Patent Applications

What is the average wait time for an examiner to begin review your utility patent application? Experienced utility patent filers know something that might be…

Unfavorable Patent Appeal Decision An ex parte patent appeal decision by the PTAB that affirms an examiner’s rejections can seem like the end of the…

What is the meaning of new matter in patent applications? New matter in a patent application typically refers to something recited in the claims that…

What is a multiple dependent claim? A multiple dependent claim is a dependent claim that refers to more than one claim. The USPTO will not…

Can you change a patent application after it has been filed? Do ideas simply stop churning in your head after a patent application has been…

Patent Claims vs. Description of the Invention: What is the key difference? A utility patent is not a simple thing to understand. In a typical…

What are preferred embodiments? In any other context besides patents, “preferred embodiment” would sound quite strange. Yet, the term is used so commonly and frequently…

What are patent claim amendments? Claim amendments are a natural part of the utility patent process. A typical utility nonprovisional patent application will receive at…

What kinds of comments are useful in revising a draft patent application? So your patent attorney has sent you a first draft of your utility…

What are allowed or allowable claims in a utility patent application? So, the examiner indicates that your utility patent application has allowable claims. Congratulations! The…

Do you need a prototype before a patent is filed? No, you do not need to build a working prototype before filing a patent application.…

What does “obvious” mean in patent language? The everyday colloquial use of the term “obvious” is so simple that it can be hard to define.…