v2 | Patents
This API allows for daily refresh and retrieval of rejection data from Office Actions mailed from October 1, 2017 to 30 days prior to the current date. It contains document level data including the type of actions taken on claims in the office action.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Office Action Research Dataset for Patents contains detailed information derived from the Office actions issued by patent examiners to applicants during the patent examination process. The “Office action” is a written notification to the applicant of the examiner’s decision on patentability. It generally discloses the reasons for any rejections, objections, or requirements and includes relevant information or references that the applicant may find useful for responding to the examiner and deciding whether to continue prosecuting the application.
This API allows for daily refresh and retrieval of rejection data from Office Actions mailed from June 1, 2018 to 180 days prior to the current date. It contains document level data including the type of actions taken on claims in the office action.
Due to the popular requests/demands, we have updated OA Rejections API to Version 2.
| Field Name | Description |
| patentApplicationNumber | Unique identifier assigned to a patent application when it’s filed with a patent office |
| obsoleteDocumentIdentifier | A document number or code that once was used to identify a cited reference but is no longer valid, current or recognized due to changes in classification, publication systems or formats |
| groupArtUnitNumber | A specialized division within USPTO where patent examiners with expertise in similar technical fields review and examine patent applications |
| legacyDocumentCodeIdentifier | A legacy document code identifier refers to an older or outdated code that was previously used by the USPTO to classify or identify specific document types such as office actions, notices or publication |
| submissionDate | An official date when the USPTO sends or issues a communication related to a patent application to the applicant or their attorney/agent |
| nationalClass | A system that categorized patents based on the technology area |
| nationalSubclass | A subdivision of a national class used by patent to further categorized inventions or goods/services with more technical or commercial specificity |
| headerMissing | A document that doesn’t include the standard metadata headers such as application number, filing date, inventor name or document code at the top of the page or in its digital metadata |
| formParagraphMissing | A section of text or required explanation that is missing from a document, usually one that is expected to contain specific legal or technical content |
| rejectFormMissmatch | The content of the form doesn’t match the expected format, required fields, or document code type |
| closingMissing | A document that doesn’t include the standard metadata closing |
| hasRej101 | Indicates whether a rejection 101 has issued in the application. A 101 rejection refers to a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 101 which governs subject matter eligibility for U.S. patent applications |
| hasRejDP | Indicates whether a double patenting rejection (statutory or non-statutory) has issued in the application. A double patenting rejection happens when the USPTO determines that claims are too similar - not patentably distinct- from another patent or pending applications |
| hasRej102 | Indicates whether a rejection 102 has issued in the application. A 102 rejection refers to a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 which governs subject matter eligibility for U.S. patent applications |
| hasRej103 | Indicates whether a rejection 103 has issued in the application. A 103 rejection refers to a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 which governs subject matter eligibility for U.S. patent applications |
| hasRej112 | Indicates whether a rejection 112 has issued in the application. A 112 rejection refers to a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 which governs subject matter eligibility for U.S. patent applications |
| allowedClaimIndicator | Indicates whether the application contains claims that have been allowed by the USPTO examiner. Allowed claims are the specific claims in a patent application that a USPTO examiner has approved as patentable after examination |
| hasObjection | Indicates whether the application received any objections from the USPTO, such as informalities in the specifications, drawings, or claim format. Objection is a formal notice from the USPTO identifying issues in a patent application such as informalities or defects in the specification, drawings, or claims that must be corrected before application can proceed |
| cite102GT1 | Greater than One Citation in 102 Rejection: The cite102_gt1 field indicates when more than one reference is included in a statement of rejection as being relied upon as prior art to reject certain claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. 102 in the Office action. Note per MPEP 2131.01, a 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection over multiple references has been held to be proper when the extra references are cited to: (A) Prove the primary reference contains an "enabled disclosure;" (B) Explain the meaning of a term used in the primary reference; or (C) Show that a characteristic not disclosed in the reference is inherent. Equals 1 if more than 1 prior art citation referenced in 102 rejection, 0 otherwise. |
| cite103GT3 | Greater than Three Citations in 103 Rejection: The cite103_gt3 field indicates when more than three references are included in a statement of rejection as being relied upon as prior art to reject certain claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. 103 in the Office action. Equals 1 if more than 3 prior art citations referenced in 103 rejection, 0 otherwise. |
| cite103EQ1 | One Citation in 103 Rejection: The cite103_eq1 field indicates when only one reference is included in a statement of rejection as being relied upon as prior art to reject certain claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. 103 in the Office action. Note that examiners may rely on “common knowledge” in the art or “Examiner’s official notice”, per MPEP 2144.03, to support a 103 rejection based on a single prior art reference. Note, examiners may rely on legal precedent, per MPEP 2144.04, as a source of supporting rationale in addition to the single reference included in the statement of rejection. Equals 1 if only 1 prior art citation referenced in 103 rejection, 0 otherwise. |
| cite103Max | Max Citations in 103 Rejection: The cite103_max field indicates the largest number of references included in a statement of rejection as being relied upon as prior art to reject certain claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. 103 in the Office action. For example, if claim 1 is rejected under 103 based on two prior art references, claim 3 is rejected under 103 based on four prior art references, and no other 103 rejections are raised, then this field will contain the value 4 as it is the highest number of references cited for any of the claims. Note that, in certain cases, the algorithm for generating the cite103_max field is less precise. Specifically, when an examiner relies upon non-patent literature with author names recorded individually or lists chemical compound codes, the algorithm tends to overcount the number of references, resulting in an overestimated value in the cite103_max field. |
| aliceIndicator | Indicates whether the application has been flagged for a 101 patent eligibility review based on the Alice/Mayo framework for abstract ideas and judicial expectations. The Alice indicator shows whether a patent application has been identified for review under the Alice/Mayo framework, which assess if the invention is eligible for patent by determining if it claims an abstract idea or other judicial exception under 35 U.S.C 101 |
| biliskiIndicator | Indicates whether the application is subject to a patent eligibility review under the Bilski test for business methods and abstract ideas. The Bilski indicator signals whether a patent application is being evaluated under the Bilski test, a legal standard used to determine patent eligibility for business methods and abstract ideas, predating and related to the Alice decision |
| mayoIndicator | Indicates whether the application is undergoing a patent eligibility review based on the Mayo framework for natural laws and judicial exceptions under 35 U.S.C. 101. The Mayo indicator identifies whether a patent application is being reviewed for subject matter eligibility under the Mayo framework which evaluates if the claims improperly cover natural laws or phenomena under 35 U.S.C. 101 |
| myriadIndicator | Indicates whether the application is flagged for subject matter eligibility review concerning naturally occurring substances or genetic material under the Myriad decision. The Myriad indicator shows whether a patent application is being examined for subject matter eligibility issues related to a naturally occurring products or genetic material based on the Myriad Genetics Supreme Court decision |
| signatureType | Indicates the type of signature used to authorize or submit documents in the patent application |
| legalSectionCode | Legal section code indicates the specific legal provision or statute under which a particular action, rejection, or decision is made in the patent application process |
| paragraphNumber | Indicates the specific number paragraph within a patent document or office action that is being referenced or cited |
| claimNumberArrayDocument | Indicates a list or array of claim numbers from a patent application or document that are referenced, amended, rejected, or otherwise relevant to the associated record |
May 26, 2021