| General Information |
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(114) Second Extension of the
Enhanced First Action Interview Pilot Program
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a notice
to implement the Enhanced First Action Interview (FAI) Pilot Program. See
Enhanced First Action Interview Pilot Program, 1347 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office 173
(October 20, 2009). Under the program, participants are permitted to conduct
an interview with the examiner after reviewing a Pre-Interview Communication
providing the results of a prior art search conducted by the examiner.
Participants experienced many benefits including: (1) the ability to advance
prosecution of an application; (2) enhanced interaction between applicant and
the examiner; (3) the opportunity to resolve patentability issues one-on-one
with the examiner at the beginning of the prosecution process; and (4) the
opportunity to facilitate possible early allowance. The USPTO previously
extended the pilot program for six months to end on October 1, 2010. See
Extension of the Enhanced First Action Interview Pilot Program, 1354 Off. Gaz.
Pat. Office 51 (May 4, 2010).
The USPTO is hereby extending the Enhanced FAI Pilot Program for another
six months. Therefore, any request for a First Action Interview must be filed
before or on April 1, 2011.
As set forth in the Eligibility section of the Enhanced FAI notice,
participation in the program was limited to new utility nonprovisional
applications that are assigned to one of the listed art units and filed on
or before the listed dates. The USPTO is also hereby revising the listed
dates to include new utility nonprovisional applications that are filed three
months later than the previously listed dates. The new dates are as follows:
1. Applications filed on or before February 1, 2007, and assigned to
workgroup 1610 (art units 161X).
2. Applications filed on or before January 1, 2007, and assigned to art
unit 1795.
3. Applications filed on or before May 1, 2008, and assigned to workgroups
2150 and 2160 (art units 215X and 216X).
4. Applications filed on or before October 1, 2008, and assigned to
workgroups 2440 and 2450 (art units 244X and 245X).
5. Applications filed on or before September 1, 2007, and assigned to art
unit 2617.
6. Applications filed on or before August 1, 2008, and assigned to art
units 2811-2815, 2818, 2822-2823, 2826, 2891-2895.
7. Applications filed on or before March 1, 2008, and assigned to art unit
3671.
8. Applications filed on or before April 1, 2008, and assigned to art unit
3672.
9. Applications filed on or before February 1, 2008, and assigned to art
unit 3673.
10. Applications filed on or before May 1, 2008, and assigned to art unit
3676.
11. Applications filed on or before October 1, 2007, and assigned to art
unit 3677.
12. Applications filed on or before February 1, 2008, and assigned to art
unit 3679.
 Top of Notices (114) December 25, 2012 |
US PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE |
1385 CNOG 603 |
13. Applications filed on or before August 1, 2006, and assigned to art
unit 3735.
14. Applications filed on or before July 1, 2007, and assigned to art unit
3736.
15. Applications filed on or before March 1, 2007, and assigned to art unit
3737.
16. Applications filed on or before November 1, 2006, and assigned to art
unit 3768.
17. Applications filed on or before March 1, 2007, and assigned to art unit
3739.
18. Applications filed on or before December 1, 2007, and assigned to art
units 3762 and 3766.
19. Applications filed on or before December 1, 2006, and assigned to art
unit 3769.
Any inquiries concerning a specific application should be directed to the
appropriate Technology Center. Any questions concerning this notice and the
pilot program may be directed to Joseph Weiss, Legal Advisor, Office of
Patent Legal Administration, by telephone at (571) 272-7759; or e-mailed to
first.action.interview@uspto.gov.
October 5, 2010 DAVID J. KAPPOS
Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
[1360 OG 56]