Interaction In The Examination
Filing a patent application, except for claim drafting, is largely a matter of illustration and technical writing. Once your application is filed, however, emphasis shifts to all the intricate matters of dealing with an examiner and patent law.
You have to have a good computer connected to the Internet, and you have to know how to use it, or work with someone who does. All Notices and actions from the Patent Office and the Examiner will come over the Internet, and all your responses go back over the Internet.
You need to be have and to be familiar with Microsoft Word, as all of your work in preparing responses to Notices and Actions and all claim amendments will be done in Word.
You will also need a PDF Reader, such as Acrobat or Foxit Reader to
be able to read what the Patent Office sends to you in the process.