What is the difference between a ‘rejected’ and an ‘abandoned’ patent application?

A ‘rejected’ patent application and an ‘abandoned’ patent application represent different stages in the patent examination process:

• Rejected Application: As per MPEP 203.02, this is an application with an unanswered examiner’s action. The applicant still has the opportunity to respond within the allotted reply period.
• Abandoned Application: This occurs when the applicant fails to respond to the examiner’s action within the specified time frame, effectively ending the examination process.

The MPEP states:

Its status as a ‘rejected’ application continues as such until acted upon by the applicant in reply to the examiner’s action (within the allotted reply period), or until it becomes abandoned.

Thus, a ‘rejected’ application can become ‘abandoned’ if the applicant doesn’t respond in time, but an ‘abandoned’ application cannot revert to ‘rejected’ status without additional procedures.

To learn more:

• rejected application
• abandoned application
• patent status
• patent examination process