Patent prosecution is the term used to describe the patent application process from the point in time that the Patent Office, through an examiner, begins working on the application that is filed by the inventor or an attorney representing the inventor. Below is a description of how the process works for a United States national application. It is important to remember, however, the difference between a national (or domestic) application and a international application that is filed pursuant to the protocls established by the Patent Cooperation Treaty. An international application can be filed in the United States provided that at least one inventor is a US national or resident of the United States. International applications moving through the US Patent Office do not follow the process described below, although once the international application does enter what is called the national stage the process will be much the same.