Which document can be petitioned for reconsideration with additional fees in a PCT application?

In the context of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) process, a restriction requirement refers to a situation where the International Searching Authority (ISA) finds that an application contains multiple inventions and may require the applicant to limit the claims to one invention for the purpose of the international search. The applicant has the opportunity to petition for reconsideration of this restriction requirement if they believe it is unjustified.

This petition can be filed along with the payment of additional fees, as established by the relevant rules governing the PCT process. It allows the applicant to challenge the authority's decision on the requirements placed on their application. The other options do not offer a similar mechanism for reconsideration with additional fees.

The international application itself is not subject to such a petition, as it is the overall document being processed. The patent claims cannot be petitioned for reconsideration in the way a restriction requirement can; they are typically revised through amendment but do not have a specific reconsideration process tied to fees. Similarly, the applicant's oath is a procedural requirement that does not have an associated petitioning process for reconsideration. The restriction requirement stands out as the only document that allows for such a petition within the PCT framework, highlighted by the ability to pay additional fees for this reconsider