question: Can the Board defer action on a petition for a derivation proceeding? Answer: The Patent Trial and Appeal Board may defer action on a petition for a derivation proceeding until the expiration of the 3-month period beginning on the date on which the Director issues a patent that includes the claimed invention that is […] The post MPEP Q & A 85: Board on Deferring Action on a Pe...

Question: Can a division of a fee between practitioners who are not in the same firm may be made? Answer: A division of a fee between practitioners who are not in the same firm may be made only if: The division is in proportion to the services performed by each practitioner or each practitioner assumes […] The post MPEP Q & A 84: Division of Fees Between Practitioners Not in the Same Fi...

Question: Who may file a petition to institute a post-grant review? Answer: A person who is not the patent owner may file a petition to institute a post-grant review, unless the petitioner or real party-in-interest had already filed a civil action challenging the validity of a claim of the patent. A petition may not be […] The post MPEP Q & A 83: Filing a Petition to Institute a Post-Gr...

Question: What 3 components (in addition to the mandatory requirements) must an international design application designating the U.S. include? Answer: In addition to the mandatory requirements otherwise required for international design applications, an international design application designating the United States must also include: a claim; indications concerning the identity of the creator (i.e...

Question: List one item the applicant must establish under 35 U.S.C. 156(a)(1)-(5). Answer: 35 U.S.C. 156(a)(1)-(5) require that the applicant establish that: (1) the patent has not expired before an application under 35 U.S.C. 156(d) was filed (this may be an application for patent term extension under subsection (d)(1) or an application for interim extension […] The post MPEP Q & A 81...

Question: Is it possible for an assignment in applications filed on or after September 16, 2012 to be utilized as the oath or declaration? Answer: Yes, for applications filed on or after September 16, 2012, an assignment may contain the statements required to be made in an oath or declaration (“assignment-statement”), and if the assignment is made […] The post MPEP Q & A 80: Assignments...