Raj Sutariya
Co-founder, PatentAssist.ai
Raj Sutariya is a co-founder of PatentAssist.ai and leads its technology, including the drafting engine and the patent search built on IP India, USPTO and EPO records. He writes PatentAssist's guides to patent fees, examination and the public record at the USPTO, the EPO and IP India.
Guides by Raj
- USPTO patent fees (2026)
Every USPTO patent fee for large, small and micro entities, from filing to maintenance, with a fee calculator.
- Patent fees in India (2026)
Every official Indian patent fee from filing to renewal, with a fee calculator.
- The Indian Patent Journal, explained
What the weekly Indian Patent Journal publishes and how to search it.
- EPO fees 2026: the full fee schedule
Every EPO fee in force from 1 April 2026, the 30% micro-entity reduction, PCT fees at the EPO and a fee calculator.
- The problem-solution approach to inventive step at the EPO
Closest prior art, the objective technical problem and the could-would test, with a fully worked example and the usual mistakes.
- The European search report and EESR, explained
X, Y and A citation categories, the search opinion, Rule 62a and 63 limited searches, and the Rule 70a deadline to reply.
- The PCT application: timeline, fees and national phase
The international phase month by month, receiving Office and ISA fees in CHF, USD and EUR, national phase deadlines by office, and a deadline calculator.
- How much does a patent cost?
USPTO fees by entity size from filing to the last maintenance fee, what drives professional fees, EPO fees, and an estimator.
- Options after a final rejection
Amendment after final, advisory actions, the end of AFCP 2.0, RCE, pre-appeal and appeal, with fees, timing and USPTO outcome data.
- PTAB ex parte appeals
Notice of appeal to decision step by step, with fees, deadlines and the PTAB's FY 2026 pendency and outcome statistics.
- How to check Indian patent application status
Where to check an Indian patent application's status, and what each status means.
- Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) in Europe
Who can get an SPC, how long it lasts, the filing deadline, the paediatric extension, the manufacturing waiver and the unitary SPC proposal.
- How to speed up EPO prosecution: PACE, PPH and waivers
PACE since February 2026, the Rule 70(2) and Rule 161 waivers, PPH with the USPTO, and fast Rule 71(3) approval.
- How to file a French patent application (INPI)
Filing in English, the search report and written opinion, INPI fees, opposition since April 2020 and the 10-year utility certificate.
- Patentability search: how to check novelty before you file
What counts as prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102 and Art. 54 EPC, the grace period gap, search steps and how to read results.
- Patent landscape analysis, step by step
Building a CPC and keyword dataset, cleaning families and names, the metrics that matter and the 18-month publication lag.
- How to use USPTO Patent Public Search
Basic and Advanced Search, the three databases, field codes, ADJ, NEAR, WITH and SAME, truncation and a worked search.
- The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), explained
How CPC symbols are built, CPC against IPC, the Y section, how to find the right class and how to search it in each database.
- How to respond to a 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection
Anticipation under MPEP 2131, AIA 102(a)(1) and (a)(2), the 102(b) exceptions, inherency and Rule 130 declarations.
- How to file a nonprovisional patent application
Required parts and fees, claiming a provisional within 12 months, DOCX filing in Patent Center, and what happens after you file.
- How long does a patent last?
US utility and design terms, patent term adjustment and extension, terminal disclaimers, maintenance fee deadlines, Europe and India, with an expiry estimator.
- 35 U.S.C., annotated: US patent law section by section
The current text of 34 key sections of Title 35 with plain-English summaries, key cases, 37 CFR rules and MPEP references.
- Patent drawing requirements: USPTO, EPO and India
37 CFR 1.84, the EPO rules that replaced Rule 46 EPC, and Indian rule 15, compared side by side.
- How to file a German patent application (DPMA)
Filing, the German translation deadline, search and examination requests, DPMA fees and the utility model.
- Form 18: request for examination in India
The Form 18 deadline, fees, expedited examination on Form 18A, and what happens if you miss it.