The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) It was known as the United States Patent Office until 1975. The USPTO is located in Arlington, Virginia, it is about a fifteen minute Metro ride from the Reagan National Airport.

Decisions made by the examiners of the USPTO must first be appealed within the PTO itself at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). After the administrative appeal has been completed, the decision of the PTAB may be appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.