Chapter 2100 — Patentability
Ninth Edition, Revision 01.2024
Contents
- 2103 Patent Examination Process
- 2104 Requirements of 35 U.S.C. 101
- 2105 Patent Eligible Subject Matter — Living Subject Matter
- 2106 Patent Subject Matter Eligibility
- 2106.01 [Reserved]
- 2106.02 [Reserved]
- 2106.03 Eligibility Step 1: The Four Categories of Statutory Subject Matter
- 2106.04 Eligibility Step 2A: Whether a Claim is Directed to a Judicial Exception
- 2106.05 Eligibility Step 2B: Whether a Claim Amounts to Significantly More
- 2106.06 Streamlined Analysis
- 2106.07 Formulating and Supporting Rejections For Lack Of Subject Matter Eligibility
- 2107 Guidelines for Examination of Applications for Compliance with the Utility Requirement
- 2108 [Reserved]
- 2109 Inventorship
- 2110 [Reserved]
- 2111 Claim Interpretation; Broadest Reasonable Interpretation
- 2112 Requirements of Rejection Based on Inherency; Burden of Proof
- 2113 Product-by-Process Claims
- 2114 Apparatus and Article Claims — Functional Language
- 2115 Material or Article Worked Upon by Apparatus
- 2116 Novel, Nonobvious Starting Material or End Product
- 2117 Markush Claims
- 2120 Rejection on Prior Art
- 2121 Prior Art; General Level of Operability Required to Make a Prima Facie Case
- 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 Reference Must be Prior Art
- 2125 Drawings as Prior Art
- 2126 Availability of a Document as a “Patent” for Purposes of Rejection Under 35 U.S.C. 102(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a), (b), and (d)
- 2127 Domestic and Foreign Patent Applications as Prior Art
- 2128 “Printed Publications” as Prior Art
- 2129 Admissions as Prior Art
- 2130 [Reserved]
- 2131 Anticipation — Application of 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2132 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)
- 2133 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b)
- 2134 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(c)
- 2135 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(d)
- 2136 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 2136.01 Status of Unpublished or Published as Redacted U.S. Application as a Reference Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 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 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e)
- 2137 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(f)
- 2138 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(g)
- 2139 Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2140 [Reserved]
- 2141 Examination Guidelines for Determining Obviousness Under 35 U.S.C. 103
- 2142 Legal Concept of Prima Facie Obviousness
- 2143 Examples of Basic Requirements of a Prima Facie Case of Obviousness
- 2144 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 Similar and Overlapping Ranges, Amounts, and Proportions
- 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 and Evidence
- 2146 Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(c)
- 2147 Biotechnology Process Applications; Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(b)
- 2148 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103
- 2149 [Reserved]
- 2150 Examination Guidelines for 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 as Amended by the First Inventor To File Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
- 2151 Overview of the Changes to 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 in the AIA
- 2152 Detailed Discussion of AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a) and (b)
- 2152.01 Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention
- 2152.02 Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) (Patented, Described in a Printed Publication, or in Public Use, on Sale, or Otherwise Available to the Public)
- 2152.03 Admissions
- 2152.04 The Meaning of “Disclosure”
- 2152.05 Determining Whether To Apply 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2)
- 2152.06 Overcoming a 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) Rejection
- 2152.07 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
- 2153 Prior Art Exceptions Under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
- 2154 Provisions Pertaining to Subject Matter in a U.S. Patent or Application Effectively Filed Before the Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention
- 2155 Use of Affidavits or Declarations Under 37 CFR 1.130 To Overcome Prior Art Rejections
- 2155.01 Showing That the Disclosure Was Made by the Inventor or a Joint Inventor
- 2155.02 Showing That the Subject Matter Disclosed Had Been Previously Publicly Disclosed by the Inventor or a Joint Inventor
- 2155.03 Showing That the Disclosure was Made, or That Subject Matter had Been Previously Publicly Disclosed, by Another Who Obtained the Subject Matter Disclosed Directly or Indirectly From the Inventor or a Joint Inventor
- 2155.04 Enablement
- 2155.05 Who May File an Affidavit or Declaration Under 37 CFR 1.130
- 2155.06 Situations in Which an Affidavit or Declaration Is Not Available
- 2156 Joint Research Agreements
- 2157 Improper Naming of Inventors
- 2158 AIA 35 U.S.C. 103
- 2159 Applicability Date Provisions and Determining Whether an Application Is Subject to the First Inventor To File Provisions of the AIA
- 2159.01 Applications Filed Before March 16, 2013
- 2159.02 Applications Filed on or After March 16, 2013
- 2159.03 Applications Subject to the AIA but Also Containing a Claimed Invention Having an Effective Filing Date Before March 16, 2013
- 2159.04 Applicant Statement in Transition Applications Containing a Claimed Invention Having an Effective Filing Date on or After March 16, 2013
- 2160 [Reserved]
- 2161 Three Separate Requirements for Specification Under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2162 Policy Underlying 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2163 Guidelines for the Examination of Patent Applications Under the 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, “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
- 2164 The Enablement Requirement
- 2164.01 Test of Enablement
- 2164.02 Working and Prophetic Examples
- 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
- 2164.06 Quantity of Experimentation
- 2164.07 Relationship of Enablement Requirement to Utility Requirement of 35 U.S.C. 101
- 2164.08 Enablement Commensurate in Scope With the Claims
- 2165 The Best Mode Requirement
- 2166 Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First Paragraph
- 2171 Two Separate Requirements for Claims Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2172 Subject Matter Which the Inventor or a Joint Inventor Regards as The Invention
- 2173 Claims Must Particularly Point Out and Distinctly Claim the Invention
- 2173.01 Interpreting the Claims
- 2173.02 Determining Whether Claim Language is Definite
- 2173.03 Correspondence Between Specification and Claims
- 2173.04 Breadth Is Not Indefiniteness
- 2173.05 Specific Topics Related to Issues Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2173.06 Practice Compact Prosecution
- 2174 Relationship Between the Requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and (b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First and Second Paragraphs
- 2175 Form Paragraphs for Use in Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Second Paragraph
- 2181 Identifying and Interpreting a 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Sixth Paragraph Limitation
- 2182 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(a) or (b) and Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, First or Second Paragraphs
- 2186 Relationship to the Doctrine of Equivalents
- 2187 Form Paragraphs for Use Relating to 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, Sixth Paragraph
- 2190 Prosecution Laches and Res Judicata