PPC Legal Research & Documentation Management 2

Question 1

Which USPTO database allows a paralegal to search for prior art in expired U.S. patents published before 1976?

Accepted Answer

Patent Full-Text Database (PatFT)

Answer

PatFT contains full-text U.S. patents issued from 1976 to the present, plus images back to 1790, making it the primary tool for pre-1976 patent searches.

Question 2

A paralegal needs to determine whether a PCT application has entered the national phase in Germany. Which resource is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

DPMA register (German Patent Office)

Answer

The DPMA (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt) register tracks national phase entries in Germany, the relevant national authority.

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of a patent family search in legal research?

Accepted Answer

Identifying all international counterparts of a base patent application

Answer

A patent family search identifies all related filings (continuations, divisionals, national phase entries) that share a common priority claim.

Question 4

Under 37 C.F.R. § 1.56, to whom does the duty of disclosure extend in a patent application?

Accepted Answer

Every individual substantially involved in the preparation or prosecution of the application

Answer

The duty of candor under Rule 56 applies to each individual substantially involved in the preparation or prosecution, including paralegals and inventors.

Question 5

When docketing a U.S. non-provisional application filing date, which event triggers the start of the 20-year patent term?

Accepted Answer

The earliest effective U.S. filing date of the application

Answer

Under 35 U.S.C. § 154, a utility patent term is 20 years from the earliest effective U.S. filing date of the application.

(PPC) Patent Paralegal Certification Practice Test

(PPC) Patent Paralegal Certification Practice Test

PPC Legal Research & Documentation Management 2