Read The MPEP

The patent office publishes the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), which is used by both patent examiners and patent attorneys. The MPEP is without a doubt the best compendium of patent prosecution information on the planet. The printed version is almost six inches thick, and covers topics from ethics, to searching, prosecution, and issuance of patents. The table of contents to the MPEP is included at the end of the book in Appendix C.

Although very few people seem to read the MPEP cover to cover, it is essential that every patent attorney has a copy of the MPEP, and consult sections as needed. A text version is available in book form for under $100 from the Superintendent of Documents . Full text is also available on DVD through the USPTO Office of Electronic Information Products .

In a pinch the MPEP is viewable and downloadable in both PDF and HTML formats. Although the MPEP includes a fairly strong index, it is not readily searchable. Fortunately, Ziolkowski Patent Solutions Group, SC provides a good searching algorithm.

Numerous patent-related glossaries are available on the web. The patent office provides is own glossary on its web site, and others are available from private sources.