Glossary

Patent attorney

A lawyer admitted to a state bar who has also passed the patent bar and is registered with the USPTO.

Patent agent

A non-lawyer registered by the USPTO to prepare and prosecute patent applications.

Registration number

The number the USPTO assigns to each registered patent attorney and agent; it can be checked in the USPTO's practitioner search.

OED

The USPTO's Office of Enrollment and Discipline, which approves exam applications, registers practitioners and handles discipline.

Patent prosecution

Preparing, filing and arguing a patent application before the USPTO until it is granted or abandoned.

Office action

An examiner's written decision on an application, to which the applicant replies.

Prior art

Earlier patents, publications and public disclosures used to judge whether an invention is new and nonobvious.

USPTO

The United States Patent and Trademark Office.