The term "patent prosecution" sounds a bit like it would be an action taken by a lawyer who conducts a case against a defendant in a criminal court. This is not the case. "Patent prosecution" involves the interaction between the patent attorney (on behalf of the applicant for patent) and the patent examiners at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In particular, patent prosecution includes filing of the patent application, responding to any deficiencies identified by the Office of Patent Application Processing, responding to objections and rejections asserted against the patent application by a patent examiner, holding any necessary interview with the patent examiner to discuss the merits of the objections and rejections, handling appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and submitting the issue fee for an allowed patent application. Patent prosecution comes to an end once a patent application is either issued as a US Patent or abandoned.

As a patent prosecution attorney, I care about people and their success.  Because many inventors have no previous experience with the US patent system, they need someone to guide them through the process and explain the reasoning behind each procedure and the considerations for each strategic decision.  I feel that it is important for me to spend the time necessary to help each inventor understand what is happening with their patent application.  I have often said that inventor involvement in the preparation and prosecution of the patent application is critically important.