Orbit Asset

PHASE / Card name

Defintion / Explanation

FILING / Filing information

Filing data and assimilated

FILING / Preliminary amendment

Preliminary amendment before prosecution has started

FILING / IDS

Filing of initial or additional IDS

FILING / Party data change

All party changes information (assignment especially)

FILING / Publication

All information concerning the publication of the application

EXAMINATION / Examination information

All examination information (examiner, docket ready, etc…)

EXAMINATION / Third party observation

Procedure where a opponent can point out related art to the examiner (up to 6 months after publication)

PROSECUTION / Amendment during prosecution

Informal or non responsive amendment after an examiner action

PROSECUTION / Appeal Requested

Appeal Brief filed or Notice of Appeal filed

PROSECUTION / Final rejection

A rejection has been issued by the examiner and it is final. 

PROSECUTION / Interview Applicant initiated

Applicant has requested an interview with the examiner

PROSECUTION / Interview Exam initiated

Examiner has requested an interview with the applicant

PROSECUTION / Interview Summary

An interview has been requested (initiator not known) and a summary has been written.

PROSECUTION / Non-final rejection

A rejection has been issued by the examiner and it is non-final. 

PROSECUTION / PTAB Decision

After « Appeal requested », the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) issues a decision

PROSECUTION / RCE

Generally after final rejection, a « Request for Continued Examination » or RCE can be filed in order to continue the prosecution. 

PROSECUTION / Response after Final Action

A response to the Final action is filed by the Applicant

PROSECUTION / Response after Non-final action

A response to the non-final action is filed by the Applicant

PROSECUTION / Response to Restriction

A response to a Restriction is filed by the applicant

PROSECUTION / Restriction

A rejection has been issued by the examiner and it is a restriction requirement. 

PROSECUTION / Terminal Disclaimer

A terminal disclaimer is filed as a response to a rejection that raises a Double Patenting issue.

GRANT / Amendment after allowance

The patent is amended after a notice of allowance, has been received

GRANT / Maintenance

This card includes all renewal / maintenance information 

GRANT / Notice of Allowance

A notice of allowance is sent to the Applicant indicating the patent is ready for grant. 

GRANT / Patent Granted

The patent is granted

GRANT / PTA

This card includes all calculation concerning the Patent term Adjustment. Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is a process of extending the term of a U.S. patent. Its intention is to accommodate for delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a U.S. utility or plant patent application. The total PTA is an addition to the 20 year lifespan of the issued U.S. patent.

GRANT / PTE

This card includes all decision concerning the Patent Term Extension

GRANT / Quayle action

An Ex parte Quayle Office Action, or “Quayle Action” for short, is issued when there are minor issues to be resolved in a patent application that is otherwise in condition for allowance.

GRANT / Response to Quayle

A response is filed by the Applicant to the Quayle action

POSTGRANT / Ex-parte Reexamination

An Ex parte reexamination has been filed by applicant or a third party after the patent was granted

POSTGRANT / Inter-partes Review

An inter-partes review has been filed by a third party (since 2012)

POSTGRANT / Post-Grant Review

A Post-grant review has been filed by a third party after the patent was granted

POSTGRANT / Reissue

A reissue application has been filed

TERMINATION / Abandon

The patent is abandon during the prosecution. I.e it never has been granted. A patent granted then regularly expired will be considered as Granted.

TERMINATION / Restored

The patent is revived after it has been abandoned.