An intellectual property law firm: patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Viewing a Full Patent File or Patent Application File

Where do I view the full patent or patent application file?

To view the full patent or patent application file use Public Pair.

How do I view the full patent file or patent application file?

1) Go to Public Pair, which allows you to view both full patent and patent application files.

2) Enter the:

Application Number
Patent Number, or
Publication Number.

You can find the Application Number, Patent Number, or Publication Number by looking up the patent or patent application using USPTO search databases, Google Patents, or other databases like Escapenet.

Practical Tips:

Often, the patent file will come back unavailable. If you can’t view the patent file, try entering a different number input (i.e. instead of using the Patent Number, use the Application Number), or open Public Pair in an incognito window for Google Chrome.
Often, the patent file will not be viewable with a “recaptha-type” error. If this happens try opening Public Pair in an incognito window for Google Chrome.

What is the full patent or patent application file?

The full patent or patent application file contains all the documents related to the patent application and elements related to the patent after it is issued.

The full patent file can also be called the prosecution history.

All parts of the file are separated into different tabs at the top of the page in Public Pair.

A major part of the full file is called the file image wrapper, which includes:

all the documents which were sent to the Patent Office by the applicant (original application, responses to rejections, etc); and
all the documents which were sent by the Patent Office to the applicant (rejections, responses to amendments, issue notification, etc.).

Other parts are:

Application Data
Transaction History
Patent Term Adjustments
Continuity Data
Foreign Priority
Fees
Published Documents
Address & Attorney/Agent
Assignments
Display References

Difference between the full patent or patent application file and the patent or published patent

The full patent or patent application file will show all the documents related to the patent application (application, rejections from patent examiners, responses to rejections, etc.).

The patent document will show the final patent which was approved/issued.

The published patent application will show a version of the patent application which may be different than the final approved patent. Patent applications are normally published 18 months after submitted, but the application can change between the time of publication and approval.

The patent or published patent application is found on the USPTO search databases, Google Patents, or other databases like Escapenet.

The full patent or patent application file is found on Public Pair.

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