Patent Applications

Does a continuing application require an IDS disclosing prior art references already considered in the parent application? No.  According to MPEP Section 609.02, it is…

When is the nonprovisional deadline? The 1-year anniversary of a US provisional patent application or a foreign priority application may occasionally fall on a non-business…

What is a patent Office Action? After waiting one to two years (or longer) from the filing date of your utility nonprovisional patent application, you…

Is a Power of Attorney required to file a patent Office Action response? No, a power of attorney need not be filed in order to…

What is an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)? Every patent applicant has a duty to disclose to the USPTO all known prior art or other information…

How do you mark products with patent numbers? The question is not if you should mark your patented products (of course you should!), but how.…

Is my patent application being rejected? If a patent examiner thinks that the pending claims in a patent application are directed to more than one invention,…

Reasons for Filing a Continuing Application A continuing application is basically a child patent application that must be filed while the parent patent application is…

How long does a utility patent last? Generally, a utility patent expires 20 years from the filing date [35 USC 154(a)]. This 20-year patent term…

Late US National Stage Entry So you missed the 30-month US national phase deadline. To file a late US national stage application, the entire delay…

Duty to Disclose Known Information Material to Patentability U.S. patent law places an obligation on applicants to notify the USPTO of known information that is…

What is the deadline for filing a certified foreign priority document in a utility patent application? Under the new AIA rules for US utility applications…