First Action Interview (FAI)
The First Action Pilot has ended. The last day for requests to participate in the pilot was January 15, 2021. Any application with a request filed by that date which was compliant will be examined in accordance with the program provisions.
The First Action Interview Program is a pilot program whereby an applicant may request and will receive a first-action interview after a thorough search of the application has been conducted, but prior to the first official Office Action on the Merits (FAOM), in a new utility application.
Applications in the First Action Interview Program are not accorded a “special” status and are examined in order. For applications in this program, the examiner performs a search and then mails out a Pre-Interview Communication to the applicant, for which the examiner receives first action production credit. The Pre-Interview Communication is a condensed statement of the examiner’s proposed rejections based on the claims currently filed in the application.