Patent Examiner Training

United States Patent and Trademark Office
Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2004
Other Accompanying Information

PATENT EXAMINER TRAINING
Procedural Training – Mandatory for all first year examiners	Patent Examiner Initial Training and Introduction to Practice and Procedures Standardized training is provided to new patent examiners to teach them the basic skills and knowledge of the patent process, and practices and procedures such that they will be able to successfully examine a patent application. The examiner will also be able to provide an initial report to their supervisor on what is the claimed, as well as the disclosed invention contained in the application so as to permit him or her to perform a prior art search. The number of courses offered each year is based on the projected number of new examiners entering the patent business unit.
Legal Training – Mandatory for all first year examiners	Practice and Procedures Lectures covering the following topics: "Novelty" Requirements "Non-Obviousness"Requirements "Utility" Requirements Restriction Practice Unity of Invention Double Patenting Allowance and Issue Appeals
Continuing Education – Courses are for students from all Technology Centers, some taught by TC personnel, some modified to include TC specific examples	Review of Recent Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Decisions Claim Interpretation Update on Rule Changes
Legal Training – Technology Center Level courses taught by TC personnel, some developed within the TCs	Examples include: 101 Training 102/103 Training Obviousness Type Double Patenting
Legal Training – Legal Courses	Patent Law and Evidence
Examiner Technical Training – (Technology Center Focused)	Technology Fairs Biotechnology Computer Software and Hardware Optics, Semiconductor, Electrical Engineering Communication Technology
Non-Duty Technical Training Program	Examples: Mathematical Methods for Physics
Automation Training All first year examiners are provided mandatory initial automation training.	Examples: IFW Classes IFW for Examiners (eDAN) IFW for Technical Support Staff (MADRAS) IFW for Coordinating Committee IFW Messaging for Supervisory Patent Examiners IFW Refresher Course Non-IFW Classes Classification Data System Desktop Training ChemDraw Examiner Automated Search System (EAST) 1.3: New Features EAST and Bibliographic Retrieval System: The Fundamentals Office Action Correspondence System (OACS) 1.3: New Features OACS Basics OACS for Non-Typists OACS: Creating Personal Forms Chemical Searching for Non-chemists West: Refresher Microsoft® PowerPoint Microsoft® Outlook PALMExpo Overview TC-Focused Classes EAST Databases EAST: Automated Searching for Design Examiners EAST and Optical Character Recognition OACS Basics for Design Examiners Non-Patent Literature (NPL) Web Resources in Your Art Area Classification and Security Review
Management Training	Examples include: Reviewing Cases Coaching Employee Relations Topics

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