What is the purpose of a provisional rejection?

The purpose of a provisional rejection is to inform the applicant of a potential issue with their application before it is formally published. This type of rejection allows the applicant to address any concerns raised by the examiner, providing an opportunity to make necessary adjustments to the application in order to overcome the issues identified. It is essentially a preliminary measure, meant to guide the applicant toward meeting the requirements for patentability before a final decision is made.

This contrasts with a final rejection, which represents a conclusive decision on patentability and does not allow for further amendments to the application. A provisional rejection is not a requirement for all patent applications; rather, it is at the discretion of the examiner based on the specifics of the application. Lastly, a provisional rejection is a form of communication that the applicant can respond to, unlike a rejection that cannot be responded to, which would prevent any further attempts to address the issues.