Patent Law FAQ

For continuation, divisional, or continuation-in-part applications filed under 37 CFR 1.53(b), the requirements for submitting an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) depend on whether the information was previously considered in the parent application. The MPEP provides the following guidance:

• If the information was considered in the parent application, it need not be resubmitted unless the applicant wants it printed on the patent.
• If the information was not considered in the parent application, it must be resubmitted in compliance with 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.

The MPEP further states:

“Pursuant to 37 CFR 1.98(d), if the IDS submitted in the parent application complies with 37 CFR 1.98(a) to (c), copies of the patents, publications, pending U.S. applications, or other information submitted in the parent application need not be resubmitted in the continuing application.”

When resubmitting information, applicants should use a new listing that complies with the format requirements in 37 CFR 1.98(a)(1) and avoid submitting copies of PTO/SB/08 or PTO-892 forms from other applications to prevent confusion in the record.

To learn more:

• Information Disclosure Statement
• IDS
• continuation application
• divisional application
• continuation-in-part application