How does the International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) handle top-up searches?
The International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) conducts top-up searches as part of the international preliminary examination process. According to MPEP 1860:
“The examiner will conduct a top-up search in the course of drawing up the international preliminary examination report… The top-up search should cover all the relevant documents in the search collections of the IPEA, in particular, literature which became available after the international search was carried out.”
The purpose of the top-up search is to identify any relevant prior art that may have been published or become available after the initial international search was conducted. This ensures that the examination is based on the most up-to-date information available.
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