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

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

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.