¶ 26.07    Action Closing Prosecution

This is an ACTION CLOSING PROSECUTION (ACP); see MPEP § 2671.02.

  • (1) Pursuant to 37 CFR 1.951(a), the patent owner may once file written comments limited to the issues raised in the reexamination proceeding and/or present a proposed amendment to the claims which amendment will be subject to the criteria of 37 CFR 1.116  as to whether it shall be entered and considered. Such comments and/or proposed amendments must be filed within a time period of 30 days or one month, whichever is longer, from the mailing date of this action. Where the patent owner files such comments and/or a proposed amendment, the third party requester may once file comments under 37 CFR 1.951(b)  responding to the patent owner’s submission within 30 days from the date of service of the patent owner’s submission on the third party requester
  • (2) If the patent owner does not timely file comments and/or a proposed amendment pursuant to 37 CFR 1.951(a), then the third party requester is precluded from filing comments under 37 CFR 1.951(b).
  • (3) Appeal cannot be taken from this action, since it is not a final Office action.