Patent Agent USPTO Registration Exam Prep - Question List

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46. The primary examiner has rejected claims 1-10 under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over the Smith patent in view of the Jones reference. Appellant properly argues that there is no motivation to combine the teachings of Smith and Jones. The examiner repeats the rejection of claims 1-10 as being “unpatentable over Smith in view of Jones.” The examiner additionally cites a patent to Brown that was necessary to provide motivation for combining the teachings of Smith and Jones. The examiner does not list Brown in the statement of the rejection. Appellant timely appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, and files a proper appeal brief. The examiner files an examiner’s answer addressing the rejection of claims 1-10 under 35 USC 103(a) as being unpatentable over Smith in view of Jones, and cites Brown in the argument as providing motivation to combine Smith and Jones. In accordance with the patent laws, rules and procedures as related in the MPEP, what will be the most proper decision of the Board?
  1. The Board will affirm the rejection based on Smith and Jones only
  2. The Board will affirm the rejection based on Smith, Jones and Brown.
  3. The Board will reverse the rejection based on Smith and Jones only.
  4. The Board will reverse the rejection based on Smith, Jones and Brown.
  5. None of the above.
47. In accordance with the patent laws, rules and procedures as related in the MPEP, which of the following statements regarding claim interpretation is the most correct?
  1. A claim having the transition term “comprising” is limited to only the limitations, elements or steps recited in the claim, and is not inclusive or open-ended of other unrecited elements or steps.
  2. The transition term “consisting essentially of” limits the claim to the limitations recited in the claim and additional elements or steps which do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed invention.
  3. A claim having the transition term “consisting of” is not limited to the elements or steps recited in the claim, but can include elements or steps other than those recited in addition to any impurities ordinarily associated therewith.
  4. A claim which depends from a claim which claims an invention “consisting of” the recited elements or steps can add an element or step to further limit the claimed invention.
  5. All of the above.
48. A primary examiner is examining a patent application. The application includes a specification and a single claim to the invention that reads as follows: 1. A building material to be used as an alternative to brick in the construction of a house, said building material comprising compressed refuse, the majority of which is wood. In the specification, the inventor explains that the wood to be used in the inventive building material should be balsa wood. According to the specification, balsa-containing building material has the advantage of being lighter than brick. In a first Office action mailed to the registered practitioner representing the inventor the single claim was rejected as anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102 over Patent A. Patent A issued more than one year before the effective filing date of the application, and teaches a building material to be used as an alternative to brick in the construction of a house comprising compressed refuse, the majority of which is pine. The practitioner replies to the first Office action by arguing that the invention is different from that of Patent A. According to the practitioner, the inventor uses balsa wood, not pine. The claim has not been amended. Which of the following describes how the examiner should proceed in accordance with the patent laws, rules and procedures as related in the MPEP?
  1. The examiner should allow the claim.
  2. The examiner should allow the claim only after including a Reasons for Allowance pointing out that the inventor argues that her invention is directed to using balsa wood, not pine.
  3. The examiner should issue a Final Rejection again rejecting the claim as anticipated under 35 USC102 over Patent A.
  4. The examiner should reopen prosecution and begin anew, this time searching for a reference that shows a building material containing balsa wood.
  5. The examiner should withdraw the rejection but issue a new Office action this time rejecting the claim under 35 USC 112, second paragraph, because the claim is broad enough to encompass using pine.
49. A registered practitioner timely files a petition under 37 CFR 1.181 while the application is pending before the primary examiner to challenge the prematureness of the final rejection that set a shortened statutory period for reply. Assume the petition is filed within two months of the date on the final rejection. What is the next response that should be docketed by the practitioner in accordance with the patent laws, rules and the procedures as related in the MPEP to avoid a penalty or payment of fees?
  1. A reply to the final rejection within 6 months.
  2. A status inquiry 6 months after filing the petition.
  3. A reply to the final rejection within the shortened statutory time period set for reply in the final rejection.
  4. No reply is necessary until a decision is received on the petition.
  5. All of the above.
50. In accordance with the patent laws, rules and procedures as related in the MPEP, which of the following facts are required for 35 USC 102(g) to form the basis for an ex parte rejection: (1) The subject matter at issue has been actually reduced to practice by another before the applicant’s invention. (2) There has been no abandonment, suppression or concealment. (3) A U.S. patent application for the subject matter at issue has been filed by another prior to the filing of the applicant’s application. (4) A U.S. patent has been granted for the subject matter at issue prior to the filing of the applicant’s application.
  1. Fact (1) only
  2. Fact (2) only
  3. Facts (1) and (2)
  4. Facts (1), (2) and (3)
  5. Facts (1), (2), (3) and (4)

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