Recent Examination Guidance and Training Materials

Rules of Practice

• Rules of Practice Before the BPAI in Ex Parte Appeals (2012)

Awareness Workshop

• Best Practices in Compact Prosecution (2009)

• Interview Best Practices (2011)
• Interview Practice Training Summary (2009)

Subject matter eligibility

• Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. 101:  August 2012 Update
  • Slides
  • Computer Based Training (CBT)
• Flowchart - Subject Matter Eligibility Analysis for Claims to Laws of Nature/Natural Principles (August 2012)
• 2012 Interim Procedure for Subject Matter Eligibility Analysis of Process Claims Involving Laws of Nature
• Interim Guidance for Determining Subject Matter Eligibility for Process Claims in View of Bilski v. Kappos (through 2010 update)
• Subject Matter Eligibility of Computer Readable Media (2010)
• Interim Examination Instructions For Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101 (August 2009)

Obviousness, KSR

• Examination Guidelines and Training Materials in view of KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc. (through 2010 update)

Supplemental, ¶1, ¶2, ¶4, ¶6

• Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications (signed January 21, 2011)
• 35 U.S.C. § 112 Supplementary Examination Guidelines  [PPT] (slide set prepared from guidelines signed January 21, 2011)
• Training Examples [posted May 20, 2011]

• Written Description Guidelines Training Materials (2008) [PDF]