In the US patent law, an Office Action means a written communication from the US patent office (USPTO) to an applicant, typically issued in response to filing a patent application. It is an important milestone in the US patent examination process, because it allows the applicant to address any issues or concerns that the patent examiner may have with the application. For instance, the patent application may be rejected because of a prior art, clarity issues or any other reason.

There are several types of Office Actions that an applicant may receive. Some common examples include:

Non-Final Office Action:

This is a preliminary response to the application, in which the examiner raises any issues or concerns that need to be addressed before the application can proceed towards allowance. The applicant has an opportunity to respond and address the issues raised in the Non-Final Office Action before the Examiner makes a final decision on the application i.e, whether to issue a grant or another rejection.

Final Office Action

This is a final decision on the application, in which the examiner either grants the patent or rejects the application. Typically the Final Office Action is issued after the applicant has received at least one Non Final Office Action. If the application is rejected, the applicant can either appeal the decision or make changes to the application and resubmit it. The process of resubmission may eventually require a Request for Continued Examination (RCE) with a fee payment to reopen the prosecution to continue the examination.

Advisory Action

An Advisory Action is a concise response from the Examiner to the applicant regarding the examination of their patent application. The Advisory Action is issued after the Applicant responds to the Final Office Action but the response does not accompany an RCE payment yet. The Advisory Action may include a recommendation or suggestion on how to proceed with the application, or it may provide specific guidance on how to address any issues or problems that have been identified during the examination process. The purpose of an Advisory Action is to help the applicant understand the status of their application and any potential issues that need to be addressed in order to move forward with the patent process.

Notice of Allowance

This is a notification that the examiner has determined that the application meets all the requirements for a patent and that the patent will be granted, once the applicant pays the required fees. This fee is called issue fee and it can be considered as the final milestone from the applicant’s end towards moving the application for grant.

When an applicant receives an Office Action, it is important to carefully review the content and fully understand the issues raised by the examiner. The applicant may need to provide additional information or make changes to the application in order to address the examiner’s concerns. In some cases, it may be necessary to consult a patent attorney or a patent agent to help the applicant respond to the Office Action.

Overall, the Office Action is a crucial part of the patent examination process and can have a significant impact on the outcome of an application. It is important for applicants to carefully review and respond to any office actions they receive in a timely manner.

Comment below if you have seen any other types of Office Actions and we will include them in this article.