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(86)PCT national phase entry in the U.S.

We enter PCT applications into the U.S. national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 and prosecute them through allowance on your instructions.

Send a new matterWhat to send us
20222426 FIG. 1

What we handle

National stage entry under 371
Entry before the 30-month date, with the basic national fee, inventor declarations, and required copies.
Translations
Filing an English translation where the international application was not published in English.
Preliminary amendments
Claims conformed to U.S. practice before examination begins, so the first action reads the case you intend.
International search results
Art from the international search report and written opinion carried into a U.S. information disclosure statement.
Bypass continuations
When a bypass continuation under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) serves the case better than 371 entry, we tell you and explain why.
Prosecution to allowance
Restriction, office actions, and allowance handled with reports in the format your docket expects.

What to send us

Everything we need to open the matter in one email. Hold back confidential technical detail until we confirm the conflict check and engagement.

Build the email
  • The PCT application number and publication number
  • The earliest priority date
  • The international search report and written opinion
  • Applicant and inventor details, and any assignment
  • An English translation if the application was not published in English
  • Any claim amendments you want entered

How the matter runs

The same five steps on every matter, reported to you at each one.

  1. Instruction received

    You send the PCT number, priority date, and instructions.

  2. Conflict check and engagement

    Confirmed in writing before confidential material changes hands.

  3. 371 entry

    Filed before the 30-month date, with the filing receipt reported to you.

  4. Formalities

    Any notice to file missing parts answered and reported.

  5. Examination

    Each action reported with its due date and our recommendation.

Questions firms ask

What is the deadline for entering the U.S. national stage?

Thirty months from the earliest priority date (35 U.S.C. 371 and 37 C.F.R. 1.495). Send instructions well before that date, because formal requirements take time to assemble.

What if the 30-month date has passed?

Revival may be possible on a petition showing the delay was unintentional, with a fee (37 C.F.R. 1.137). Contact us at once, because delay narrows the options.

Do you need the international search report?

Yes. Art cited in the international phase should be brought to the examiner, and the written opinion often shapes the claims we propose to enter.

Can examination be accelerated?

Where your office participates, a Patent Prosecution Highway request can move a U.S. case forward based on allowable claims from that office. We will tell you whether it fits your case.

Ready to send the matter?

Email the number, the deadline, and the parties. We reply with the conflict check and the engagement terms.

Email ck@ckiplaw.com
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