What is an international-type search in U.S. patent applications?

An international-type search is a search conducted on U.S. nonprovisional patent applications that is similar in scope to an international search under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). According to MPEP 1852: “An international-type search is conducted on all U.S. nonprovisional applications filed after June 1, 1978.” This search is automatically performed for applications filed after…

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What is an international-type search, and how does it relate to U.S. national applications?

An international-type search is a search conducted on a national patent application that is similar in scope to an international search conducted for PCT applications. In the context of U.S. national applications, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) automatically performs an international-type search on all U.S. national applications filed on and after June…

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