Overview

You can monitor a patent application to see how it is progressing, for example before deciding to make observations on it, by:

• checking the search report
• checking the parts of the application file that are open to public inspection (OPI)
• applying for a caveat so that we tell you when something happens to the application.

Patent search reports

Search reports are available for all published UK applications.

It may include:

• documents rated as X or Y against one or more of the applicant’s claims, means that during examination we will ask the applicant to change the claims
• documents rated as A. These citations are background art, that is related reading, and are unlikely to affect the outcome of the examination and grant procedure
• none found, means that no relevant documents were available when we searched the application
• no search made, usually means that we consider the invention not patentable. We can object to the application because of this at examination, without using docu