What is the only section of AIA 102 that can be used to reject an application?

The correct answer is that 102(a) is the only section of AIA 102 that can be used to reject an application. This section pertains to the criteria for novelty and establishes the conditions under which a patent application can be considered unpatentable due to prior art. Specifically, 102(a) states that a person shall be entitled to a patent unless the claimed invention was known or used by others in the United States, or patented or described in a printed publication before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.

By focusing on the knowledge or use of the invention prior to the application’s effective filing date, 102(a) directly allows examiners to reject an application based on prior art, ensuring that patents are granted only for truly novel inventions. This section is foundational for establishing whether an invention is indeed new and is critical for patent examination processes.

In contrast, the other sections of AIA 102—b, c, and d—address different aspects related to patentability, such as the grace period for disclosures (102(b)), bar upon disclosure by the inventor (102(c)), and the treatment of joint inventors and common ownership (102(d)). While these sections contribute to the overall framework of patentability, they do not serve