Non Party System Generated CustodianESI generated from a non party enterprise application such as financial systems, dynamic monitoring systems and more may not have a clear Custodian.
Non-Convention ApplicationA patent application filed in a second, or subsequent country which does not claim the priority of another, earlier application in another country.
Non-custodial parentthe parent who does not have physical custody of the children.
non-final office actionan Office action letter that raises new issues and usually is the first phase of the examination process.
non-final office action (rejection)an Office action made by the examiner where the applicant is entitled to reply and request reconsideration or further examination, with or without making…
Non-InterlaceWhen each line of a video image is scanned separately. Computer monitors use noninterlaced video.
Non-jury trialTrial before the court but without a jury. In a non-jury trial, the court is the finder of both the law and the facts.
non-lawyera person who is not an attorney or lawyer. -- see 37 CFR § 10.14(b)
Non-marital propertyNon-marital property is property that was owned by either spouse prior to the marriage or acquired by them individually.
Non-native Environmentproprietary RenewData process in which electronic data is obtained directly from backup tapes without the need to recreate a native environment.
Non-ObviousnessThe opposite of obviousness. See Obviousness.
non-responsive amendmentan amendment filed by the applicant that does not fully respond to the examiner's office action in accordance with 37 CFR 1.111 -- see MPEP 714.02
nondischargeable debtA debt that cannot be eliminated in bankruptcy. Examples include a home mortgage, debts for alimony or child support, certain taxes, debts for most…
NonfeasanceNonperformance of an act which should be performed; omission to perform a required duty or total neglect of duty.
nongermane amendmentAn amendment that would add new and different subject matter to, or may be irrelevant to, the bill or other measure it seeks to amend.
nonprofit organizationfor purposes of small entity determination per MPEP 509.02 - (1) a university or other institution of higher education located in any country; (2) an…
Notary PublicA person who serves as a public official and certifies the authenticity of required signatures on a document by signing and stamping the document.
Notesthe documentation of procedures, standards, control and instruments used, observations made, results of tests performed, charts, graphs, photographs…
NoticeNotice refers to two requirements. A copy of the LCA Form ETA 9035 must be given to each H-1B worker.
notice (also marking)Placing the word "patent" with the patent number on articles made by the patentee or a licensee.
notice of abandonmenta written notification from the USPTO that an application has been declared abandoned or, in other words, is no longer pending.
notice of allowabilitya notification to the patent applicant that the application has been placed in condition for allowance -- see MPEP 1302.03 Notice of Allowability for more
notice of allowanceNOA - a written notification from the USPTO that a specific mark has survived the opposition period following publication in the Official Gazette, and has…
notice of allowance and fees dueNOA, a notification to the applicant that they are entitled to a patent under the law and requesting payment of a specified issue fee (and possibly a…
Notice of Allowance and Issue Fee DueA notice by the USPTO that the application has been placed in a condition for allowance and that the issue fee must be paid within three months of the…
Notice of AppealA document filed in the trial court that informs the trial court that the party intends to appeal the lower court’s decision.
notice of publicationa written statement from the USPTO notifying an applicant that its mark will be published in the Official Gazette.
notice of references citedalso known as a PTO-892 form. A list of relevant references cited by a patent examiner in an Office action.
Notice to creditorsA notice given by the bankruptcy court to all creditors of a meeting of creditors.
noveltyNew; not anticipated by (taught by) the prior art. MPEP 2131.
NPLNon Patent Literature -- documents and publications that are not patents or published patent applications but are cited as references for being relevant…
NSFLotus Notes Format Database File (i.e. database.nsf) Can be either an email database or the traditional type of fielded database.
Nulla bonaReturn made upon execution by the sheriff or court officer when he/she has found no leviable goods.
Nunc pro tuncNow for then; acts allowed with retroactive effect.
ObjectionThe process by which one party takes exception to some statement or procedure. An objection is either sustained (allowed) or overruled by the judge.
objection to dischargeabilityA trustee's or creditor's objection to the debtor being released from personal liability for certain dischargeable debts.
objection to exemptionsA trustee's or creditor's objection to the debtor's attempt to claim certain property as exempt from liquidation by the trustee to creditors.
Objectivea measurable, definable accomplishment that furthers the goals of the organization.
Objective CodingThe process of manually reviewing a document and completing database fields with easily ascertainable information about the document.
ObjectsIn programming terminology, an object is a freestanding block of code that defines the properties of some thing.
ObligationAn order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future…
Obstruction of Justiceaccording to Black's law dictionary, obstruction of justice means "impeding or obstructing those who seek justice in a court, or those who have duties or…
obvious to tryThe validity of a patent can be challenged by attempting to show that what the inventor did would have been obvious to try based on the prior art, and…
ObviousnessA characteristic that makes an invention predicable to a person having ordinary skill in the art who has knowledge of all of the prior art.
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)(OSHA)The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of America's workers.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)A technology process that translates and converts printed matter on an image into a format that a computer can manipulate (ASCII codes, for example) and…
OCR TextOptical Character Recognition; searchable text that corresponds to a document image; an OCR software program designed to read a document image generates…
off-budget entitiesThe budget authority, outlays, and receipts of certain Federal entities that have been excluded from budget totals under provisions of law.
Off-line DataThe storage of electronic data outside the network in daily use (i.e., on backup tapes) that is only accessible through the off-line storage system, not…
Off-Line StorageElectronic records stored or archived on removable disc (optical, compact, etc.
OffenderAn individual who is required by statute to submit a sample for DNA analysis and databasing.
Offer to SellAn activity that can bar obtaining a patent in some jurisdictions if the activity occurs a sufficient period of time before a patent application on the…
Officein the context of actions or activities involving the USPTO this refers to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) itself
office actiona letter from a trademark examining attorney setting forth the legal status of a trademark application.
Official GazetteA publication of the USPTO in which new patents and trademarks are announced. Published weekly in two editions, one for patents and one for trademarks.
Official reportsThe publication of cumulated court decisions of state or federal courts in advance sheets and bound volumes as provided by statutory authority.
OfflineWhen computers and other devices are not connected to the network.
OJP EIN Number/Vendor NumberThis is your agency's nine-digit Federal tax identification number assigned to you by the IRS.
Old ApplicationAn application that, having been acted on by an Examiner, has, in turn, been acted on by the applicant. MPEP 203.03.
OLEObject Linking and Embedding. A feature in Microsofts Windows which allows each section of a compound document to call up its own editing tools or special…
OLIA (superceded)Office for Legislative and International Affairs - currently known as Administrator for External Affairs, comprised of Office of International Relations…
OMBOffice of Management and Budget, a branch of The Executive Office of the President -- see OMB for more
On a person's own recognizanceRelease of a person from custody without the payment of any bail or posting of bond, upon the promise of the party to return to court.
On-Line ReviewThe culling process produces a dataset of potentially responsive documents which are then reviewed for a final selection of relevant or responsive…
On-line StorageThe storage of electronic data as fully accessible information in daily use on the network or elsewhere.