If you are a United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) registered patent attorney or an agent residing internationally (i.e. outside of the United States), you can get a better understanding of how patent examiners make decisions at the Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) agent/attorney four-day course, held from September 13-16, 2022.
Registration will be open from May 9 to August 1 (or until registration is full). Course acceptance will be sent to eligible candidates, based on the following:
- Active USPTO registration number
- USPTO registration status showing European residence
- Available space
These virtual courses, led by USPTO trainers, are based on materials developed for training new patent examiners. The training focuses on how our examiners review patent applications according to the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP). Registered participants will need to review several computer-based training (CBT) modules and resource material as pre-requisites to attend the course. The training is broken into four separate modules that build upon each other. Similar to the training to new USPTO patent examiners, each participant will receive a sample application that will be the focus of exercises during each module.
- Day one focuses on the role of a patent examiner and the steps an examiner takes when reading an application for the first time.
- Day two uses the information gathered during day one to demonstrate how to plan and conduct a search, as well as a focus on 35 U.S.C. 101 and 112.
- Day three uses the information gathered during day two to map prior art to claims using 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103.
- Day four finishes the mapping art to claim discussion and focuses on writing an examiner’s office action.
Registration will be open from Monday, May 9, 2022 to Monday, August 1, 2022.
For a detailed schedule, please view the Agent/attorney four-day course general schedule.
For more information, visit our webpage to learn more about STEPP or email STEPP@USPTO.gov.