In my earlier post in this series, I discussed a few sections of the MPEP that I have found to be useful in some specific circumstances. This post discusses a few more. Some Help For When Patentability Arguments Are Ignored We have all received Office actions in which the Office seems to have ignored patentability…
Category: Useful Information
USPTO Joint Labor-Management Task Force Proposes Significant Changes To Examiner Count System
The USPTO has unveiled a series of proposals that would bring significant change to the examiner “count system” – the methodology for determining the time a patent examiner has to complete a patent examination and how much credit is given for each stage of an examination. The proposals were developed by a task force comprised…
Patent Abstracts, Common Problems With Them, And Tips For Drafting A Better Abstract
Introduction USPTO rules require that every non-provisional patent application include an Abstract. This Abstract is a concise summary of the invention disclosed in the application. This summary enables the Office (and the public) to quickly determine the nature of the disclosed subject matter. Although only a summary, it is prudent to draft an Abstract with…
USPTO Fee Schedule Revisions Take Effect On September 15, 2009
The USPTO has revised its schedule of fees to reflect upward revisions of some PCT fees to foreign patent offices. The fee increases will go into effect on October 2, 2009. The revised fee schedule is available here. If you like this post, why not grab the RSS feed or subscribe by email and get…
An Interesting Perspective Of The USPTO From The Inside
Gene Quinn of IPWATCHDOG.COM has a troubling an interesting post about the USPTO from the inside. For anyone curious as to why the allowance rate has dropped below 50% (it is presently at 42%), and why the quality of examination has declined so much in recent years, I recommend taking a few minutes to read…