What is patent prosecution?
After a nonprovisional patent application has been filed, it is reviewed for informalities and then forwarded to the appropriate Technology Center and assigned to an examiner. When the application is taken up for examination by the examiner, a series of correspondence ensues between the examiner and the inventor (or his or her representative) relating to the patentability of the claims and/or other requirements or objections made by the examiner. This stage before the examiner is generally called “prosecution.
The process of moving a patent application through the PTO is generally known as “patent prosecution”. The goal of the applicant is to receive a “notice of allowance” from the PTO, which means that the examiner believes the patent application meets the legal requirements of patentability. Although you have a right to represent yourself, it is usually advisable to hire a patent attorney to assist you with this process.
After a nonprovisional patent application has been filed, it is reviewed for informalities and then forwarded to the appropriate Technology Center and assigned to an examiner. When the application is taken up for examination by the examiner, a series of correspondence ensues between the examiner and the inventor (or his or her representative) relating to the patentability of the claims and/or other requirements or objections made by the examiner.
