What is the purpose of interviews in patent prosecution?

Interviews play a crucial role in patent prosecution by:

• Improving mutual understanding of specific issues in an application
• Bridging the gap between examiners and applicants on substantive matters
• Advancing prosecution and identifying patentable subject matter

As stated in MPEP 713: “Discussions between an applicant and an examiner are often indispensable to advance the prosecution of a patent application.” This underscores the importance of interviews in the patent examination process.

To learn more:

• Patent interviews
• Patent prosecution
• USPTO
• Patent examination