Patent Applications

Color Drawings & Color Photographs in Utility Patent Applications Color drawings are acceptable in US patent applications, but not in international applications (see PCT Rule…

What happens after your nonprovisional utility patent application is filed? So your utility nonprovisional patent application has been filed. Now what? Expect a long wait…

Preliminary Review of Claims in PCT Application Every PCT application automatically receives a prior art search and a written opinion on the invention’s novelty, inventive step…

Critical Patent Deadlines If You Have Not Yet Applied If you haven’t yet filed a patent application on your invention, there are two critical deadlines…

What is the P3 Program? P3 effectively combines two after-final pilot programs into one: the After Final Consideration Pilot (AFCP) 2.0 program; and the Pre-Appeal Brief Conference…

What is an AFCP request? The After Final Consideration Pilot (AFCP) Program 2.0 is a continuing effort by the USPTO to streamline responses to Final…

What are your options for responding to a Final Office Action? When faced with a final rejection, a patent applicant has a couple of options in…

What do we need to file your utility nonprovisional patent application? New to utility patents? This is a good place to start. I want to…

Must inventions made in the USA be filed first with the USPTO? Except when permission is granted, a patent application for an invention made in the…

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…