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Patents — Workflow

Overview

A patent record tracks the full lifecycle of a patent application — from the moment it is filed through examination, grant, and eventual expiration or rejection. Status is managed manually: there is no automatic progression. Users with edit permission advance the status using the Update status action as the patent moves through real-world milestones.

Note

For SARA's general record lifecycle concepts, see: Workflows & Pipelines

Roles involved

  • IP Administrator / Legal — Creates and maintains patent records, uploads documents, advances status, and adds notes at each milestone.

Status lifecycle

Patents use four statuses drawn from the global status catalog:

Status Meaning Can edit?
ACTV Patent is active — application in process or granted Yes
INAC Patent is inactive — no longer tracked No
REJC Patent application was rejected No
(5th status) Additional status — verify label in live system Depends

Info

For status badge behavior and colors, see: Status

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> ACTV : Created
    ACTV --> ACTV : Status updated (still active)
    ACTV --> REJC : Application rejected
    ACTV --> INAC : Deactivated
    REJC --> ACTV : Reopened
    INAC --> ACTV : Reactivated

Note

The Edit action is blocked when the patent is in a terminal status (Rejected or Inactive). To correct a rejected or inactive patent, first update its status back to ACTV using Update status.

Workflow steps

1. Registration

A user with edit permission creates a new patent record via + New Patent. Required at creation: company, title, and number. All date fields and classification fields are optional and can be filled in as the application progresses.

Document files (Patent Title, Patent Application, Other) can be attached at creation or added later via Edit.

2. Tracking examination milestones

As the patent progresses through official channels, the record is updated via Edit to fill in dates:

  • Formal Examination Request Date — when the formal examination was requested.
  • Substantive Examination Request Date — when the substantive (deep technical) examination was requested.
  • Grant Date — when the patent was officially granted.

Notes can be added at any point via Notes and logs to record correspondence, decisions, or internal context.

3. Status updates

Use Update status to reflect the current real-world state of the patent. The status selector shows all valid options. Common transitions:

  • Application proceeding → keep ACTV, update dates as milestones are reached.
  • Application rejected → change to REJC.
  • Patent no longer tracked → change to INAC.

4. Expiration

The expiration date is calculated automatically from the Filing Date plus the Expiration duration (years and months). No action is required — the date updates whenever the filing date or expiration duration is edited. There is no automated notification when a patent expires.

Document types catalog

The Documents tab is a supporting catalog, not a workflow. Document types are created and maintained by administrators to classify the files attached to patents. This catalog does not drive any workflow state — it is purely organizational.