Filing a patent application involves submitting several forms and documents to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The exact forms depend on the type of application you are filing. This guide outlines the forms and best practices for each type of patent application, including provisional, nonprovisional, continuation, divisional, continuation-in-part, and … [Read more...]

You need to submit USPTO Form SB36, specifically the "Rescission of Previous Nonpublication Request," if you wish to file a foreign patent application if you've submitted a nonpublication request when you filed your patent application.  In this article, I'll show you how. Here’s a guide to properly completing and submitting Form SB36. 1. Understanding Form SB36 and Its … [Read more...]

A slash signature (S-signature) is a simple-to-implement electronic signature that you can use to sign documents submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in lieu of a handwritten signature.  The slash signature is your name inserted between forward slash marks. Your slash signature would be /[your name]/.  That's it.  It's so simple.  The slash signature is … [Read more...]

We're going to discuss the Nonpublication Request. For the underlying strategy and when it makes sense to use it, see our overview of the request for non-publication of a patent application. Without this request, your patent application will be published about 18 months after the earliest priority date. Upon filing the request, the Patent Office will keep your patent … [Read more...]

The declaration is one of the forms submitted with a patent application.  We will explain how to fill out the declaration for your utility or design patent application. The declaration isn't necessary to fill out when you file your provisional patent application but it is a good thing to file it anyways. Also, the declaration isn't necessary to have file when you file your … [Read more...]

In this blog post, I will explain how to fill out a Certification and Request for Consideration under the After Final Consideration Pilot Program 2.0 form. Please note that the AFCP request form is very easy to fill out. It's self-explanatory. The more difficult question is how you get your response to be considered under the AFCP program.  We will be discussing these things … [Read more...]

The provisional patent application cover sheet is a form that you file with the specification and drawings of your patent application. It's a request (see snippet below) for filing your application as a provisional application.  You can find the form here.  Also, you can find all of the patent forms here. The provisional patent application cover sheet is filed when filing a … [Read more...]