What Counts

USPTO Examiners are evaluated partially on their production.  This production is largely determined by the count system.  The count system is not discussed in the… Read More »What Counts

On Oral Hearings

Recently, some Applicants have been declining oral hearings during ex parte appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).  Modal PLLC believes oral hearings… Read More »On Oral Hearings

Mother Popcorn

Over the past few weeks, we considered Case 5 of the Comparative Study on Hypothetical/Real Cases: Novelty (November 2009), based on the specification of continuation-in-part… Read More »Mother Popcorn

Announcing Nodal

Long-time readers of the blog know Modal conducts a free, biweekly US Prosecution Study Group. The Study Group follows the US prosecutions of Japan-origin cases… Read More »Announcing Nodal

The Popcorn Case

We received a question about Case 5 of the Comparative Study on Hypothetical/Real Cases: Novelty (November 2009).  Case 5 is based on In re Schreiber,… Read More »The Popcorn Case

Restriction Petition

USPTO Examiners sometimes issue restriction and election requirements to focus examination on particular figures and/or embodiments.  As a result, some of the Applicants’ disclosed subject… Read More »Restriction Petition

On Waiver

In the last post, this blog considered how the Trial and Appeal Department (TAD) of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) seems to conduct a de… Read More »On Waiver