MPEP § 2154 — Provisions Pertaining to Subject Matter in a U.S. Patent or Application Effectively Filed Before the Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention (Annotated Rules)

§2154 Provisions Pertaining to Subject Matter in a U.S. Patent or Application Effectively Filed Before the Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention

USPTO MPEP version: BlueIron's Update: 2026-01-10

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2154, including statutory authority, regulatory rules, examiner guidance, and practice notes. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.

Provisions Pertaining to Subject Matter in a U.S. Patent or Application Effectively Filed Before the Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention

This section addresses Provisions Pertaining to Subject Matter in a U.S. Patent or Application Effectively Filed Before the Effective Filing Date of the Claimed Invention. Primary authority: 35 U.S.C. 100, 35 U.S.C. 102, and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). Contains: 2 statements.

Key Rules

Topic

Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2154-74007230548d1a24efb3261c]
Requirement for Applications Subject to FITF Provisions
Note:
This rule outlines the requirements for applications subject to the first inventor to file (FITF) provisions of the AIA as set forth in 35 U.S.C. 100.

[Editor Note: This MPEP section is only applicable to applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file (FITF) provisions of the AIA as set forth in 35 U.S.C. 100 (note). See MPEP § 2159 et seq. to determine whether an application is subject to examination under the FITF provisions, and MPEP § 2131MPEP § 2138 for examination of applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102.]

Jump to MPEP SourcePrior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)Prior Art Under Pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2131-2138)Statutory Authority for Examination
Topic

AIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2154-5f1575db680e80697184d350]
Types of Patent Documents as Prior Art Under AIA 102(a)(2)
Note:
This rule outlines the three types of U.S. patent documents that can serve as prior art if they were effectively filed before the claimed invention and name another inventor.

AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) sets forth three types of U.S. patent documents that are available as prior art as of the date they were effectively filed with respect to the subject matter relied upon in the document if they name another inventor. See MPEP §§ 2151, 2154.01, and 2154.01(a) for a discussion of the types of patent documents that qualify as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). See MPEP § 2154.02 et seq. for prior art exceptions under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2) to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2).

Jump to MPEP SourceAIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)Patented Prior Art (MPEP 2152.02(a))By Another Inventor Requirement

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)35 U.S.C. § 100
Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)35 U.S.C. § 102
AIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(2)
AIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)35 U.S.C. § 102(b)(2)
Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)MPEP § 2131
Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)MPEP § 2138
AIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)MPEP § 2151
AIA 102(a)(2) – Earlier Filed Applications (MPEP 2154)MPEP § 2154.02
Prior Art Under AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 (MPEP 2150-2159)MPEP § 2159

Source Text from USPTO’s MPEP

This is an exact copy of the MPEP from the USPTO. It is here for your reference to see the section in context.

BlueIron Last Updated: 2026-01-10