Fastener Quality ActFastener Quality Act (15 U.S.C. 5401 et seq., as amended by Public Law 104-113, Public Law 105-234, and Public Law 106-34); implementing regulations: 15 C.
FDCFinal Data Capture Once the fee, any correspondence, and/or drawings are matched with the application and all requirements have been met for issuance as a…
FEAFederal Enterprise Architecture -- see Federal Enterprise Architecture for more
Federal CircuitSee Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC or Fed. Cir.).
Federal RegulationsThe regulations of the departments and agencies of the U.S. Federal Government as published in the Code of Federal Regulations.
FeeA charge or payment for products and services, a sum paid or charged for a privilege, for example, some financial institutions charge a monthly fee to…
Fee, FilingThe fee charged by a patent office for filing a patent application. MPEP 607, MPEP 509.
Fee, IssueThe fee charged by a patent office for issuing (granting) a patent. MPEP 1306, MPEP 509.
Fee, MaintenanceThe periodic fee charge by the U.S. patent office for maintaining a patent in force. MPEP 2501, MPEP 2504, MPEP 509.
Fee, PetitionThe fee charged by a patent office for reveiwing a petition filed by an applicant. MPEP 1002.
Field of UseThe technical field or market within which an invention is licensed. The licensee mahy not sell the invention within other markets.
field of use licenseA license to rights in intellectual property which is limited to a defined use.
Figure LegendAn explanations of what marks mean on a drawing. Patent drawings do not have legends.
File HistoryThe complete file of a patent application containing all related papers prepared by the patent office and the applicant during the prosecution of the…
file wrapperThe folder into which papers for a particular application are collected and maintained.
File Wrapper EstoppelA restriction in the interpretation of a claim that exists because of an admission in the record by the applicant.
filing basisThe legal basis for filing an application for registration of a mark. The Trademark Act sets out five filing bases, and an applicant must specify and meet…
Filing DateThis is the date a filer submits a financial disclosure report to the supervisor or senior legal counsel for review, usually the date the filer eSigns the…
Filing FeeThe fee required for filing various documents. In civil actions, the filing fee is $120.00.
filing receiptWhen an application is submitted via e-TEAS, the Office immediately issues a confirmation of filing via e-mail that includes the serial number and filing…
filing refusalalso known as a final Office action, which makes "final" any outstanding refusals or requirements.
Final ActionAn Office action that contains a final rejection of one or more claims or another final action. See Final Rejection. MPEP 706.07, MPEP 706.07(a), MPEP 706.
final office action (rejection)an Office action on the second or any subsequent examination or consideration by an examiner that is intended to close the prosecution of a nonprovisional…
Final RejectionA rejection of a claim that is made final on a second or subsequent examination or consideration.
First ActionThe first examination on the merits of the claims.
First to FileA system in which the first person to file a patent application on a patentable invention will be awarded a patent.
First to InventA system in which the first person to invent an invention will be awarded a patent. This system is used in the U.S. and in the Philippines. MPEP 2138.01.
FOIAFreedom of Information Act -- see Electronic Freedom of Information Act for more
Foreign Filing DateThe date a non-U.S. patent application was filed that establishes priority of invention. MPEP 201.13.
Forfeited ApplicationAn allowed patent application on which the issue fee or a maintenance fee has not been paid within the proscribed period.
formsForms are provided as either official or unofficial (optional) formats to facilitate providing all information required to initiate desired procedures or…
FRFederal Register -- see News & Notices for links
fraud on the Patent and Trademark OfficeThis is now frequently referred to as inequitable conduct. An applicant and the applicant's attorney have an obligation to acquaint the U.S.
Frivolous InventionAn invention that lacks utility because it is frivolous. MPEP 706.03(a).
Front Page DrawingThe drawing selected by the Examiner to appear on the front page of a U.S. patent.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)A General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was signed in 1947 to provide an international forum to encourage free trade, reduce tariffs, and provide a…
generic termterms that the relevant purchasing public understands primarily as the common or class name for the goods or services.
gist of the inventionThis may also be referred to as the "heart of the invention." It refers to what are the novel and unique features of the claimed invention.
goods and servicesgoods are products. In the context of service marks, a service (1) must be a real activity; (2) must be performed to the order of, or for the benefit of…
GrantThe issuance of a patent; a right given by a patent office to an applicant that allows the grantee (patentee) to prevent anyone else from using the…
group(also referred to as a Technology Center or TC) - a unit of several Group Art Units in the mechanical, electrical, chemical or design area, managed by one…
Group Art Unit(may be abbreviated "AU," "GAU" or "Grp Art Unit" on Office correspondence) - a working unit responsible for a cluster of related patent art.
GSAGeneral Services Administration, an agency of the U. S. government.
HarmonizationThe proposed harmonizing of patent laws in different countries to produce essentially one, worldwide patent law.
having(used when defining the scope of a claim) A transitional phrase that is synonymous with (means the same thing as) "including," "containing" or…
HLAOne of a group of proteins found on the surface of white blood cells and other cells that play an important part in the body's immune response to foreign…
home copya copy of an international application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty maintained by the receiving Office where the international application…
how to makeThis is part of the obligation to provide a disclosure in the patent application that would enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention…
how to useThis is a similar standard to the "how-to-make" standard and relates to the use aspect of an invention, if appropriate.
hypothetical person skilled in the artThe standard applied under Section 103 of the Patent Statute is whether the invention would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to one…
IACInventors Assistance Center (formerly Patent Assistance Center). 1-800-786-9199
IBInternational Bureau - the secretariat of the WIPO which, among other functions, centralizes information of various kinds relating to the protection of…
ICInternational Class - class(es) assigned to a mark under the International Classification of Goods and Services (Nice Agreement); used in the United…
IDshort for "ibid", meaning same as previously cited
IDCInitial Data Capture Initial Data Capture (IDC) is the first phase of the publication process for a patent where the patent file is electronically…
identification of goods and/or servicesa written statement of the goods and/or services included in an application. Every application must include an identification of goods and/or services.
IFWImage File Wrapper -- an electronic version of a patent application, including image and/or text versions of the bibliographic information, all papers as…
IGInspector General - 57 statutory OIGs were created by an act of Congress in 1978 to independently detect fraud or instances of waste, abuse or misuse of…
Improvement PatentA patent claiming an invention that is an improvement or modification of an invention claimed in a prior patent.
incontestability-- see Section 15 Declaration of Incontestability
Incorporation by ReferenceTo supplement the the disclosure of a patent application by making a specific statement in the application that other material is to be considered to be…
Indefinite ClaimA claim that fails to particulary point out the claimed invention. MPEP 706.03(d), MPEP 2171, MPEP 2173.
IndefinitenessThe opposite of definiteness. See Definiteness.
indefiniteness of claimSection 112 of the Patent Statute requires that the claims be sufficiently definite so as to provide a standard by which a third party could, with some…
Indemnity from SuitA situation in which one party has agreed to sue another party, e.g., for patent infringement.
independent claima claim that does not refer back to or depend on another claim.
informal applicationan application that has been filed without one or more of the elements required to receive a filing date.
Information Disclosure Statement (IDS)a list of all patents, publications, U.S. applications, or other information submitted for consideration by the Office in a non-provisional patent…
infrastructureAn basic underlying framework or features of a system.
InfringeTo make, use or sell a patented invention in the jurisdiction and during the term of a patent.
Infringed LiterallyA situation wherein an issued patent is infringed (practiced without a license to do so) by a product or process that has all of features of the invention…
Infringement By EquivalentsInfringement in the situation that the infringing product or process does not have exactly the same features as the invention claimed in the patent but…
InherencyPresent in the essential character of something. MPEP 2173.05(v).
InjunctionAn order or remedy issued by the court at the request of the complaining party, which forbids another party to do some act which he/she is threatening or…
inoperativenessThe failure of the invention to work due to either mechanical or methodical imperfections or due to incomplete or erroneous description of the invention…