This is a legal form that was released by the U.S. Department of Commerce - Patent and Trademark Office on August 1, 2011 and used country-wide. As of today, no separate filing guidelines for the form are provided by the issuing department.
Q: What is a Terminal Disclaimer?
A: A Terminal Disclaimer is a legal document used to overcome a provisional double patenting rejection.
Q: What is provisional double patenting?
A: Provisional double patenting occurs when two patents, or patent applications, have overlapping or similar claims.
Q: What is the purpose of a Terminal Disclaimer?
A: The purpose of a Terminal Disclaimer is to establish that the two applications at issue are not separately patentable.
Q: How does a Terminal Disclaimer obviate a provisional double patenting rejection?
A: By submitting a Terminal Disclaimer, the applicant acknowledges that the applications will be commonly owned and expires at the same time as the earlier application.
Q: What is the form number for filing a Terminal Disclaimer?
A: Form PTO/SB/25 is used to file a Terminal Disclaimer.
Q: What is the role of a reference application in a provisional double patenting rejection?
A: The reference application is the pending application that triggered the provisional double patenting rejection.
Form Details:
Download a fillable version of Form PTO/SB/25 by clicking the link below or browse more documents and templates provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce - Patent and Trademark Office.