Introduction & Contacts
Introduction
This notebook contains a compilation of recent rulemaking materials and published guidelines concerning patent examination policy and procedure. The rulemaking materials include both the Patent Business Goals (PBG) - Final Rule and the rules codifying the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, (AIPA).
The rulemaking process resulting in the Patent Business Goals (PBG) - Final Rule was part of the Agency's continuing efforts to streamline and simplify the process of applying for and obtaining patent protection for new inventions. In 1999, the USPTO established business goals for the organizations reporting to the Commissioner for Patents. These "Patent Business Goals" subsequently were adopted as part of the Fiscal Year 1999 Corporate Plan Submission to the President. A major focus of the Patent Business Goals was to increase the level of service to the public by raising the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office's business processes. In furtherance of these Goals, the PBG-Final Rule made changes to selected regulations to take a fresh view of the business end of issuing patents, to continue a process of simplification, and to achieve the following four objectives: (1) to reduce the time required to review applications and eliminate unnecessary conditions of applying for and obtaining a patent, (2) to remove impediments to electronic filing, processing and publishing of patent applications, (3) to reduce costs to the public and to the Office, and (4) to clarify several very technical rules to better inform the public how to proceed and to make it easier for Office personnel to determine compliance with the rules.
The American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 was enacted on November 29, 1999, as part of Public Law 106-113 (Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2000). The AIPA includes eight subtitles, (A-H), which make fundamental changes to the patent law and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The changes of Subtitle D, "Patent Term Guarantee Act of 1999," Subtitle E, "Domestic Publication of Patent Applications Published Abroad Act of 1999," and Subtitle F, "Optional Inter Partes Reexamination Procedure Act of 1999," have been implemented via one Interim and four Final Rule packages, the Federal Register notices for each being included herein.
The changes made in the PBG - Final Rule and the AIPA Interim and Final Rules will be incorporated into the eighth revision of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, (MPEP). While this Training and Implementation Guide is designed to bridge the gap until publication and dissemination of the eighth revision of the MPEP, it is also designed to be a single source of information for USPTO employees and the public concerning these rules that can be used subsequent to or in combination with the eighth revision of the MPEP.
The rulemaking materials and the AIPA examination guidelines were prepared and implemented under the direction of Stephen G. Kunin, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, Robert J. Spar, Director of the Office of Patent Legal Administration, and the Legal Advisors of the Office of Patent Legal Administration. The patent examination guidelines were prepared and implemented under the direction of Stephen G. Kunin, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, Magdalen Greenlief, Editor of the MPEP, and Linda Therkorn, Assistant Editor of the MPEP.
The latest information concerning the PBG and the AIPA can be obtained from the separate home pages that have been established on the Office's website.
This Notebook includes Portable Document Format (PDF) files which requires a PDF file reader program. Please see our Document Formats and Viewers page.
Robert J. Spar, Director
Office of Patent Legal Administration
Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy
Information Contacts
Patent Business Goals (PBG) - Final Rule
In general: Hiram Bernstein (571)272-7707 or Robert Clarke (571)272 -7735.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/pbg/index.html
Sections | Contact |
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§§ 1.9, 1.22, 1.26 through 1.28, 1.41, 1.48, 1.56, 1.85(c), 1.97, 1.98, 1.105, 1.111, 1.115, 1.131,1,132, 1.133, 1.136, 1.322 through 1.324, Part 3, and Part 10. | Hiram Bernstein (571)272-7707 |
§§ 1.9, 1.27, 1.28, 1.53, 1,55, 1,76, and 1.78 | Eugenia Jones (571)272-7727 |
§§ 1.14, 1.33, 1.44, 1.47, 1.51, 1.52 (except (b)(2) and (b)(6)), 1.59, 1.63, 1.64, 1.67, 1.77, 1.84, 1.85 (except (c)), 1.138, 1.163, and 1.720 et seq. | Karin Ferriter (571)272-7744 |
§§ 1.22, 1.25, 1.26, 1.52(b)(2), 1.112, 1.193, 1.311-1.313, 1.366, and processing and petition fees | Robert Clarke (571)272-7735 |
§§ 1.52(b)(6), 1.72, 1.121, 1.125, and 1.173 et seq. | Eugenia Jones (571)272-7727 Michael Lewis (571)272-7755 |
§§ 1.53, 1.55, 1.63 (oath or declaration) form, and 1.78 | Fred Silverberg (571)272-7719 |
§ 1.76 | Michael Lewis (571)272-7755 |
§§ 1.96, and 1.821 et seq. | Jay Lucas (571)272-3287 Anton Fetting (571)272-7717 Michael Lewis (571)272-7755 |
§§ 1.97, 1.98, 1.137, 1.173 et seq., 1.510 et seq., and Part 3 | Kenneth Schor (571)272-7710 |
§§ 1.152 et seq. and Part 5 | James Engel (571)272-7725 |
American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 (AIPA)
In general: Hiram Bernstein (571)272-7707, Robert Clarke (571)272-7735.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/aipa/index.htm
Subject matter | Contact |
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Electronic Filing System (EFS) | Jay Lucas (571)272-3287 |
Fees | Off. of Finance (703)305-8051 |
Inter Partes Reexamination | Jerry Dost (571)272-7711 Ken Schor (571)272-7710 |
Invention Promotion Companies/Complaints | Inventors Assistance Center (IAC) (1-800)786-9919 or (703) 308-4357 |
PAIR (Patent Application Information Retrieval) | EBC Helpdesk (703)305-3028 |
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) and Pre-grant Publication of Applications (PG Pub) | Karin Ferriter (571)272-7744 Robert Clarke (571)272-7735 |
Provisional Applications | Fred Silverberg (571)272-7719 James Engel (571)272-7725 |
Reissue | Michael Lewis (571)272-7755 |
Requests for Continued Examination (RCE) | Eugenia Jones (571)272-7727 Fred Silverberg (571)272-7719 |
35 U.S.C. 102(e), 102(g) and/or 103(c) | Robert Clarke (571)272-7735 Jeanne Clark (571) 272-7714 |
Patent Examination Guidelines
Subject Matter | Contact |
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35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6 | Magdalen Greenlief (703)305-8813 |
Utility Examination Guidelines | Linda Therkorn (703)305-9323 |
35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 1, "Written Description" Requirement | Linda Therkorn (703)305-9323 |
35 U.S.C. 103 Rejections for Business Method Inventions | James Trammell (703)305-9768 |