USPTO Office Action Rejection API

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obsoleteDocumentIdentifier A document number or code that once was used to identify a cited reference but is no longer valid, current or recognized due to changes in classification, publication systems or formats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legacyDocumentCodeIdentifier A legacy document code identifier refers to an older or outdated code that was previously used by the USPTO to classify or identify specific document types such as office actions, notices or publication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 Indicates whether the application includes a prior art citation under 35 U.S.C. 102 classified as "greater than one year" GT1 before the filing date. Cite 102 GT 1 means the examiner has cited prior art that was publicly known or used more than one year before the application's filing date, which can be used to reject the claim for lack of novelty or statutory bar
cite103GT3 Indicates whether the application includes a prior art citation under 35 U.S.C. 103 classified as "greater than three years" GT3 before the filing date used for obviousness rejection. Cite 103 GT 3 means the examiner has cited prior art older than three years that when combined or considered renders the claimed invention obvious and therefore unpatentable
cite103EQ1 Indicates whether the application includes a prior art citation under 35 U.S.C. 103 classified as an equivalent reference (EQ1) used for an obviousness rejection. 103 EQ1 refers to a prior art citation used in an obviousness rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 where cited reference is considered an equivalent reference by the examiner
cite103Max Indicates whether the application includes the primary or most significant prior art citation used for an obviousness rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103. Cite 103 max refers to the most significant or highest level prior art citation used under 35 U.S.C. 103 for an obviousness rejection in a patent application
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

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