STEPP training: Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure

STEPP training, or Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure, is designed to provide external stakeholders with a better understanding of how, and why, an examiner makes decisions while examining a patent application. Courses are led by USPTO trainers and based on material developed for training USPTO employees. And new for FY18 we now have two different course formats:

• In-person training on patent examination practice and procedure in a workshop setting
• Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) to “hop” through one or more topics related to examination practice and procedure

Listed here are the See the full course schedule below for topics, dates, places, times, intended audience, and CLE credit.
Title:
STEPP training: Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure
There are numerous 3-day in person trainings in multiple locations. See schedule.
In addition, there are several Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) on the internet
Note: All Hops will begin at 1 p.m. ET on the day of training

• Claim Interpretation - Preambles - February 13, 2018
• Claim Interpretation - Product By Process - April 3, 2018
• Functional Language Workshop - Claim Interpretation and Definiteness Under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) - Computerized Color Editing - April 17, 2018
• Addressing 35 U.S.C. 112(f) - or Means-plus-Function Limitations - June 12, 2018
• Inherency, 35 U.S.C. 102/103 Rejections, and Official Notice - August 7, 2018

Cost:
Courses provided are free to attend. In addition, CLE credit may be available for a STEPP course you participate in however CLE accreditation will generally only applied for in the state the course is delivered from.
By:
The STEPP program is an important part of the USPTO’s mission to deliver intellectual property information and education to external stakeholders. It is administered by the Office of Patent Training (OPT).
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