What is a patent office action?

A patent office action is an official communication from a patent office to an inventor or applicant. It is not a decision on the application, but rather a notice from the patent office which either requests more information from the applicant or informs them that their application cannot proceed until an issue is addressed. It is essentially a way for the patent office to let an inventor or applicant know that further action is needed before the application can move forward. Patent office actions in Washington generally relate to issues of formality and clarity. The issuing office may require some clarification or elaboration on certain facts or data stated in the application, or the applicant may need to address other technical or procedural issues. Another common type of office action is when the patent office requests the applicant to cite prior work or specifies additional information which must be provided for a patent application to be approved. The inventors must provide a formal response to an office action and must meet all the requirements outlined by the patent office before the application can proceed. In most cases, a patent office action will include deadline for a response, which is usually within three months of the office action being issued. Failure to provide a response can result in a denial of the patent application. The response should explain any discrepancies in the application or provide additional information requested by the patent office. Once the written response is received, the office action will either be cleared or the application will be further reviewed.

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What is a patent office action?

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