A patent examiner or patent clerk is an employee, usually a civil servant, working within a patent office. Major employers of patent examiners are the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office. In the USPTO and at the EPO, the term "patent examiners" is used almost exclusively rather than "patent clerk". Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... The Byzantine civil service in action. ... A patent office is a governmental or intergovernmental organisation which controls the issue of patents. ... The European Patent Organisation (EPO or EPOrg in order to distinguish it from the European Patent Office, which is one of the two organs of the organisation [1]) is a public international organisation set up by the European Patent Convention (EPC). ... PTO headquarters in Alexandria The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... Japan Patent Office (JPO) is a Japanese governmental agency that takes charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. ...

Work and duties

Patent examiners review patent applications to determine whether they should become a patent. The work of patent examiner usually includes searching patent and scientific literature databases for prior art, and substantively examining patent applications, that is examining whether the claimed invention meets the patentability requirements such as novelty, "inventive step" or "non-obviousness", "industrial application" (or "utility") and sufficiency of disclosure. A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for the invention described and claimed by that application. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention. ... Scientific literature is the totality of publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the sciences and social sciences. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Patent claims are usually in the form of a series of numbered expressions, or more precisely noun phrases, following the description of the invention in a patent or patent application, and define, in technical terms, the extent of the protection conferred by a patent or by a patent application. ... Novelty is a patentability test, according to which an invention is not patentable if it was already known before the date of filing, or before the date of priority if a priority is claimed, of the patent application. ... The inventive step and non-obviousness reflect a same general patentability requirement present in most patent laws, according to which an invention should be sufficiently inventive, i. ... In patent law, industrial applicability or industrial application is a patentability requirement according to which a patent can only be granted for an invention which is susceptible of industrial application, i. ... Sufficiency of disclosure refers to the legal requirement that the description of an invention in a patent contain specific information about the invention. ...

On April 13, 2007, a "Coalition of Patent Examiner Representatives" expressed its concern that April 13 is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

"in many patent offices, the pressures on examiners to produce and methods of allocating work have reduced the capacity of examiners to provide the quality of examination the peoples of the world deserve [and that] the combined pressures of higher productivity demands, increasingly complex patent applications and an ever-expanding body of relevant patent and non-patent literature have reached such a level that, unless serious measures are taken, meaningful protection of intellectual property throughout the world may, itself, become history." ^[1]

A patent office is a governmental or intergovernmental organisation which controls the issue of patents. ... For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (film). ...

Patent examiners by legislation

European Patent Organisation

European Patent Organisation (EPO) examiners are exempted from work- and residence-permit procedures (but since most of EPC Contracting States are members of the European Union, this is usually not a problem anyway). The European Patent Organisation (EPO or EPOrg in order to distinguish it from the European Patent Office, which is one of the two organs of the organisation [1]) is a public international organisation set up by the European Patent Convention (EPC). ...

The examiners examine patent applications in three official languages (English language, French language, and German language). Examiners are hired for searching databases, document analysis, patent communications, and judging patent validity. Examiners are represented by a trade union, SUEPO. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... A trade union or labour union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...

A qualified examiner possesses the formal following minimums:

• EPO member state nationality,
• Degree in engineering or in science;
• knowledge and ability of the official languages

Some examiners have work experience in industry, but this is not an essential background as there is training in patent examination. ^[2] Examiners can specialize in fields of technology in which inventions are patentable under the European Patent Convention (EPC), such as computer science, electricity and semiconductor technology, industrial chemistry, organic chemistry, electronics, horology, mechanical engineering, measuring, optics, telecommunications, polymer chemistry or civil engineering. ^[2] Within the context of a national or multilateral body of law, an invention is patentable or, in other words, it satisfies the patentability requirements if it meets the legal conditions to be granted a patent. ... The Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, commonly known as the European Patent Convention (EPC), is a multilateral treaty instituting the European Patent Organisation and providing an autonomous legal system according to which European patents are granted. ... The tower of a personal computer. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... A semiconductor is a solid whose electrical conductivity is in between that of a metal and that of an insulator, and can be controlled over a wide range, either permanently or dynamically. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ... Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation (by synthesis or by other means) of chemical compounds consisting of primarily carbon and hydrogen, which may contain any number of other elements, including nitrogen, oxygen, halogens as well... Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... Horology is the study of the science and art of timekeeping devices. ... Mechanical engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the application of principles of physics for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... Measurement is the determination of the size or magnitude of something. ... For the book by Sir Isaac Newton, see Opticks. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... Polymer chemistry or macromolecular chemistry is a multidisciplinary science that deals with the chemical synthesis and chemical properties of polymers or macromolecules. ... The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. ...

United States

Biweekly Production Report

American patent examiners prosecute applications for patents. Examiners are considered to be quasi-judicial, because an appeal of their decission is only three steps away from the Supreme Court. Hired at the GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 or GS-11 grade levels ^{[3] [4]} and are currently eligible for an accelerated promotion after six months of service when they meet the performance of a new examiner. Subsequent promotions are yearly and noncompetitive up to the GS-13 level, provided satisfactory performance is maintained. Further, after successfully demonstrating examination expertise over a thirteen week review period, an examiner is granted Partial Signatory Authority. After a second review period, a successful examiner receives the designation Primary Examiner and a GS-14 grade level. ^[5]. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), an examiner's performance is measured entirely by their own achievement and does not depend on the performance of others. ^[6] Legal, technical and automation training is provided to examiners at the USPTO. Considered white collar employees, only a minority of the examiners choose to be members of the representive trade union, Patent Office Professional Association (POPA). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 405 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) self, picture of a US Government document, confidential data removed. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 405 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) self, picture of a US Government document, confidential data removed. ... PTO headquarters in Alexandria The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... This article is about law in society. ... A technical is a fighting vehicle. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... White-collar workers perform tasks which are less laborious yet often more highly paid than blue-collar workers, who do manual work. ... A trade union or labour union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... The Patent Office Professional Association (POPA) is a professional union of United States patent examiners. ...

American examiner responsibilities include:

• Reviewing patent applications to determine if they comply with basic format, rules and legal requirements;
• Determining the scope of the protection claimed by the inventor;
• Researching relevant technologies to compare similar prior inventions with the invention claimed in the patent applications; and
• Communicating findings as to the patentability of an applicant's invention via a written action to inventors/patent practitioners.

A qualified examiner with the USPTO is a United States citizen and holds at a minimum a Bachelor degree in one of the physical sciences, life sciences, engineering disciplines, or in computer science, and develops a level of expertise in patent law. Advanced academic degrees and relevant work experience in the technical area are not uncommon either. Specific fields ^[7] include computer science (with calculus, differential equations and statistics), electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, agriculture engineering, biomedical engineering, ceramic engineering, textile engineering, computer hardware and software engineering, transportation and construction engineering, metallurgy, materials engineering, physics, chemical engineering, organic chemistry, chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. // Possession of Citizenship U.S. citizens have the right to participate in the political system of the United States (with reservations for prisoners, ex-prisoners, and naturalized persons), are represented and protected abroad by the United States (through U.S. embassies and consulates), and are allowed to reside in the... A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course that generally lasts three or four years. ... Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science, and science (generally), that study non-living systems, in contrast to the biological sciences. ... Biology studies the variety of life (clockwise from top-left) E. coli, tree fern, gazelle, Goliath beetle Biology is the science of life (from the Greek words bios = life and logos = word). ... Engineering is the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes. ... Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ... A B.A. issued as a certificate A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study. ... Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ... Calculus (from Latin, pebble or little stone) is a mathematical subject that includes the study of limits, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series, and constitutes a major part of modern university education. ... In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation in which the derivatives of a function appear as variables. ... A graph of a Normal bell curve showing statistics used in educational assessment and comparing various grading methods. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... Mechanical engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the application of principles of physics for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The AbioCor artificial heart, an example of a biomedical engineering application of mechanical engineering with biocompatible materials for Cardiothoracic Surgery using an artificial organ. ... Fixed Partial Denture, or Bridge The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos). ... “fabric” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Hardware (disambiguation). ... Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and of materials engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. ... Look up material in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The first few hydrogen atom electron orbitals shown as cross-sections with color-coded probability density Physics (Greek: (phúsis), nature and (phusiké), knowledge of nature) is the branch of science concerned with the discovery and characterization of universal laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. ... Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the application of physical science (e. ... Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation (by synthesis or by other means) of chemical compounds consisting of primarily carbon and hydrogen, which may contain any number of other elements, including nitrogen, oxygen, halogens as well... Chemistry - the study of atoms, made of nuclei (conglomeration of center particles) and electrons (outer particles), and the structures they form. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmakos (φάρμακον) meaning drug, and logos (λόγος) meaning science) is the study of how substances interact with living organisms to produce a change in function. ...

Spanish Patent and Trademark Office

Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) examiners are civil servants and become examiners after 4 competitive exams. Then the examiners have to pass a training period and after two years working as junior examiners, permanently tutorized, become senior examiners.

The examiners examine patent applications searching in any type of publication all over the world. Main Examiners' skills are languages, searching databases, document analysis, patent communications, and examination criteria.

Today there are 140 examiners at the SPTO and the number is growing each year. Spanish patent examiners offer a high degree of quality in their searches and examination procedures.

Notable patent examiners and clerks

• Genrich Altshuller, (1926-1998) ^{[8] [9]}
• Clara Barton, (1821–1912), worked at the United States Patent Office (Currently the USPTO) ^{[10] [11] [12]}
• Albert Einstein, (1879–1955), worked at the Swiss Patent Office ^[13]
• Thomas Jefferson, first patent examiner of the U.S. Patent Office ^[14]
• Thomas P. Jones, (1774-1848), engineer and publisher, worked at the US Patent Office^{[citation needed]}
• Arthur Paul Pedrick, UK Patent Office examiner and, subsequently, prolific inventor^[15]
• Richard Bissell Prosser, (1838-1918), worked at the United Kingdom Patent Office^{[citation needed]}
• Johan Vaaler, (1866–1910)^{[citation needed]}
• George Washington^{[citation needed]}
• Walt Whitman, American poet^{[citation needed]}

Genrih Altshuller Genrikh Saulovich Altshuller (Ге́нрих Сау́лович Альтшу́ллер IPA: ) (October 15, 1926 - September 24, 1998), penname Genrikh Altov was born in Tashkent. ... Famed American nurse Clara Barton, first president of the American Red Cross. ... PTO headquarters in Alexandria The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... “Einstein” redirects here. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ... Thomas P. Jones was born in 1774. ... Arthur Paul Pedrick was a prolific British inventor who obtained more than 80 United Kingdom patents in the 1960s and 1970s. ... Richard Bissell Prosser (August 25, 1838 - March 18, 1918) was a patents examiner and a biographical writer. ... The United Kingdom Patent Office is the government agency responsible for maintaining registers of intellectual property including copyright, designs, patents and trade marks in the United Kingdom. ... Johan Vaaler (March 15, 1866–1910) was a Norwegian inventor who was granted patents for a kind of paperclip in Germany in 1899 and in the United States in 1901. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and in 1789 was elected the first President of the United States of America. ... Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819–March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. ...

References and notes

General Schedule (or GS) is the name used to describe a payscale utilized by the majority of white collar personnel in the civil service of the United States Government. ... The McGraw-Hill Companies logo. ... The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ... The headquarters of the Cambridge University Press, in Trumpington Street, Cambridge. ...

See also

• Patent attorney
• Patent engineer
• List of professions
• Law clerk
• Patent Office Professional Association, the United States patent examiners trade union
• United States Patent Classification

A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing an opposition. ... A patent engineer or patent scientist is a patent law professional that is typically involved in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. ... The following is a list of jobs. ... In the United States and Canada, a law clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. ... The Patent Office Professional Association (POPA) is a professional union of United States patent examiners. ... A trade union or labour union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... The United States Patent Classification is an official patent classification system used and maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). ...

External links

• John W. Schoen, "U.S. patent office swamped by backlog; Without more funding, wait time could top 5 years". MSNBC, April 27, 2004. (ed., comments on problems and that 2900 new examiners are being sought by the USPTO.)
• WikiPatents - Community Patent Review
• Report to Congressional Committees 2005 "USPTO Has Made Progress in Hiring Examiners, but Challenges to Retention Remain" "[1] "