274:). Upon passing the "Partial Signatory Program", a patent examiner is given signatory authority to sign all of their own non-final rejections and other non-final communications to applicants. After a waiting period a patent examiner may take part in an additional testing phase known as the "Full Signatory Authority" (FSA) program. When a patent examiner has passed the FSA program, they are given "Full Signatory Authority" and can sign all of their own "office actions" (e.g. allowances, rejections) without review and approval by a supervisor. Such examiners are also able to review and sign actions of "junior examiners" (patent examiners without signatory authority). Upon completion of the "Full Signatory Authority program", an examiner is advanced from GS-13 to GS-14 and is referred to as a "primary examiner".
125:, the pressures on examiners to produce and methods of allocating work have reduced the capacity of examiners to provide the quality of examination the peoples of the world deserve the combined pressures of higher productivity demands, increasingly complex patent applications and an ever-expanding body of relevant patent and non-patent literature have reached such a level that, unless serious measures are taken, meaningful protection of
251:
283:
examiners they are responsible for to a variety of parties (e.g. other managers in the office, patent applicants and their attorneys). They are the lowest rung of the USPTO's management chain of command, and the only part of management that is paid as part of the general schedule (GS). Higher paid managers are part of the
282:
of patent examiners, typically 8-15 examiners who examine cases in the same area of technology (e.g. GPS devices and aircraft are handled by different art units). Responsibilities include training new examiners, reviewing and signing office actions of junior examiners and acting as an advocate of the
116:
Examiners are expected to be efficient in their work and to determine patentability within a limited amount of time. Some patent applications are easy for an examiner to assess, but others require considerably more time. This has given rise to controversy: On April 13, 2007, a "Coalition of Patent
295:
According to the USPTO, an examiner is measured entirely by his own performance, without regard to the performance of others. The two most important performance statistics are referred to as "production" (the number of applications processed in the allotted time) and "docket management" (compliance
287:
and are technically political appointees. For example, a primary examiner (GS-14) and her SPE (GS-15) are part of the general schedule and cannot be fired as part of an administration change, but the SPE's boss (a "technology center" director paid at SES-1), can be asked to resign by the president,
277:
Supervisors at the USPTO are GS-15 employees who are necessarily primary examiners now called
Supervisory Patent Examiners (formerly Supervisory Primary Examiners) (SPE, colloquially called "spee"). They apply for positions competitively and receive management training inside the office. They are
322:
A 2023 study looked into how political preferences of USPTO examiners affect their propensity to allow patent claims. They found no statistically significant difference except for the case when the most politically active examiners (i.e. those who donate to political campaigns) examine software
447:
The first person to record the work of Black
American inventors, Henry E. Baker Jr. entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1874 as only the third Black person to ever attend. He later became Second Assistant at the U.S. patent office and published several works on Black inventors and their societal
261:
Patent examiners in the U.S. have responsibilities that are commensurate with their GS level. Promotions from GS-7 to GS-14 are non-competitive. At GS-13 they are eligible to start the "Partial
Signatory Authority" program, a testing phase to see if an examiner can apply patent concepts (e.g.
315:
and pass a background investigation. Examiners also must have a college degree in engineering or science. The
Technology Centers at the USPTO are divided into chemistry, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, so college degrees in these areas are typically
97:) any objections that may exist against the grant of a patent. In other words, an examiner reviews a patent application substantively to determine whether it complies with the legal requirements for granting of a patent. A claimed invention must meet patentability requirements of
1007:
Baker, Henry E. (1902). "The Negro as an
Inventor". In Daniel Wallace Culp (ed.). Twentieth Century Negro Literature; Or, A Cyclopedia of Thought on the Vital Topics Relating to the American Negro. Naperville, Illinois; Toronto: J.L. Nichols & Company. pp. 398–413. ISBN
151:. The process involves a search for existing documentation in the technical area of the application (prior art) and communication with the applicant in order to bring the application in line with the legal requirements of the
316:
preferred. In recent years, however, new technologies have been important areas of innovation, so the USPTO employs people with training in biotechnology, business methods, geology, mathematics, and many other disciplines.
809:
Partisan patent examiners? Exploring the link between the political ideology of patent examiners and patent office outcomes. 2023. Res Policy. 52/9. J. Raffiee, F. Teodoridis, D. Fehder. doi: 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104853.
206:(USPTO) examine patent applications for claims of new inventions. Examiners make determinations of patentability based on policies and guidance from this agency, in compliance with federal laws (
323:
patents (i.e. in the Art Units where the examiners have the most discretion). In this case
Republican-leaning examiners are more likely to issue patents than Democratically-leaning examiners.
736:
74:
or whether the application should instead be refused. One of the most important tasks of a patent examiner is to review the disclosure in the application and to compare it to the
147:(EPO) carry out examination and opposition procedures for patent applications originating anywhere in the world and seeking protection in any of the member states of the
989:
Baker, Henry E. (January 1, 1917). "The Negro in the Field of
Invention". The Journal of Negro History. 2 (1): 21–36. doi:10.2307/2713474. ISSN 0022-2992. JSTOR 2713474.
187:
Some examiners have work experience in industry, but such experience is not required. EPO examiners are also reportedly required to speak three languages fluently.
396:
289:
158:
EPO examiners are organized in a branched structured by their technical field of expertise and examine patent applications in three official languages,
627:
541:
376:
203:
751:
155:. For every patent application, a division formed by three examiners must decide whether the application is granted or not, and in which scope.
470:
862:"Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, held a regular civil service appointment as a patent clerk as early as 1854." in B. Zorina Khan,
668:
565:
78:. This involves reading and understanding a patent application, searching the prior art (including prior patent applications and patents,
484:
271:
223:
207:
102:
963:
943:
915:
895:
875:
851:
831:
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communicating findings as to the patentability of an applicant's invention via a written action to inventors/patent practitioners.
319:
Experienced examiners have an option of working primarily from home through a hoteling program implemented in 2006 by the USPTO.
243:
searching for relevant technologies to compare similar prior inventions with the invention claimed in the patent application; and
557:
170:. They are recruited among nationals of the member states and work in one of the EPO offices in Munich, The Hague and Berlin.
1029:
Report to
Congressional Committees 2005 "USPTO Has Made Progress in Hiring Examiners, but Challenges to Retention Remain" "
530:
215:
148:
588:
842:"In 1946, a 20-year-old Soviet patent clerk in Russia named Genrich Altshuller..." in Peter Middleton, James Sutton,
998:
Baker, Henry E. (1913). The
Colored Inventor: A Record of Fifty Years. New York City: The Crisis Publishing Company.
818:"TRIZ was invented and structured by Genrich Altshuller, a patent examiner for the Russian navy." in Praveen Gupta,
1047:
935:
867:
594:
152:
210:), rules, judicial precedents, and guidance from agency administrators. These determinations are appealable as a
1052:
507:
110:
1026:". MSNBC, April 27, 2004. (ed., comments on problems and that 2900 new examiners are being sought by the USPTO.)
1022:
886:"Called the “Angel of the Battlefield,” Clara Barton was a former teacher and patent clerk..." in Alan Axelrod,
573:
684:
284:
798:
773:", USPTO Patent Examiner Recruitment, United States Patent and Trademark Office, retrieved on June 12, 2006.
634:
549:
237:
reviewing patent applications to determine if they comply with basic format, rules and legal requirements;
144:
106:
183:
good knowledge of two languages out of German, English and French with a willingness to learn the third.
126:
79:
723:
569:
301:
211:
864:
The
Democratization of Invention: patents and copyrights in American economic development, 1790-1920
660:
513:
420:
561:
479:
348:
227:
59:
628:"Better Patents, Better Medicines: Recommendations on How to Improve The European Patent System"
959:
939:
911:
891:
871:
847:
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664:
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652:
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404:
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85:, etc.) to determine what contribution the invention makes over the prior art, and issuing
517:
465:
384:
219:
167:
163:
90:
653:
612:
1023:
U.S. patent office swamped by backlog; Without more funding, wait time could top 5 years
545:
436:
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312:
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with goals for responding to applicant communications within the allotted time).
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564:, Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trademarks and Chief Executive Officer,
474:
263:
250:
191:
577:
305:
820:
The Six Sigma Performance Handbook: A Statistical Guide to Optimizing Results
906:"Clara Barton, a former teacher and patent clerk, ..." in Fred D. Cavinder,
537:
460:
75:
63:
17:
1031:
173:
Candidates for examiner positions must meet certain minimum requirements:
82:
39:
844:
Lean Software Strategies: proven techniques for managers and developers
267:
71:
399:(now known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property)
258:
Examiners are hired at the GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 or GS-11 grade levels.
297:
249:
359:
a Soviet engineer, inventor, scientist, journalist and writer.
240:
determining the scope of the invention claimed by the inventor;
89:
to explain to the applicants and their representatives (i.e.,
233:
Responsibilities for a patent examiner at the USPTO include:
616:". European Patent Office (EPO), retrieved on June 28, 2010.
932:
Einstein in Context: A Special Issue of Science in Context
226:, but only at the court's discretion via a petition for a
46:
with a scientific or engineering background, working at a
930:
in R. S. (Robert Sonne) Cohen, Mara Beller, JĂĽrgen Renn,
799:
USPTO Patent Public Advisory Committee 2007 Annual Report
375:
worked at the United States Patent Office (Currently the
713:
employee classification scheme within the US government.
311:
To work as an examiner at the USPTO, a person must be a
626:
European Generic Medicines Association (October 2008).
979:. Reader's Digest Association Limited. pp. 44–46.
789:, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Fall 2009, page 21.
222:. The decisions of the latter can be appealed to the
330:
709:GS-5, GS-7, or GS-9 grade levels are part of the
129:throughout the world may, itself, become history.
117:Examiner Representatives" expressed concern that
956:Patent Fundamentals for Scientists and Engineers
431:UK Patent Office examiner and prolific inventor
415:first patent examiner of the U.S. Patent Office
308:training is provided to examiners at the USPTO.
190:Most EPO examiners are represented by SUEPO, a
119:
397:Swiss Federal Office for Intellectual Property
8:
910:, Indiana University Press, 2003, page 79,
888:The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Civil War
770:What makes the USPTO a great place to work?
613:Required profile for an EPO patent examiner
787:"Patent work: The other side of invention"
737:"Patent Examiners and Litigation Outcomes"
781:
779:
542:United States Patent and Trademark Office
204:United States Patent and Trademark Office
198:United States Patent and Trademark Office
27:Civil servant working in a patent office
606:
604:
583:on 2007-09-27 – via www.popa.org.
495:
954:Thomas T. Gordon, Arthur S. Cookfair,
846:, Productivity Press, 2005, page 159,
586:
471:Patent Office Professional Association
566:Canadian Intellectual Property Office
531:"Re: The Future of the Patent System"
506:" is used for instance in Gary Stix,
473:, the United States patent examiners
7:
180:degree in engineering or in science;
70:in each of them should be granted a
516:, September 2004 (an article about
485:United States Patent Classification
928:Einstein, Inventors, and Invention
724:salary table as of January 1, 2007
687:[We keep an eye thereon].
208:Title 35 of the United States Code
25:
103:inventive step or non-obviousness
576:. April 13, 2007. Archived from
908:More Amazing Tales from Indiana
890:, Alpha Books, 2003, page 147,
659:(13th ed.). Nolo. p.
558:Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
1:
691:(in German). 28 December 2016
216:United States district courts
177:EPO member state nationality;
958:, CRC Press, 2000, page 13,
149:European Patent Organisation
870:, 2005, page 136, note 25.
685:"Wir haben ein Auge darauf"
633:. p. 3. Archived from
1069:
936:Cambridge University Press
868:Cambridge University Press
574:Ă–sterreichisches Patentamt
254:Biweekly Production Report
153:European Patent Convention
750:: 507–517. Archived from
509:The Patent Clerk's Legacy
111:sufficiency of disclosure
62:to determine whether the
977:Extraordinary Inventions
824:McGraw-Hill Professional
651:Pressman, David (2008).
327:Notable patent examiners
285:Senior Executive Service
202:Patent examiners at the
143:Patent examiners at the
58:Patent examiners review
593:: CS1 maint: others (
550:European Patent Office
255:
145:European Patent Office
139:European Patent Office
131:
107:industrial application
253:
127:intellectual property
80:scientific literature
34:(or, historically, a
975:Healey, Tim (1983).
689:Tageblatt LĂ«tzebuerg
491:References and notes
757:on August 12, 2014.
514:Scientific American
421:Arthur Paul Pedrick
278:responsible for an
60:patent applications
926:Thomas P. Hugues,
826:, 2004, page 278,
744:Stan. Tech. L. Rev
735:Tu, Shine (2014).
655:Patent it yourself
589:cite press release
480:Trademark examiner
349:Genrich Altshuller
256:
228:writ of certiorari
224:U.S. Supreme Court
1048:Legal professions
1020:John W. Schoen, "
938:, 1993, page 25,
722:See the examiner
670:978-1-4133-0854-9
452:
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109:(or utility) and
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1053:Patent examiners
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385:Albert Einstein
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290:at his pleasure
220:Federal Circuit
212:matter of right
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