Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, N.Y. 11501
Contents
| Functions of the Patent and Trademark Office | [5] |
| Purpose of this booklet | [6] |
| What is a patent? | [7] |
| Patent laws | [9] |
| What can be patented | [10] |
| Novelty and other conditions for obtaining a patent | [12] |
| The United States Patent and Trademark Office | [13] |
| Publications of the Patent and Trademark Office | [15] |
| General information and correspondence | [19] |
| Library, search room services and Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries | [21] |
| Attorneys and agents | [28] |
| Disclosure Document | [31] |
| Who may apply for a patent | [33] |
| Application for patent | [34] |
| Oath or declaration, signature | [37] |
| Filing Fees | [38] |
| Specification (description and claims) | [40] |
| Drawing | [43] |
| Models, exhibits, specimens | [54] |
| Examination of applications and proceedings in the Patent and Trademark Office | [55] |
| Amendments to application | [58] |
| Time for response and abandonment | [61] |
| Appeal to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and to the courts | [62] |
| Interferences | [63] |
| Allowance and issue of patent | [65] |
| Nature of patent and patent rights | [66] |
| Maintenance Fees | [68] |
| Correction of patents | [69] |
| Assignments and licenses | [70] |
| Infringement of patents | [73] |
| Patent marking and “patent pending” | [74] |
| Design patents | [75] |
| Plant patents | [76] |
| Treaties and foreign patents | [79] |
| Foreign applicants for United States patents | [82] |
| Answers to questions frequently asked | [84] |
Functions of the Patent and Trademark Office
The Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The role of the Patent and Trademark Office is to grant patents for the protection of inventions and to register trademarks. It serves the interest of inventors and businesses with respect to their inventions and corporate products, and service identifications. It also advises and assists the bureaus and offices of the Department of Commerce and other agencies of the Government in matters involving “intellectual property” such as patents, trademarks and semiconductor mask works. Through the preservation, classification, and dissemination of patent information, the Office aids and encourages innovation and the scientific and technical advancement of the nation.
In discharging its patent related duties, the Patent and Trademark Office examines applications and grants patents on inventions when applicants are entitled to them; it publishes and disseminates patent information, records assignments of patents, maintains search files of U.S. and foreign patents, and maintains a search room for public use in examining issued patents and records. It supplies copies of patents and official records to the public. Similar functions are performed relating to trademarks.
Purpose of this Booklet
The purpose of this booklet is to give users some general information about patents and the operations of the Patent and Trademark Office. It attempts to answer many of the questions commonly asked of the Patent and Trademark Office but is not intended to be a comprehensive textbook on patent law or a guide for the patent attorney. It is hoped that this information will be useful to inventors and prospective applicants for patents, to students, and to others who may be interested in patents by giving them a brief general introduction to the subject.
Additional information may be obtained from the publications listed under the sections “Publications of the Patent and Trademark Office” and “General information and correspondence.” Also, information is available on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Web site at: http://www.uspto.gov. The Patent and Trademark Office does not publish any textbooks on patent law, but a number of such works for the specialist and for the general reader have been published by private concerns.