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Manual of Patent Examining Procedure - MPEP
Table of Contents
2100 Patentability
2100 Patentability
- 2105 Patentable Subject Matter - Living Subject Matter
- 2106 Patentable Subject Matter - Computer-Related Inventions
- - 2106.01 Computer Programming and 35 U.S.C. 112 , First Paragraph
- - 2106.02 Disclosure in Computer Programming Cases
- 2107 Guidelines for Examination of Applications for Compliance with the Utility Requirement
- - 2107.01 General Principles Governing Utility Rejections
- - 2107.02 Procedural Considerations Related to Rejections for Lack of Utility
- - 2107.03 Special Considerations for Asserted Therapeutic or Pharmacological Utilities
- 2111 Claim Interpretation; Broadest Reasonable Interpretation
- - 2111.01 Plain Meaning
- - 2111.02 Effect of Preamble
- - 2111.03 Transitional Phrases
- - 2111.04 "Adapted to," "Adapted for," "Wherein," and "Whereby" Clauses
- 2112 Requirements of Rejection Based on Inherency; Burden of Proof
- - 2112.01 Composition, Product, and Apparatus Claims
- - 2112.02 Process Claims
- 2113 Product-by-Process Claims
- 2114 Apparatus and Article Claims - Functional Language
- 2115 Material or Article Worked Upon by Apparatus
- 2116 Material Manipulated in Process
- - 2116.01 Novel, Unobvious Starting Material or End Product
- 2121 Prior Art; General Level of Operability Required to Make a Prima Facie Case
- - 2121.01 Use of Prior Art in Rejections Where Operability Is in Question
- - 2121.02 Compounds and Compositions - What Constitutes Enabling Prior Art
- - 2121.03 Plant Genetics - What Con-stitutes Enabling Prior Art
- - 2121.04 Apparatus and Articles - What Constitutes Enabling Prior Art
- 2122 Discussion of Utility in the Prior Art
- 2123 Rejection Over Prior Art's Broad Disclosure Instead of Preferred Embodiments
- 2124 Exception to the Rule That the Critical Reference Date Must Precede the Filing Date
- 2125 Drawings as Prior Art
- 2126 Availability of a Document as a "Patent" for Purposes of Rejection Under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a), (b), and (d)
- - 2126.01 Date of Availability of a Patent as a Reference
- - 2126.02 Scope of Reference's Disclosure Which Can Be Used to Reject Claims When the Reference Is a "Patent" but Not a "Publication"
- 2127 Domestic and Foreign Patent Applications as Prior Art
- 2128 "Printed Publications" as Prior Art
- - 2128.01 Level of Public Accessibility Required
- - 2128.02 Date Publication Is Available as a Reference
- 2129 Admissions as Prior Art
- 2131 Anticipation - Application of 35 U.S.C. 102 (a), (b), and (e)
- - 2131.01 Multiple Reference 35 U.S.C. 102 Rejections
- - 2131.02 Genus-Species Situations
- - 2131.03 Anticipation of Ranges
- - 2131.04 Secondary Considerations
- - 2131.05 Nonanalogous Art
- 2132 35 U.S.C. 102(a)
- - 2132.01 Publications as 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) Prior Art
- 2133 35 U.S.C. 102(b)
- - 2133.01 Rejections of Continuation-In-Part (CIP) Applications
- - 2133.02 Rejections Based on Publications and Patents
- - 2133.03 Rejections Based on "Public Use" or "On Sale"
- - - 2133.03(a) "Public Use"
- - - 2133.03(b) "On Sale"
- - - 2133.03(c) The "Invention"
- - - 2133.03(d) "In This Country"
- - - 2133.03(e) Permitted Activity; Experimental Use
- - - 2133.03(e)(1) Commercial Exploitation
- - - 2133.03(e)(2) Intent
- - - 2133.03(e)(3) "Completeness" of the Invention
- - - 2133.03(e)(4) Factors Indicative of an Experimental Purpose
- - - 2133.03(e)(5) Experimentation and Degree of Supervision and Control
- - - 2133.03(e)(6) Permitted Experimental Activity and Testing
- - - 2133.03(e)(7) Activity of an Independent Third Party Inventor
- 2134 35 U.S.C. 102(c)
- 2135 35 U.S.C. 102(d)
- - 2135.01 The Four Requirements of 35 U.S.C. 102(d)
- 2136 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- - 2136.01 Status of U.S. Application as a Reference
- - 2136.02 Content of the Prior Art Available Against the Claims
- - 2136.03 Critical Reference Date
- - 2136.04 Different Inventive Entity; Meaning of "By Another"
- - 2136.05 Overcoming a Rejection Under 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 2137 35 U.S.C. 102(f)
- - 2137.01 Inventorship
- - 2137.02 Applicability of 35 U.S.C. 103(c)
- 2138 35 U.S.C. 102(g)
- - 2138.01 Interference Practice
- - 2138.02 "The Invention Was Made in This Country"
- - 2138.03 "By Another Who Has Not Abandoned, Suppressed, or Concealed It"
- - 2138.04 "Conception"
- - 2138.05 "Reduction to Practice"
- - 2138.06 "Reasonable Diligence"
- 2141 35 U.S.C. 103; the Graham Factual Inquiries
- - 2141.01 Scope and Content of the Prior Art
- - - 2141.01(a) Analogous and Nonanalogous Art
- - 2141.02 Differences Between Prior Art and Claimed Invention
- - 2141.03 Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art
- 2142 Legal Concept of Prima Facie Obviousness
- 2143 Basic Requirements of a Prima Facie Case of Obviousness
- - 2143.01 Suggestion or Motivation To Modify the References
- - 2143.02 Reasonable Expectation of Success Is Required
- - 2143.03 All Claim Limitations Must Be Taught or Suggested
- 2144 Sources of Rationale Supporting a Rejection Under 35 U.S.C. 103
- - 2144.01 Implicit Disclosure
- - 2144.02 Reliance on Scientific Theory
- - 2144.03 Reliance on Common Knowledge in the Art or "Well Known" Prior Art
- - 2144.04 Legal Precedent as Source of Supporting Rationale
- - 2144.05 Obviousness of Ranges
- - 2144.06 Art Recognized Equivalence for the Same Purpose
- - 2144.07 Art Recognized Suitability for an Intended Purpose
- - 2144.08 Obviousness of Species When Prior Art Teaches Genus
- - 2144.09 Close Structural Similarity Between Chemical Compounds (Homologs, Analogues, Isomers)
- 2145 Consideration of Applicant's Rebuttal Arguments
- 2146 35 U.S.C. 103(c)
- 2161 Three Separate Requirements for Specification Under 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2162 Policy Underlying 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2163 Guidelines for the Examination of Patent Applications Under the 35 U.S.C. 112 , para. 1, "Written Description" Requirement
- - 2163.01 Support for the Claimed Subject Matter in Disclosure
- - 2163.02 Standard for Determining Compliance With the Written Description Requirement
- - 2163.03 Typical Circumstances Where Adequate Written Description Issue Arises
- - 2163.04 Burden on the Examiner with Regard to the Written Description Requirement
- - 2163.05 Changes to the Scope of Claims
- - 2163.06 Relationship of Written Description Requirement to New Matter
- - 2163.07 Amendments to Application Which Are Supported in the Original Description
- - - 2163.07(a) Inherent Function, Theory, or Advantage
- - - 2163.07(b) Incorporation by Reference
- 2164 The Enablement Requirement
- - 2164.01 Test of Enablement
- - - 2164.01(a) Undue Experimentation Factors
- - - 2164.01(b) How to Make the Claimed Invention
- - - 2164.01(c) How to Use the Claimed Invention
- - 2164.02 Working Example
- - 2164.03 Relationship of Predictability of the Art and the Enablement Requirement
- - 2164.04 Burden on the Examiner Under the Enablement Requirement
- - 2164.05 Determination of Enablement Based on Evidence as a Whole
- - - 2164.05(a) Specification Must Be Enabling as of the Filing Date
- - - 2164.05(b) Specification Must Be Enabling to Persons Skilled in the Art
- - 2164.06 Quantity of Experimentation
- - - 2164.06(a) Examples of Enablement Issues-Missing Information
- - - 2164.06(b) Examples of Enablement Issues - Chemical Cases
- - 2164.07 Relationship of Enablement Requirement to Utility Requirement of 35 U.S.C. 101
- - 2164.08 Enablement Commensurate in Scope With the Claims
- - - 2164.08(a) Single Means Claim
- - - 2164.08(b) Inoperative Subject Matter
- - - 2164.08(c) Critical Feature Not Claimed
- 2165 The Best Mode Requirement
- - 2165.01 Considerations Relevant to Best Mode
- - 2165.02 Best Mode Requirement Compared to Enablement Requirement
- - 2165.03 Requirements for Rejection for Lack of Best Mode
- - 2165.04 Examples of Evidence of Concealment
- 2171 Two Separate Requirements for Claims Under 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2172 Subject Matter Which Applicants Regard as Their Invention
- - 2172.01 Unclaimed Essential Matter
- 2173 Claims Must Particularly Point Out and Distinctly Claim the Invention
- - 2173.01 Claim Terminology
- - 2173.02 Clarity and Precision
- - 2173.03 Inconsistency Between Claim and Specification Disclosure or Prior Art
- - 2173.04 Breadth Is Not Indefiniteness
- - 2173.05 Specific Topics Related to Issues Under 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- - - 2173.05(a) New Terminology
- - - 2173.05(b) Relative Terminology
- - - 2173.05(c) Numerical Ranges and Amounts Limitations
- - - 2173.05(d) Exemplary Claim Language ("for example," "such as")
- - - 2173.05(e) Lack of Antecedent Basis
- - - 2173.05(f) Reference to Limitations in Another Claim
- - - 2173.05(g) Functional Limitations
- - - 2173.05(h) Alternative Limitations
- - - 2173.05(i) Negative Limitations
- - - 2173.05(j) Old Combination
- - - 2173.05(k) Aggregation
- - - 2173.05(m) Prolix
- - - 2173.05(n) Multiplicity
- - - 2173.05(o) Double Inclusion
- - - 2173.05(p) Claim Directed to Product-By- Process or Product and Process
- - - 2173.05(q) "Use" Claims
- - - 2173.05(r) Omnibus Claim
- - - 2173.05(s) Reference to Figures or Tables
- - - 2173.05(t) Chemical Formula
- - - 2173.05(u) Trademarks or Trade Names in a Claim
- - - 2173.05(v) Mere Function of Machine
- - 2173.06 Prior Art Rejection of Claim Rejected as Indefinite
- 2174 Relationship Between the Requirements of the First and Second Paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 112
- 2181 Identifying a 35 U.S.C. 112 , Sixth Paragraph Limitation
- 2182 Scope of the Search and Identification of the Prior Art
- 2183 Making a Prima Facie Case of Equivalence
- 2184 Determining Whether an Applicant Has Met the Burden of Proving Nonequivalence After a Prima Facie Case Is Made
- 2185 Related Issues Under 35 U.S.C. 112 , First or Second Paragraphs
- 2186 Relationship to the Doctrine of Equivalents
- 2190 Prosecution Laches
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