What is an incomplete patent application?

An incomplete patent application is one that is not entitled to a filing date because it lacks some of the essential parts required by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As stated in MPEP 203.06:

An application that is not entitled to a filing date (e.g., for lacking some of the essential parts) is termed an incomplete application.

This means that the application is missing crucial components necessary for it to be considered a complete submission and to receive an official filing date from the USPTO.

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Topics: MPEP 200 - Types and Status of Application; Benefit and Priority, Patent Law, Patent Procedure
Tags: Essential Parts, Filing Date, incomplete application, patent filing