When can an application status be accessed?

The correct answer indicates that an application status can be accessed when associated documents are identified in a published patent. This is because once a patent application is published, it becomes part of the public record, allowing people to search for and access various aspects of the application, including its status. This publication typically occurs 18 months after the earliest filing date, and it provides transparency about the status and content of the application.

In contrast, accessing application status solely by paying a fee is not standard practice; the USPTO allows access to certain information without any fee after publication. Likewise, waiting until a patent is granted would limit the accessibility to only those applications that have successfully gone through the entire process, which would not provide information on pending applications. Automated access via an online portal could facilitate the retrieval of this information, but it does not directly answer the question of when the status can be accessed. The pivotal factor to consider is that the public availability of application status occurs once the related documents have been published.