Tag: USPTO
New Ex Parte Appeal Rules
February 23, 2012
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has set forth new rules regarding the ex parte appeal process before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The new rules took effect on January 23, 2012, with a majority of the…
Read MoreA New Way to Obtain your Patents Faster
October 12, 2011
The America Invents Act creates a new way for inventors to shorten the time it takes to obtain a patent. This is called Prioritized Examination. Under the PE program, an applicant pays an extra $4800 fee ($2400 for small entities)…
Read MoreUS House of Representatives Passes the America Invents Act
June 24, 2011
On June 23, 2011, the House of Representatives passed HR 1249, commonly known as the America Invents Act, which was mentioned in a previous post here (112th Congress Becomes the Fourth To Attempt to Tackle Patent Reform). Of note, the…
Read MoreWoodard, Emhardt Makes Donation to Improve Patent Searching Terminals at Purdue University
June 2, 2011
Woodard, Emhardt recently made a donation to enhance the PubWEST patent searching terminals at the Siegesmund Engineering library at Purdue University. The PubWEST system is only available to the public at designated Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) and is…
Read MoreUpdate to New Rule for Prioritized Examination
April 22, 2011
We previously reported a new rule issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding prioritized examination. A copy of this blog posting can be found here. Briefly, this new rule allows an applicant to have a patent…
Read MoreFederal Circuit Hears Oral Arguments in the Myriad Gene Patent Case
April 22, 2011
On April 4, 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments in Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. USPTO, Myriad Genetics, et al. This case involves the controversial topic of whether human genes qualify…
Read MoreUSPTO Issues Final Rule to Implement Prioritized Examination
April 14, 2011
On April 4, 2011, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a final rule regarding prioritized examination (Track I). The purpose of the rule is to provide a final disposition within twelve months of prioritized status being granted. …
Read MoreThe Patent Office Issues New Examination Guidelines to Evaluate Whether Inventions are Distinctly Claimed
February 21, 2011
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued supplementary patent examination guidelines further defining the USPTO’s interpretation of the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. §112 that requires inventors to distinctly claim their inventions. These guidelines are supplements to…
Read MoreA Proposed New Rule for Fee-Based Fast-Track Examination
February 11, 2011
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a proposed rule to implement “Track I” of the 3 track examination program proposed last year. Track I applications would be accorded special status and placed on a special Examiner…
Read MorePatent and Trademark Office Introduces a Web Site for Receiving Public Feedback on Patent and Trademark Examination Procedures
January 20, 2011
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has instituted two on-line discussion tools that allow the public to provide input on ways to improve the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP) and Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP). Only a…
Read MoreUSPTO Announces Plan For First Ever Satellite Patent Office In Detroit
January 11, 2011
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced its plan to open the first-ever USPTO satellite office in Detroit, Michigan. While the specific location and anticipated opening date will be announced in the coming months, the Detroit satellite…
Read MorePatent Office Gives Provisional Filers Extra 12 Months to Pay Certain Fees When Filing Non-Provisional Application
December 29, 2010
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently implemented the Extended Missing Parts Pilot Program (Pilot Program) which allows an applicant to request a 12-month time period to pay certain fees and to reply to a Notice to…
Read More