Patent Glossary S for the letter S. What is patent specification, statutory bar, and swearing back?
Search Report
A report containing a list of citations of prior art references that, in the opinion of the searcher, are material to the patentability of a claimed invention. A search report often presents an opinion of patentability. MPEP 707.05, MPEP 707.05(a), MPEP 1844.
Secondary Considerations
Objective evidence of non-obviousness. MPEP 2141, MPEP 716.01(a).
Serial Number
An identifying number given to each patent application by the USPTO as of the day it is received or made complete. MPEP 503.
Sequence Rules
Rules promulgated by a patent office that concern the form of disclosures of inventions that contain nucleotide sequence data and/or amino acid sequence data. MPEP 2420, MPEP 2421.01, MPEP 2421.02.
Service Mark
A word, name, symbol or device, or any combination thereof, used to identify and distinguish the services performed by a particular entity form those performed by its competitors.
SIR
Statutory Invention Registration. The registration of an invention with the USPTO to place an invention in the public domain. The disclosure of an application for a Statutory Invention Registration is equivalent to the specification and drawings of a patent application.Reference: The Business of Patents
Reference: MPEP 1101.
Small Entity
An independent inventor, a small business or a non-profit organization. The USPTO reduces the amount of certain fees that it charges small entities by 50 percent. MPEP 509.02, MPEP 509.03.
Specification
The description, drawings and claims of a patent application. MPEP 608.01, MPEP 608.01(a), MPEP 2161.
Special Status
A status granted U.S. patent applications that have certain characteristics upon successful petition to the USPTO. Applications granted special status are given a higher priority for examination. MPEP 708.02.
Status
The legal standing of a patent appplication or patent.Reference: MPEP 102.
Statutory Bar
A bar to patentability established by law.Reference: MPEP 2133.
Statutory Invention Registration (SIR)
Registration of an invention with the USPTO to place an invention in the public domain. The disclosure of an application for a Statutory Invention Registration is equivalent to the specification and drawings of a patent application.Reference: The Business of Patents
Reference: MPEP 1101.
Statutory Period
The period within which a response be filed with the USPTO if abandonment of the application is to be avoided. MPEP 710.01, MPEP 710.01(a), MPEP 710.02, MPEP 710.02(b).
Statutory Subject Matter
Patentable subject matter. MPEP 2105.
Substantive Examination
The examination of a patent application by a patent office to determine whether a patent should be granted on the claimed invention.
Substitute Patent Application
A patent application that is a duplicate of an earlier application by the same applicant abandoned before the filing of the later application. MPEP 201.09.
Substitute Specification
A rewritten specification of a patent application filed after the filing date of the application that corrects some error but that does not introduce new matter. MPEP 608.01(q).
Surrender of Patent
An act that occurs concurently with the filing of a reissue patent application in the USPTO. MPEP 1416.
Swearing Back of Reference
Removing a reference (e.g., publication) from the prior art by providing evidence to the USPTO that either (1) conception of the invention occurred prior to the effective date of the reference and the inventor was diligent in reducing the invention to practice from just before the effective date of the reference until reduction to practice occurs or (2) completion of the invention(reduction to practice) occurred before the effective date. MPEP 715, MPEP 706.02(b), MPEP 706.02(k).Links
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