Patent Applications

Patentable or Not? What can you patent?

Can you patent that? “Patentable?” This is one of the most common questions we get from new clients. The question may relate to whether their…

What is a Preliminary Amendment?

What is a Preliminary Amendment? A Preliminary Amendment is a submission filed prior to the issuance of an Office Action in a patent application. The…

What is an After-Final Response?

What is an after-final response? An after-final response refers to a reply to a Final Office Action that is filed without a Request for Continued…

PCT National Phase: What You Need To Know About National Stage Into Foreign Countries

What is the PCT national phase? A PCT application extends the deadline for filing utility patent applications in both the US and foreign countries. That…

Micro Entity Status: What is our firm’s policy?

Why does micro entity status matter? USPTO patent fees are generally proportionate to the size of the applicant. A large entity with over 500 employees…

Why combine multiple inventions into a single utility patent application?

If you have multiple inventions related to a main idea or product, when does it make sense to combine them into a single utility patent…

Is a Final Office Action really “final”?

How final is a Final Office Action? Don’t freak out if you’ve received a Final Office Action (FOA) in your patent application. It is not…

How To Respond To Patent Office Action

What does it take to respond to a Patent Office Action? Since the probability is high (approximately 88%) that a utility nonprovisional patent application will…

Who is the patent inventor?

What makes someone a patent inventor? A patent inventor is an individual person who contributes to the conception of an invention as defined by the…

Inventor grace period: When is it too late to file a US patent after disclosing invention?

Can prior public disclosures of my invention kill my chances of getting a patent? Revealing your invention to the public before filing a patent application…

How to Amend PCT Application

Does Your PCT Application Require Any Amendments? Before delving into the complexities of filing amendments to a PCT application, the initial question to consider is…

Can you file an amendment after allowance?

Can a patent application be amended after allowance? Maybe. An amendment after a Notice of Allowance in a patent application is not a matter of…

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