Rogers, Paul M.Bae, Jongsung2014-07-212014-07-212014-07-21https://hdl.handle.net/1920/8731A patent-reform initiative called the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law in 2011. The act placed patent applications at the center of the reform and changed the rhetorical situation surrounding writing patent applications. Successful patent writers need to fully grasp the big picture of the rhetorical situation and apply it to their work no matter how confusing the message may be at a superficial level. For this reason, this study hypothesizes and examines a theoretical framework for the purpose of making the most of this change by fully understanding the big picture. The hypothesis is that “a genre mediates between social actions and ideological goals,” and this study will illuminate dynamic relations among social actors, their ideological goals, and the patent reforms embedded in the genre of patent applications.enGenreSocial actionIdeological goalPatent applicationAmerica Invents ActAIAThesis