What is the extent of an examiner’s consideration of IDS documents?
An examiner’s consideration of documents listed in an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) is as follows: Documents are considered in the same manner as other documents in Office search files. The examiner conducts a proper field of search. For non-English language documents, consideration is limited to what can be understood from the concise statement and any…
Read MoreHow does an examiner indicate consideration of an Information Disclosure Statement?
When an examiner considers an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS), they indicate their consideration in specific ways: Traditionally, the examiner places their initials adjacent to the citations on the PTO/SB/08 form or its equivalent. An alternative electronic signature method may also be used, where: Examiners no longer initial each reference citation considered. Citations not considered are…
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