Patent Filing Services are essential for the patent applicant to protect the invention or idea by stopping others from using it. Patent Filing Services of the USPTO is a method of filing patents for securing the invention. Filing patents for your invention can be easy and secure which also helps to save the time and cost of the patent applicant. Therefore, one just needs to register himself on the USPTO site to commence the proceedings of the patent filing. Using the electronic filing system, anyone with a web-enabled computer can file patent applications and documents without downloading special software.
We will discuss the stepwise procedure to file a patent application and benefits of patent filing services.
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Patent Filing Services: Key Points
The procedure for a patent grant starts after the patentability search which determines the novelty of the invention. If the invention is patentable, one has to draft a patent application which includes the description of the invention. After drafting the patent application, the procedure for a patent grant starts by filing the patent application. The step by step process for obtaining a patent grant is as follows:
Patent filing application:
The first step in the procedure for a patent grant is filing the patent application. A patent application must contain specifications of the invention and other relevant details of the invention. One can file both a provisional and a complete application for their invention to get a grant of patent. A provisional application need only contain a description of the invention. On the contrary, a complete application requires full details including claims related to the invention.
Publication of the application:
This is the next step of patent filing services. After filing, every application goes to the USPTO. The USPTO publishes the patent application in the official patent journal. The patent application comes in the public domain after the patent office publishes it. So, the USPTO publishes the patent application after 18 months of the filing date. However, if one requests, he can get an early publication within one month of the request. The date of the publication is important as the rights of the invention starts from the date of publication.
Examination of the application:
The next step in the procedure isthe examination of the patent application. The examination process, unlike publication, does not happen automatically. The applicant has to specifically make a request for examining their patent application. The patent application will not move ahead to the examination cell if a request pertaining to it is not made.
The examination takes place to determine whether the invention meets the statutory requirements for patentability or not. After the request of the examination, it will eventually land up on the desk of the examiner. The examiner then examines the application taking into account the prior art information of the invention.
Objection by the examiner:
After the examination of the report, there is a possibility of examiner raising the objections. During the examination, the examiner scrutinizes the application in accordance with the patent act. Based on the review of the application, the examiner will issue an examination report to the applicant. The first such examination report is known as the First Examination Report (FER). Also, the examiner will state all the objections pertaining to the patent application.
Office action response:
Once examiner issues the First Examination Report, the applicant has to successfully overcome the objections to receive a patent grant. The whole process may involve responding to examination reports, appearing for hearing etc. The total duration given to respond is 6 months from the issuing date of FER. This 6-month duration can be extended for a period of another 3 months by filing a request to the USPTO.
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Patent grant:
This is the final step of the patent filing services. Once the patent application overcomes all the objections of the examiner, the patent office will grant a patent to the applicant. Also, the USPTO publishes it in the patent gazette. Patent gazette is the online patent application database where publication of all the patent application takes place.
The benefits of patent filing services include:
A patent grant serves multiple purposes as it benefits both, the individual and the country, in regards to technological advancement. This, in turn, increases the economic growth of the country. Some of the benefits of the patent filing services are:
The Barrier to entry:
It is one of the major benefits of patent filing services as it gives inventor exclusive rights. A patent erects a barrier to entry so that others cannot compete against the inventor. If anyone enters the market with a similar invention, the inventor can take profits and stop them from engaging in further activities.
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Increased profits and prices:
The patent applicants increase the profit of their product to reap the benefits of the patent. Moreover, a patent allows aninventor to sell his unique product at a higher price. If the demand for the product is high, the inventor gets the benefit of the patent. As no one else can sell a similar product, the profit generation of the product peaks. Also, if someone else was able to introduce their own version of the patented product, prices would drop. Fortunately, the patent prevents them from introducing their version of the patented products.
Encourages innovation and understanding:
The patent not only helps the inventor but also society as a whole. The patent system encourages inventors to innovate by granting a patent for their invention. The inventor gets a patent grant for a limited period of time in exchange for others to use the invention. Hence, the public can make and use the invention after expiration of the patent. The collective knowledge of the public increase as inventors teaches the public how to make and use their invention. They mention it in the patent specification description of the patent.
Why Choose Us? – Patent Drafting Catalyst
If you are looking for a patent filing services or seeking any assistance, Patent Drafting Catalyst (PDC) is the way to go. PDC is an exclusive group of the world’s leading patent drafting experts. Our team has more than 100 employees drafting quality patents. Moreover, PDC is a team of professional experts who serve clients globally with our team helping innovators in drafting the patents. PDC has an in-depth understanding of drafting patents and have the ability to leverage the power of collaborative patent drafting. Also, our team of experts boasts years of experience in patent drafting and will provide you with the best possible solutions. Ethics is the first priority of PDC and our professionals will guide you in the right direction. We ensure that the legal rights of our clients are safe. To avail our services, visit Patent Drafting Catalyst.