MPEP Chapter 900 — Prior art, search
Chapter 900 of the USPTO Manual of Patent Examining Procedure covers prior art, search. It runs to 9 file-level sections and 79 subsections, of which 8 carry substantive text and 1 is marked [Reserved]. 1 of its sections are annotated as structured data, exposing 20 statutes and regulations and 7 cited decisions.
Sections in this chapter
- § 901Prior Art
- § 901.01Canceled Matter in U.S. Patent Files
- § 901.01(a)Ordering of Patented and Abandoned Provisional and Nonprovisional Application Files
- § 901.02Abandoned Applications
- § 901.03Pending Applications
- § 901.04U.S. Patents
- § 901.04(a)Kind Codes
- § 901.05Foreign Patent Documents
- § 901.05(a)Citation Data
- § 901.05(b)Other Significant Data
- § 901.05(c)Obtaining Copies
- § 901.05(d)Translation
- § 901.06Nonpatent Publications
- § 901.06(a)Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC)
- § 901.06(b)Borrowed Publications
- § 901.06(c)Alien Property Custodian Publications
- § 901.06(d)Abstracts, Abbreviatures, and Defensive Publications
- § 901.07Patent Family Information
- § 901.08Global Dossier Public Access
- § 902Search Tools and Classification Information
- § 902.01Classification Manual for the U.S. Patent Classification System
- § 902.01(a)Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System
- § 902.02Class and Subclass Definitions in USPC
- § 902.02(a)Definition Notes in USPC
- § 902.02(b)[Reserved]
- § 902.03Classification Information
- § 902.03(a)Patent Classification Home Page on the Internet
- § 902.03(b)Patent Classification Home Page on the USPTO Intranet
- § 902.03(c)[Reserved]
- § 902.03(d)[Reserved]
- § 902.03(e)Automated Search Tools: PE2E SEARCH
- § 903Classification in USPC
- § 903.01Statutory Authority
- § 903.02Basis and Principles of Classification in USPC
- § 903.02(a)[Reserved]
- § 903.02(b)Scope of a Class in the USPC
- § 903.03Availability of Foreign Patents
- § 903.04Classifying Applications for Publication as a Plant Patent Application Publication in USPC
- § 903.05Addition, Deletion, or Transfer of U.S. Design Patents by USPC Classification
- § 903.06Harmonized Subclasses
- § 903.07Classifying and Cross-Referencing Design and Plant Applications at Allowance
- § 903.07(a)Cross-Referencing Design and Plant Applications — Keep Systematic Notes During Prosecution
- § 903.08[Reserved]
- § 903.08(a)[Reserved]
- § 903.08(b)[Reserved]
- § 903.08(c)[Reserved]
- § 903.08(d)[Reserved]
- § 903.08(e)[Reserved]
- § 903.09[Reserved]
- § 903.09(a)[Reserved]
- § 904How to Search
- § 904.01Analysis of Claims
- § 904.01(a)Variant Embodiments Within Scope of Claim
- § 904.01(b)Equivalents
- § 904.01(c)Analogous Arts
- § 904.02General Search Guidelines
- § 904.02(a)Classified Search
- § 904.02(b)Search Tool Selection
- § 904.02(c)Internet Searching
- § 904.03Conducting the Search
- § 904.04Search of Related Post-Grant Proceedings
- § 905Cooperative Patent Classification
- § 905.01Classification Scheme for CPC
- § 905.01(a)CPC Titles
- § 905.01(a)(1)References within CPC Titles
- § 905.01(a)(2)Notes Found in CPC schemes
- § 905.01(a)(3)Warnings Found in CPC schemes
- § 905.01(a)(4)Guidance Headings Found in CPC Schemes
- § 905.02CPC Definitions
- § 905.03Classifying in CPC
- § 905.03(a)The CPC Database
- § 905.03(b)Approach to classification in CPC
- § 905.03(c)Combination Sets
- § 906International Classification of Patents for Inventions
- § 907Locarno Classification Designations
- § 908[Reserved]
- § 909Routing and Docketing of Applications
- § 909.01Assignment, Transfer and Classification Challenges under Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
- § 909.01(a)New Applications in CPC
- § 909.01(b)Classification and Assignment to Examiner in CPC
- § 909.01(c)Immediate Inspection of Amendments
- § 909.01(d)Classification Challenge Procedure in CPC
- § 909.02Applications: Assignment and Transfer in USPC
- § 909.02(a)New Design and Plant Patent Applications under 35 U.S.C. 161
- § 909.02(b)Classification and Assignment to Examiner
- § 909.02(c)Reserved
- § 909.02(d)Transfer Procedure
- § 909.02(e)General Guidelines Governing the Assignment of Nonprovisional Design and Plant Applications for Examination