What is a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) in the context of design applications?
A Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) is a type of patent application that allows applicants to continue prosecution of a prior design application. It’s important to note that CPAs are now only available for design applications, not utility applications.
While the MPEP ¶ 2.32 doesn’t provide a direct definition of a CPA, it implies its use in the context of design applications:
Receipt is acknowledged of the statement requesting that [1] be deleted as a named inventor which was filed with the Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) on [2].
CPAs allow applicants to:
- Continue prosecution of a previously filed design application
- Make amendments or corrections, such as deleting a named inventor
- Potentially receive further examination without filing a new application
For more detailed information on CPAs, refer to MPEP § 201.06(d).
For more information on CPA, visit: CPA.
For more information on design applications, visit: design applications.
For more information on patent prosecution, visit: patent prosecution.
For more information on USPTO procedures, visit: USPTO procedures.