MPEP

Manual of Patent Examining Procedure - MPEP

Table of Contents

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O

Oath(See also Declaration )

After appeal1212.02
Antedating reference(See Affidavit, swearing back of reference (37 CFR 1.131) )
Minor, by 409
Non-English 602.06
Original(See also Oath, Original, Rule 1.63 ) 602
Plant application (Rule 1.162) 1604
Reissue (Rule 1.175) 706.03(x) , 1414 , 1444

Supplemental 1414.01

Oath, Antedating reference(See also Affidavit, swearing back of reference (37 CFR 1.131) ) 715
Oath, International application 1893.01(e)
Oath, Original, Rule 1.63 602

Administering 604
Amendment 602.01
Attorney administers 604.06
Consular certificate 604.04
Continuing application 201.06(c)
Copies, filing of 602
Date of execution 602.05
Declaration in lieu of, Rule 1.68 602
Defective 602.01 , 602.02 , 602.03
Delayed filing 506
Divisional application 602.05(a)
Executed before alteration of specification 605.04(a)
Execution 604
Facsimile 602
Foreign execution 602.04
Foreign-filed applications listed 201.14 , 201.14(c) 202.04
Invalid, By attorney in case 604.06
Jurisdiction of notary 604.02 , 604.03(a)
New required 602.01 , 602.02
Notary 602 , 602.01 , 602.04(a) , 604.01 604.02 , 604.03(a) , 604.06
Notary certificate 602.01
Notary jurisdiction 604.02 , 604.03(a)
Refers to preliminary amendment 601.01(a) , 602
Seal 604.01
Seal, Foreign application 602.04(a)
Seal, Not required 604.01 , 604.03(a)
Signed before alteration of specification 605.04(a)
Substitute 602.02
Venue 604.02

Oath, Supplemental, Rule 1.67 603

After allowance 603.01 , 714.16
Change of inventorship 201.03

Oaths, Conflicting 201.03
Object of invention 608.01(d)
Objection contrasted with rejection 706.01
Objection, Dependent claims 608.01(n)
Objection to formal matters, When made 707.07(a) 707.07(j) , 710.02(b) , 714.14
Obvious error, correction 1302.04 , 1305
Obviously informal application 702.01
Obviousness 706.02 , 706.02(j) , 2141 to 2146

Age of reference 2145
Analogous prior art 1504.03 , 2141.01(a) , 2145
Design applications 1504.03
Form paragraphs used for rejection 706.02(m)
Number of references 2145
Ordinary skill, level of 2141.03
Prima facie case 2142 to 2143.03 , 2144.02

Predictability 2143.02
Rebuttal against 2145

Process claims, nonobvious product 2116.01
Provisional rejection 706.02(k)
Ranges 2144.05
Rationale for 2144 to 2144.09

Adjustable, making 2144.04
Aesthetic design changes 2144.04
Automating manual activity 2144.04
Duplication of parts 2144.04
Elimination of element or step 2144.04
Equivalence, art-recognized 2144.06
Genus-species 2144.08
Integral, making 2144.04
Omission of element or step 2144.04
Portable, making 2144.04
Proportion changes 2144.04
Purifying old product 2144.04
Ranges 2144.05
Rearrangement of parts 2144.04
Reversal of parts 2144.04
Separable, making 2144.04
Sequence, change in 2144.04
Shape changes 2144.04
Size changes 2144.04
Species-genus 2144.08

Rebuttal arguments by applicant 2145
Teaching away in prior art 2141.02 , 2145

Offenlegungsshriften 901.05(b)
Offensive language 608 , 1504.01(e)

Redacted in Pre-Grant Publication 1120

Offensive subject matter 1003 , 1504.01(e)
Offer to sell 706.02(c) , 2133.03(b)
Offer to surrender original patent (not required) 1416
Office action(See Action )
Office action in ex parte reexamination 2260 , 2262
Office action in inter partes reexamination 2660 , 2671

Not closing prosecution 2671.01
Reopening prosecution after ACP 2673 , 2673.01
Reopening prosecution after Examiner's Answer 2679
Reopening prosecution after RAN 2676 , 2677

Office date stamp 505 , 506 , 710.01(a) , 714.18
Office hours 510
Office of the Commissioner for Patents 409.03 , 1721 , 1901.03 , 1902.01

Duty of disclosure to 2001.03

Office of the Deputy Assistant
Commissioner for Patents 1721
Office of Congressional Relations 203.08(a)
Office of Electronic Information Products Title Page , 1730
Office of Enrollment and Discipline 406 , 407 , 410 , 502 510 , 601.03 , 604.06 , 714.01(a) 714.13 , 1002.02(k)(1) , 1002.02(m) 2205 , 2220 , 2620

Mailing address 501

Office of General Law 1002.02(k)(2)
Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE)(See also Incoming-Mail Section ) 201.03 , 201.06(c) , 201.06(d) 202.02 , 202.03 , 203.08 , 501 , 502 , 503 506 , 508.03 , 601 , 601.01(d) , 601.01(f) 601.01(g) , 601.01(h) , 602.05(a) , 605.04(c) 605.04(f) , 605.04(g) , 607 , 608.01 , 608.02(a) 608.02(z) , 609.07 , 707.07(a) , 714.16(d) 719.01(b) , 719.02 , 719.02(b) , 903.08(a) 1306 , 1414 , 1706

Contact information 1730
Customer Service Center 1730
Petitions handled 1002.02(q)

Office of International Relations 201.13 , 203.08(a)
Office of Patent Classification 903 , 903.05 , 903.09
Office of Patent Legal Administration (OPLA)(See also Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) ) 103 , 409.03 409.03(h) , 409.03(j) , 506.02 , 706.02(l)(2) 720 , 720.01 , 720.03 , 720.04 1002.02(b) , 1430 , 1449 , 1449.01 1451 , 1456 , 1457 , 2236 , 2237 , 2239 , 2285 , 2289 , 2294 2626 , 2642 , 2666.50 , 2667 , 2668 2686.01 to 2687 , 2694
Office of Patent Publications(a.k.a. Publishing Division) 104 , 201.14(c) , 203.04 502 , 502.01 , 508.03 , 603.01 , 608.01(m) 608.02(z) , 711.01 , 711.05 , 714.16(d) 724.05 , 903.07 , 1302.05 , 1302.05(a) 1302.12 , 1303.01 , 1308 , 1309 , 1309.02 , 1611 2229 , 2235 , 2283 , 2287 , 2289 , 2635 , 2686.01 , 2687

Petitions decided 1002.02(r)
Pre-Grant Publications Division 502 , 502.01 , 1120 1122 , 1125 , 1126 , 1730

Telephone number 1730

Office of Patent Quality Review 1302.04 , 1308.03
Office of Patent Training Title page , 713.01
Office of PCT Legal Administration 103 , 1730
Office of Petitions 106 , 201.03 , 502 , 605.04(c) 605.04(f) , 605.04(g) , 609.04(b) , 1002.02(b) , 1308

Location and phone number 1730

Office of Public Records 103 , 104 , 711.04 , 1128 , 1309 , 1730
Office of Solicitor 302.04 , 311 , 1002.02(k)(3) 1216.01 , 1216.02 , 1701.01 , 1720 1721 , 2207 , 2240 , 2681

Mailing address 501

Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent
Examination Policy 502.03 , 720 , 720.01 720.03 , 1002.02(b) , 1721 2677

Petitions decided by 1002.02(b)

Official action 707
Official Gazette (O.G.) Introduction , 409.03 , 1703

Claim published 1302.09

Reissue application 1455
From ex parte reexamination certificate 2287
From inter partes reexamination certificate 2691

Copies and Subscriptions 1703
Defensive publications 711.06(a)
Designating classification 1302.09
Drawing figure 1302.09
eOG:P 1703
Issuing as U.S. patent 901.05
Notice of Board title changes 1202
Notice of ex parte reexamination certificate 2288 , 2291
Notice of inter partes reexamination certificate 2688 , 2691
Notice of Certificate of Correction 1480 , 1485
Notices 1703
Notices of maintenance fees due 2501 , 2575
Notice of ex parte reexamination request 2229
Notice of inter partes reexamination request 2627 , 2629 to 2631
Online 1703
Patents 1703
Published electronically 1703
Publishing disclaimers 1490
Reissue application filing notice 1430 , 1441 1441.01 , 1443 , 1453 , 1457 , 1470 , 1703
Statutory Invention Registration (SIR) 1111
Trademarks 1703

Official inquiries 203.08(a)
Official Notice 2144.03
OIPE(See Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) )
'Old art' use in deciding request for reexamination 2242 , 2642
Old combination 2173.05(j)
Omission in reply, inadvertent 710.02(c) 2266.01 , 2666.30
Omnibus claim 706.03(d) , 2173.05(r)

Cancellation 1302.04(b)

On-line search(See also Electronic databases ) 706.02(e) , 901.06(a) , 902.03(e)
On sale(See also Public Use ) 706.02(c) 2133.03 , 2133.03(b)

Admission of completion by 37 CFR 1.131
affidavit 2133.03(c)

Definition of 2133.03(b)

Testing by third party 2133.03(e)(5) 2133.03(e)(7)

Operating hours(See Hours of operation )
Operative 2164.07 , 2164.08(b)
Operative example 608.01(p)
Operative, Showing 608.03 , 716
Opposition to issue of patent(See Protest )
Oral hearing in reexamination

Ex parte 2276
Inter partes 2662 , 2675 , 2677 , 2680

Open to public 2680

Oral hearing on appeal 1209
Order, citation of 707.06
Order, Classification 902.04
Order granting ex parte reexamination 2246
Order granting inter partes reexamination 2646 , 2660

Returned as undelivered 2654

Order of examination 707.02 , 708 to 708.03

Patentability report 705.01(b)

Order of papers in file wrapper 719.01(a)
Order for compliance1210.01
Ordering

Abandoned file 711.04(b) , 905.03
Allowed applications 1306.03
Foreign patent 901.05(c)
Patented file 711.04(b) , 905.03
Publication 901.06(b)
Reexamination, decision

Ex parte 2246 , 2247 , 2247.01
Inter partes 2646

Subclass list 902.03(c)

Orders(See also Publication ) Introduction , 707.06
Ordinary and customary meaning of claim term 2106 , 2111.01

Evidence of 2111.01

Original application(See Nonprovisional application )
Original carries title to some continuing applications 201.12
Original disclosure, inherent characteristics 608.04(a) , 714.01(e)
Ornamentality lacking in design applications 1504.01(c)
Outstanding requirements 707.07(e)
Overcoming a reference, Right of priority 201.15 706.02(b)
Overlapping applications

Same applicant 709.01 , 715.01(a) , 804 804.02 , 822 , 822.01
Same assignee 706.02(f)(2) , 706.02(k) 706.02(l) to 706.02(l)(3) , 709.01 715.01(b) , 822
Subject to joint research agreement 706.02(l)(1) to 706.02(l)(3) 804 , 804.02 , 804.03 , 2136.01 , 2141.01

Overlapping claims 804.02
Oversight of inter partes reexamination 2689
Owner' s representative Chapter 400
Ownership and assignment Chapter 300 , 706.02(l)(2) 706.02(l)(3)
Ownership at time invention made 706.02(k) 706.02(l) to 706.02(l)(3)
Ownership of applications filed subsequent to recording of assignment 201.12 , 306

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