What is a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) in patent law?

A Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) is a type of patent application that allows applicants to continue prosecution of a parent application. It is governed by 37 CFR 1.53(d). According to MPEP ¶ 2.30, when a CPA is accepted, the examiner will use the following language:

“The request filed on [filing date] for a Continued Prosecution Application (CPA) under 37 CFR 1.53(d) based on parent Application No. [parent application number] is acceptable and a CPA has been established.”

This indicates that the CPA has been properly filed and prosecution will continue based on the parent application.

For more information on continued prosecution application, visit: continued prosecution application.

For more information on CPA, visit: CPA.

For more information on design patents, visit: design patents.