Models are not required in most patent applications since the
description of the invention in the specification and the drawings must
be sufficiently full, clear, and complete and capable of being
understood to disclose the invention without the aid of a model. A model
will not be admitted unless specifically requested by the examiner.
A working model, or other physical exhibit, may be required by the
Office if deemed necessary. This is not done very often. A working model
may be requested in the case of applications for patent for alleged
perpetual motion devices.
When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the applicant may
be required to furnish specimens of the composition, or of its
ingredients or intermediates, for inspection or experiment. If the
invention is a microbiological invention, a deposit of the
micro-organism involved is required.
Examination of Applications and Proceedings in the Patent and Trademark
Office
Applications, other than provisional applications, filed in the Patent
and Trademark Office and accepted as complete applications are assigned
for examination to the respective examining groups having charge of the
areas of technology related to the invention. In the examining group,
applications are taken up for examination by the examiner to whom they
have been assigned in the order in which they have been filed or in
accordance with examining procedures established by the Commissioner.
Applications will not be advanced out of turn for examination or for
further action except as provided by the rules, or upon order of the
Commissioner to expedite the business of the Office, or upon a verified
showing which, in the opinion of the Commissioner, will justify
advancing them.
The examination of the application consists of a study of the
application for compliance with the legal requirements and a search
through United States patents, foreign patent documents, and available
literature, to see if the claimed invention is new and nonobvious. A
decision is reached by the examiner in the light of the study and the
result of the search.
As a result of the examination by the Office, patents are granted in the
case of about two out of every three applications for patents which are
filed.