MPEP Section 2289, Reexamination Review

Executive summary:

This document contains Section 2289 ("Reexamination Review") of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (the "M.P.E.P."), Eighth Edition, Eighth Revision (July 2010). This page was last updated in January 2011. You may return to the section index to find a particular section. Alternatively, you may search the MPEP using the search box that appears on the left side of every page of BitLaw--you may restrict your search to the MPEP on the search results page.

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2289 Reexamination Review [R-7]

All reexamination cases are monitored and reviewed in the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) or Technology Center (TC) by the **>CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) or TC Quality Assurance Specialist (QAS)<, paralegal or other technical support who might be assigned as backup at several stages during the prosecution. This is done to ensure that practice and procedure unique to reexamination has been carried out for the reexamination proceeding. In addition to the *>CRU SPE or TC QAS< review of the reexamination cases, a a panel review is made prior to issuing Office actions as set forth in MPEP § 2271.01.

After a Notice of Intent to Issue Ex Parte Reexamination Certification (NIRC) has been issued and prosecution has been terminated, all reexamination cases go through a screening process currently performed in the Office of Patent Legal Administration (OPLA) for obvious errors and proper preparation in order to issue a reexamination certificate.

The above identified review processes are appropriate vehicles for correcting errors, identifying problem areas and recognizing trends, providing information on the uniformity of practice, and providing feedback to the Office personnel that process and examine reexamination cases.