What does the International Search Report contain?
The International Search Report (ISR) contains several key elements as outlined in MPEP 1844:
- Citations of documents considered relevant (PCT Rule 43.5 and Administrative Instructions Section 503)
- Classification of the subject matter of the invention (PCT Rule 43.3 and Administrative Instructions Section 504)
- Indication of the fields searched (PCT Rule 43.6)
The ISR also includes specific information about the cited documents:
- Citations of particular relevance are specially indicated (Administrative Instructions Section 505)
- Citations of certain special categories of documents are indicated (Administrative Instructions Section 507)
- Citations not relevant to all claims are cited in relation to the specific claims they are relevant to (Administrative Instructions Section 508)
- If only certain passages of a cited document are particularly relevant, they are identified by page, column, or line numbers (PCT Rule 43.5(e))
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