Chapter VIII – Work within the examining division
When referring an application that is not in order for the grant of a patent to the examining division, the examiner first member should confer with the other members of the division, bringing to their attention the points at issue, summarising the case history to the extent necessary to enable them to obtain a quick grasp of the essential facts and recommending the action to be taken, e.g. refusal, or grant conditional upon certain further amendments. As the other members will need to study the case themselves, there is no need for a detailed exposition. It will be useful, however, to draw attention to any unusual features or points not readily apparent from the documents themselves. If the examiner first member recommends refusal and the issue seems clear-cut, they may have a draft reasoned decision ready for issue by the examining division (see C‑V, 14); if the issue is not clear-cut, the drafting of the reasoned decision should be deferred until the division has discussed the case.