this is the document issued by the ISA as a result of their search. The ISR typically lists documents considered relevant to the novelty and/or invention step of the invention, and usually identifies the specific claim(s) of the application to which the citations are considered relevant.
For the applicant, the ISR is accompanied by a non-binding ‘Written Opinion’ on the patentability of the invention. The opinion is non-binding on the national / regional patent offices that receive the application for national/regional phase processing. The Written Opinion is only made public around 30 months from the filing (or priority) date of the application.
« Back to Glossary Index