Brown & Michaels

How do I read an Office Action? 

Your patent application was filed, and now you've received a communication from the Patent Examiner who was assigned to the application (an "Office Action"), rejecting some or all of the claims. Now what? 

First, in the words of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Don't Panic". Nearly all applications receive at least one Office Action. This collection of web pages will help you read the Office Action to see what the Examiner is really saying. 

Step 1: Look at the Cover Sheet

This will be the first page in your Office Action. We've highlighted a few important pieces of information in this sample. 


<- Back to the "How do I..." main page - Ahead to Step 2 ->

Don't forget our "Patent FAQ" page - it has lots of information about patents and the patent process. 


Last updated: Tue, 13 Oct 2020