Collaborative Search Pilot Program (CSP)

 

 

For a limited time, and at no extra cost, you can join those in your industry using the Collaborative Search Pilot Program (CSP) to get expedited, consistent IP protection.

 

CSP provides those cross-filing their patent applications internationally with search results from multiple Offices early in the examination process so the applicant can determine their next steps in patent prosecution.

Due to the success of the initial CSP, the USPTO started an expanded CSP on November 1, 2017.  CSP combines the most successful characteristics and user feedback from our initial pilot into a single process for each participating Office.

Are you ready to incorporate CSP into your international patent filing strategy?

►  Quick Resources:

• Federal Register Notice
• Press Release
• Video - USPTO's Expanded Collaborative Search Pilot
• Petition Form (Updated January 11, 2018 - The Collaborative Search Pilot (CSP) program requires the submission of a translated copy of the foreign claims along with the CSP petition if not already available in English. When using EFS-Web, please use doc code CLM.CSP for any claim documents submitted to satisfy this requirement. Do not use doc code CLM for these translated claim sets.)

 

 

    

Click the images above to access the CSP Info Card and the CSP Petition Form.

 

How the Expanded CSP Works

The pilot, running from November 1, 2017 through October 31, 2020, is designed to accelerate examination and provide the applicant with more comprehensive prior art by combining the search expertise of examiners at the USPTO and JPO or KIPO before issuing an office action in the patent application. The USPTO will consider partner Office’s references, including "A" category documents, in the First Action on the Merits (FAOM) and include those references on form PTO-892 to reduce the applicant’s IDS burden.

Improvements made in this expanded version of the CSP program include removing the dependence on the First Action Interview (FAI) program, incorporation of references cited by partner offices in the FAOM, a further reduction in the time from petition grant to FAOM, and reducing the requirement for claims correspondence to be limited to independent claims.

 

 

 

 

Benefits of Using CSP

• Greater consistency in examination across Offices leading to more certainty of IP rights.
• Applications will be taken out of turn resulting in expedited first action on merits.
• Combined search expertise provides more comprehensive prior art.
• It’s FREE to file a petition for your application.

Please check out our recent quality chat on international work sharing video, including information on CSP here. 

NOTE: Some material linked to and from this page may require a PDF viewer

Program Eligibility

►  Applicant Requirements:

• Applicant consents to permit the USPTO and its partner Offices to share information under portions of 35 USC 122.
  • (a) for sending to and receiving from foreign office search results in US Applications.
  • (c) for receiving foreign office search results and commentary in published US Applications.

►  Application Requirements:

• Claim Limits – 3 Independent/20 Total.
• Directed to a single invention.
• Independent claims must correspond between Offices.
• Earliest priority date must be post-AIA (March 16, 2013).
• Application unexamined in both Offices.
• Granted Petition in both Offices.

For more information please see our detailed Federal Register Notice.

 

02/19/2018	Petitions Granted to Date	Remaining Slots this Fiscal Year
JPO 10/1/17-9/30/20      *  400 Petitions Per Office Per Year	42	378
KIPO  10/1/17-9/30/20   *  400 Petitions Per Office Per Year	101	341

 

 

We want to hear directly from you, our stakeholders. Please send your questions, feedback, and ideas about CSP to us at CSP@uspto.gov.