What is the significance of the Office docket in patent application status?

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.

The Office docket plays a crucial role in determining the status of a patent application. MPEP 203.05 refers to the Office docket when defining abandoned applications:

An abandoned application is, inter alia, one which is removed from the Office docket of pending applications

The Office docket is essentially the official record of pending patent applications at the USPTO. When an application is removed from this docket, it is no longer considered active or pending. This removal can occur for various reasons, including formal abandonment, applicant inaction, failure to pay fees, or expiration of statutory periods. Therefore, the status of an application on the Office docket is a key indicator of whether it is still being actively prosecuted or has been abandoned.