How does a CPA affect the examination process?

Filing a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) has several effects on the examination process: The CPA is treated as a continuation of the prior application for examination purposes Information Disclosure Statements from the prior application are automatically considered in the CPA Affidavits and declarations from the prior application carry over to the CPA A terminal disclaimer…

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How does filing a CPA affect confidentiality and public access?

Filing a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) has implications for confidentiality and public access to application information: Filing a CPA is construed as a waiver of confidentiality under 35 U.S.C. 122 Members of the public entitled to access the prior application may be given similar access to the CPA This waiver extends to any continuing applications…

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What are the key differences between a CPA and a regular continuation application?

Continued Prosecution Applications (CPAs) have several key differences from regular continuation applications filed under 37 CFR 1.53(b): CPAs are only available for design applications, not utility or plant applications CPAs use the same application number as the prior application CPAs do not require a new specification or drawings to be filed The filing requirements for…

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How does the filing date of a CPA get determined?

The filing date of a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) is determined by the date on which a proper request for a CPA is filed. Specifically, the MPEP states: The filing date of a continued prosecution application is the date on which a request on a separate paper for an application under this paragraph is filed.…

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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…

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