MPEP 608: Difference between revisions

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==[[MPEP 608|608 Disclosure]]==
==[[MPEP 608|608 Disclosure]]==


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In return for a patent, the inventor gives as consideration  
In return for a patent, the inventor gives as consideration  
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which protection is granted.
which protection is granted.


608.01(l)Original Claims
====608.01(l) Original Claims====


In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not  
In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not  
Line 1,511: Line 1,511:
and description.
and description.


608.01(m)Form of Claims [R-3]
====608.01(m) Form of Claims====


The claim or claims must commence on a separate  
The claim or claims must commence on a separate  
Line 1,520: Line 1,520:
material. While there is no set statutory form for  
material. While there is no set statutory form for  
claims, the present Office practice is to insist that each  
claims, the present Office practice is to insist that each  
claim must be the object of a sentence starting with “I
claim must be the object of a sentence starting with "I
(or we) claim,” “The invention claimed is” (or the  
(or we) claim," "The invention claimed is" (or the  
equivalent). If, at the time of allowance, the quoted  
equivalent). If, at the time of allowance, the quoted  
terminology is not present, it is inserted by the Office  
terminology is not present, it is inserted by the Office  
of Patent Publication. Each claim begins with a capital  
of Patent Publication. Each claim begins with a capital  
letter and ends with a period. Periods may not be  
letter and ends with a period. Periods may not be  
used elsewhere in the claims except for abbreviations.
used elsewhere in the claims except for abbreviations. Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements  
See Fressola v. Manbeck, 36 USPQ2d 1211 (D.D.C.
1995). Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements  
or steps, each element or step of the claim should be  
or steps, each element or step of the claim should be  
separated by a line indentation, 37  
separated by a line indentation, 37  
CFR 1.75(i).
CFR 1.75(i).
There may be plural indentations to further segregate
subcombinations or related steps. In general, the
printed patent copies will follow the format used but
printing difficulties or expense may prevent the duplication
of unduly complex claim formats.
Reference characters corresponding to elements
recited in the detailed description and the drawings
may be used in conjunction with the recitation of the
same element or group of elements in the claims. The
reference characters, however, should be enclosed
within parentheses so as to avoid confusion with other
numbers or characters which may appear in the
claims. The use of reference characters is to be considered
as having no effect on the scope of the claims.
Many of the difficulties encountered in the prosecution
of patent applications after final rejection may be
alleviated if each applicant includes, at the time of filing
or no later than the first reply, claims varying from
the broadest to which he or she believes he or she is
entitled to the most detailed that he or she is willing to
accept.


Claims should preferably be arranged in order of  
Claims should preferably be arranged in order of  
Line 1,567: Line 1,541:
arrangements are for the purpose of facilitating classification  
arrangements are for the purpose of facilitating classification  
and examination.
and examination.
The form of claim required in 37 CFR 1.75(e) is
particularly adapted for the description of improvement-
type inventions. It is to be considered a combination
claim. The preamble of this form of claim is
considered to positively and clearly include all the
elements or steps recited therein as a part of the
claimed combination.
For rejections not based on prior art, see MPEP
§
706.03.
The following form paragraphs may be used to
object to the form of the claims.
¶ 6.18.01 Claims: Placement
The claims in this application do not commence on a separate
sheet or electronic page in accordance with 37 CFR 1.52(b)(3).
Appropriate correction is required in response to this action.
Examiner Note:
This paragraph should only be used for applications filed on or
after September 23, 1996.
¶ 7.29.01 Claims Objected to, Minor Informalities
Claim[1] objected to because of the following informalities:
[2]. Appropriate correction is required.
Examiner Note:
1.Use this form paragraph to point out minor informalities such
as spelling errors, inconsistent terminology, etc., which should be
corrected.
2.If the informalities render the claim(s) indefinite, use form
paragraph 7.34.01 instead to reject the claim(s) under 35 U.S.C.
112, second paragraph.
¶ 7.29.02 Claims Objected to, Reference Characters Not
Enclosed Within Parentheses
The claims are objected to because they include reference characters
which are not enclosed within parentheses.
Reference characters corresponding to elements recited in the
detailed description of the drawings and used in conjunction with
the recitation of the same element or group of elements in the
claims should be enclosed within parentheses so as to avoid confusion
with other numbers or characters which may appear in the
claims. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Examiner Note:
1.Use of this paragraph is optional. You may instead choose to
correct the error yourself at time of allowance by informal examiner's
amendment.
2.If the lack of parentheses renders the claim(s) indefinite, use
form paragraph 7.34.01 instead to reject the claim(s) under 35
U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
¶ 7.29.03 Claims Objected to, Spacing of Lines
The claims are objected to because the lines are crowded too
closely together, making reading difficult. Substitute claims with
lines one and one-half or double spaced on good quality paper are
required. See 37 CFR 1.52(b).


Amendments to the claims must be in compliance  
Amendments to the claims must be in compliance  
with 37 CFR 1.121(c).  
with 37 CFR 1.121(c).  


608.01(n)Dependent Claims [R-5]
====608.01(n) Dependent Claims====


I.MULTIPLE DEPENDENT CLAIMS
I.MULTIPLE DEPENDENT CLAIMS


37 CFR 1.75. Claim(s).
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.75. Claim(s).}}
 
{{Ellipsis}}
 
 
(c)One or more claims may be presented in dependent form,  
(c)One or more claims may be presented in dependent form,  
referring back to and further limiting another claim or claims in  
referring back to and further limiting another claim or claims in  
the same application. Any dependent claim which refers to more  
the same application. Any dependent claim which refers to more  
than one other claim (“multiple dependent claim”) shall refer to  
than one other claim ("multiple dependent claim") shall refer to  
such other claims in the alternative only. A multiple dependent  
such other claims in the alternative only. A multiple dependent  
claim shall not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent  
claim shall not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent  
Line 1,680: Line 1,571:
limitations of each of the particular claims in relation to which it is  
limitations of each of the particular claims in relation to which it is  
being considered.
being considered.
 
{{Ellipsis}}
|}




Line 1,688: Line 1,580:
claim.
claim.


The second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112 has been
Cumulative claiming (e.g., "A machine  
revised in view of the multiple dependent claim practice
according to claims 3 and 4, further comprising ---")  
introduced by the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
Thus 35 U.S.C. 112 authorizes multiple dependent
claims in applications filed on and after January 24,
1978, as long as they are in the alternative form (e.g.,
“A machine according to claims 3 or 4, further comprising
---”). Cumulative claiming (e.g., “A machine  
according to claims 3 and 4, further comprising ---”)  
is not permitted. A multiple dependent claim may  
is not permitted. A multiple dependent claim may  
refer in the alternative to only one set of claims. A  
refer in the alternative to only one set of claims. A  
claim such as “A device as in claims 1, 2, 3, or 4,  
claim such as "A device as in claims 1, 2, 3, or 4,  
made by a process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8” is improper.  
made by a process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8" is improper.  
35 U.S.C. 112 allows reference to only a particular  
35 U.S.C. 112 allows reference to only a particular  
claim. Furthermore, a multiple dependent claim may  
claim.
 
A multiple dependent claim may  
not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent  
not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent  
claim, either directly or indirectly. These limitations
claim, either directly or indirectly.
help to avoid undue confusion in determining how
many prior claims are actually referred to in a multiple
dependent claim.


A multiple dependent claim which depends from  
Assume each claim example given below is from a
another multiple dependent claim should be objected
different application.
to by using form paragraph 7.45.


¶ 7.45 Improper Multiple Dependent Claims
A. Acceptable Multiple Dependent Claim Wording


Claim [1] objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 5. A gadget according to claims 3 or 4, further  
improper form because a multiple dependent claim [2]. See
comprising ---</p>
MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, the claim [3] not been further  
treated on the merits.


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of the preceding
claims, in which ---</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, and
3, in which ---</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 3. A gadget as in either claim 1 or claim 2,
further comprising ---</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 4. A gadget as in claim 2 or 3, further
comprising ---</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 16. A gadget as in claims 1, 7, 12, or 15, further
comprising ---</p>


Examiner Note:
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 5. A gadget as in any of the preceding
claims, in which ---</p>


1.In bracket 2, insert --should refer to other claims in the
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 8. A gadget as in one of claims 4-7, in which ---</p>
alternative
only--, and/or, --cannot depend from any other multiple
dependent claim--.


2.Use this paragraph rather than 35 U.S.C. 112, fifth paragraph.
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 5. A gadget as in any preceding claim, in which ---</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 10. A gadget as in any of claims 1-3 or 7-9, in which ---</p>


3.In bracket 3, insert --has-- or --s have--.
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">Claim 11. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, or 7-10 inclusive, in which ---</p>


Assume each claim example given below is from a
B.Unacceptable Multiple Dependent Claim Wording
different application.
 
A.Acceptable Multiple Dependent Claim Wording


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">1.Claim Does Not Refer Back in the Alternative
Only</p>


Claim 5. A gadget according to claims 3 or 4, further  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 5. A gadget according to claim 3 and 4, further  
comprising ---
comprising ---</p>


Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of the preceding
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 9. A gadget according to claims 1-3, in  
claims, in which ---
which ---</p>


Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, and
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 9. A gadget as in claims 1 or 2 and 7 or 8,  
3, in which ---
 
Claim 3. A gadget as in either claim 1 or claim 2,
further comprising ---
 
Claim 4. A gadget as in claim 2 or 3, further
comprising
---
 
Claim 16. A gadget as in claims 1, 7, 12, or 15, further
comprising ---
 
Claim 5. A gadget as in any of the preceding
claims, in which ---
 
Claim 8. A gadget as in one of claims 4-7, in which
---
 
Claim 5. A gadget as in any preceding claim, in
which ---
 
Claim 10. A gadget as in any of claims 1-3 or 7-9,
in which ---
 
Claim 11. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, or
7-10 inclusive, in which ---
 
B.Unacceptable Multiple Dependent Claim
Wording
 
1.Claim Does Not Refer Back in the Alternative
Only
 
Claim 5. A gadget according to claim 3 and 4, further
comprising ---
 
Claim 9. A gadget according to claims 1-3, in
which ---
 
Claim 9. A gadget as in claims 1 or 2 and 7 or 8,  
which  
which  
---
---</p>


Claim 6. A gadget as in the preceding claims in  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 6. A gadget as in the preceding claims in  
which ---  
which --- </p>


Claim 6. A gadget as in claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and/or 5, in  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 6. A gadget as in claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and/or 5, in  
which ---
which ---</p>


Claim 10. A gadget as in claims 1-3 or 7-9, in  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 10. A gadget as in claims 1-3 or 7-9, in  
which ---
which ---</p>


2.Claim Does Not Refer to a Preceding Claim
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">2.Claim Does Not Refer to a Preceding Claim</p>


Claim 3. A gadget as in any of the following  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 3. A gadget as in any of the following  
claims, in which ---
claims, in which ---</p>


Claim 5. A gadget as in either claim 6 or claim 8, in  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 5. A gadget as in either claim 6 or claim 8, in  
which ---
which ---</p>


3.Reference to Two Sets of Claims to Different  
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">3.Reference to Two Sets of Claims to Different  
Features
Features</p>


Claim 9. A gadget as in claim 1 or 4 made by the  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 9. A gadget as in claim 1 or 4 made by the  
process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8, in which ---
process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8, in which ---</p>


4.Reference Back to Another Multiple Dependent  
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">4.Reference Back to Another Multiple Dependent  
Claim
Claim</p>


Claim 8. A gadget as in claim 5 (claim 5 is a multiple  
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">Claim 8. A gadget as in claim 5 (claim 5 is a multiple  
dependent claim) or claim 7, in which ---
dependent claim) or claim 7, in which ---</p>


35 U.S.C. 112 indicates that the limitations or elements  
35 U.S.C. 112 indicates that the limitations or elements  
Line 1,837: Line 1,686:


For restriction purposes, each embodiment of a  
For restriction purposes, each embodiment of a  
multiple  
multiple dependent claim is considered in the same  
dependent claim is considered in the same  
manner as a single dependent claim. Therefore,  
manner as a single dependent claim. Therefore,  
restriction may be required between the embodiments  
restriction may be required between the embodiments  
Line 1,845: Line 1,693:
withdrawn while other embodiments are considered  
withdrawn while other embodiments are considered  
on their merits.  
on their merits.  


D.Handling of Multiple Dependent Claims by  
D.Handling of Multiple Dependent Claims by  
the Office of Initial Patent Examination
The Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) is
responsible for verifying whether multiple dependent
claims filed with the application are in proper alternative
form, that they depend only upon prior independent
or single dependent claims and also for
calculating the amount of the filing fee. Form  PTO/
SB/07 has been designed to be used in conjunction
with the current fee calculation form  PTO/SB/06.
E.Handling of Multiple Dependent Claims by
the Technology Center Technical Support Staff
The Technology Center (TC) technical support
staff
is responsible for verifying compliance with the
statute and rules of multiple dependent claims added
by amendment and for calculating the amount of any
additional fees required. This calculation should be
performed on form  PTO/SB/07.
There is no need for a TC technical support staff to
check the accuracy of the initial filing fee since this
has already been verified by the Office of Initial
Patent Examination when granting the filing date.
If a multiple dependent claim (or claims) is added
in an amendment without the proper fee, either by
adding references to prior claims or by adding a new
multiple dependent claim, the amendment should not
be entered until the fee has been received. In view of
the requirements for multiple dependent claims, no
amendment containing new claims or changing the
dependency of claims should be entered before checking
whether the paid fees cover the costs of the
amended claims. The applicant, or his or her attorney
or agent, should be contacted to pay the additional
fee. Where a letter is written in an insufficient fee situation,
a copy of the multiple dependent claim fee calculation,
form  PTO/SB/07 should be included for
applicant’s information.
Where the TC technical support staff notes that the
reference to the prior claims is improper in an added
or amended multiple dependent claim, a notation
should be made in the left margin next to the claim
itself and the number 1, which is inserted in the “Dep.
Claim” column of that amendment on form  PTO/
SB/07 should be circled in order to call this matter to
the examiner’s attention.
F.Handling of Multiple Dependent Claims by
the Examiner
the Examiner
Public Law 94-131, the implementing legislation
for the Patent Cooperation Treaty amended 35 U.S.C.
112 to state that “a claim in dependent form shall contain
a reference to a claim previously set forth.” The
requirement to refer to a previous claim had existed
only in 37 CFR 1.75(c) before.


The following procedures are to be followed by  
The following procedures are to be followed by  
Line 1,931: Line 1,714:
cases, the examiner will renumber the claims into  
cases, the examiner will renumber the claims into  
proper order at the time the application is allowed.  
proper order at the time the application is allowed.  
(See Example B, below.)


Any unusual problems should be brought to the
E.Fees for Multiple Dependent Claims
supervisor’s attention.


Example A
1. Calculation of Fees


(Claims 4 and 6 should be objected to as not being
(a)Proper Multiple Dependent Claim
understood and should not be treated on the merits.)


A multiple dependent claim is considered
to be that number of dependent claims to which it
refers. Any proper claim depending directly or indirectly
from a multiple dependent claim is also considered
as the number of dependent claims as referred to
in the multiple dependent claim from which it
depends.


1. Independent
(b)Improper Multiple Dependent Claim


2. Dependent on claim 5
If none of the multiple dependent claims is proper,
the multiple dependent claim fee set forth in 37 CFR
1.16(j) will not be required.


3. Dependent on claim 2
The fee for any improper multiple dependent
claim, whether it is defective for either not being in
the alternative form or for being directly or indirectly
dependent on a prior multiple dependent claim, will
only be one, since only an objection to the form of
such a claim will normally be made. This procedure
also greatly simplifies the calculation of fees. Any
claim depending from an improper multiple dependent
claim will also be considered to be improper and
be counted as one dependent claim.


4. “. . . as in any preceding claim”
(c)Fee calculation example


5. Independent
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
!Claim No.
!&nbsp;
!Ind.
!Dep.
|-
|1.
|Independent
|1
|&nbsp;
|-
|2.
|Dependent on claim 1
|&nbsp;
|1
|-
|3.
|Dependent on claim 2
|&nbsp;
|1
|-
|4.
|Dependent on claim 2 or 3
|&nbsp;
|2
|-
|5.
|Dependent on claim 4
|&nbsp;
|2
|-
|6.
|Dependent on claim 5
|&nbsp;
|2
|-
|7.
|Dependent on claim 4, 5, or 6
|&nbsp;
|style="font-style:bold;color:red;"|1
|-
|8.
|Dependent on claim 7
|&nbsp;
|style="font-style:bold;color:red;"|1
|-
|9.
|Independent
|1
|&nbsp;
|-
|10.
|Dependent on claim 1 or 9
|&nbsp;
|2
|-
|11.
|Dependent on claim 1 and 9
|&nbsp;
|style="font-style:bold;color:red;"|1
|}


6. Dependent on claim 4


'''i) Comments On Fee Calculation Example'''


Claim 1 — This is an independent claim; therefore,
a numeral "1" is placed opposite claim number 1 in
the "Ind." column.


Claim 2 — Since this is a claim dependent on a
single independent claim, a numeral "1" is placed
opposite claim number 2 of the "Dep." column.


Claim 3 — Claim 3 is also a single dependent
claim, so a numeral "1" is placed in the "Dep." column.


Claim 4 — Claim 4 is a proper multiple dependent
claim. It refers directly to two claims in the alternative,
namely, claim 2 or 3. Therefore, a numeral "2" to
indicate direct reference to two claims is placed in the
"Dep." column opposite claim number 4.


Example B
Claim 5 — This claim is a singularly dependent
claim depending from a multiple dependent claim.
For fee calculation purposes, such a claim is counted
as being that number of claims to which direct reference
is made in the multiple dependent claim from
which it depends. In this case, the multiple dependent
claim number 4 it depends from counts as 2 claims; therefore, claim 5 also counts as 2 claims. Accordingly,
a numeral "2" is placed opposite claim number
5 in the "Dep." column.


Note: Parenthetical numerals represent the claim  
Claim 6 — Claim 6 depends indirectly from a multiple
numbering for issue should all claims be allowed.
dependent claim 4. Since claim 4 counts as 2
claims, claim 6 also counts as 2 dependent claims.
Consequently, a numeral "2" is placed in the "Dep."
column after claim 6.


(All claims should be examined.)
Claim 7 — This claim is a multiple dependent
claim since it refers to claims 4, 5, or 6. However, as can be seen by looking at the "2" in the "Dep." column
opposite claim 4, claim 7 depends from a multiple
dependent claim. This practice is improper under
35 U.S.C.112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c). Following the procedure
for calculating fees for improper multiple
dependent claims, a numeral "1" is placed in the
"Dep." column.


1. (1) Independent
Claim 8 — Claim 8 is improper since it depends
from an improper claim. If the base claim is in error,
this error cannot be corrected by adding additional
claims depending therefrom. Therefore, a numeral "1"
is placed in the "Dep." column.


2. (5) Dependent on claim 5 (4)
Claim 9 — Here again we have an independent
claim which is always indicated with a numeral "1" in
the "Ind." column opposite the claim number.


3. (2) Dependent on claim 1 (1)
Claim 10 — This claim refers to two independent
claims in the alternative. A numeral "2" is, therefore,
placed in the "Dep." column opposite claim 10.


4. (3) Dependent on claim 3 (2)
Claim 11 — Claim 11 is a dependent claim which
refers to two claims in the conjunctive ("1" and "9")
rather than in the alternative ("1" or "9"). This form is
improper under 35 U.S.C. 112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c).
Accordingly, since claim 11 is improper, a number "1" is placed in the "Dep." column opposite Claim 11.


5. (4) Dependent on either claim 1 (1) or claim 3
ii) Calculation of Fee in Fee Example
(2)


The following practice is followed by patent examiners
After the number of "Ind." and "Dep." claims are
when making reference to a dependent claim
noted, each column is added.
either singular or multiple:
In this example, there are 2 independent claims and 13 dependent claims or a total of 15 claims.


(A)When identifying a singular dependent claim
II. TREATMENT OF IMPROPER DEPENDENT
which does not include a reference to a multiple
CLAIMS
dependent claim, either directly or indirectly, reference
should be made only to the number of the dependent
claim.


(B)When identifying the embodiments included
Any claim which is in dependent form but
within a multiple dependent claim, or a singular
which is so worded that it, in fact is not, as, for example,  
dependent claim which includes a reference to a multiple
it does not include every limitation of the claim  
dependent claim, either directly or indirectly,
on which it depends, will be required to be canceled as not being a proper dependent claim; and cancelation
each embodiment should be identified by using the
of any further claim depending on such a dependent
number of the claims involved, starting with the highest,
claim will be similarly required.
to the extent necessary to specifically identify
each embodiment.


(C)When all embodiments included within a
The applicant may
multiple dependent claim or a singular dependent
thereupon amend the claims to place them in proper
claim which includes a reference to a multiple dependent  
dependent form, or may redraft them as independent
claim, either directly or indirectly, are subject to
claims, upon payment of any necessary additional fee.
a common rejection, objection, or requirement, reference
may be made only to the number of the dependent
claim.


The following table illustrates the current practice
Note, that although 37 CFR 1.75(c) requires the  
where each embodiment of each claim must be treated
dependent claim to further limit a preceding claim,
on an individual basis:
this rule does not apply to product-by-process claims.


Claim
III.INFRINGEMENT TEST
No.  


Claim
The test as to whether a claim is a proper dependent
dependency
claim is that it shall include every limitation of the
claim from which it depends ([[35_U.S.C.#35_U.S.C._112_Specification.|35 U.S.C. 112]], fourth
paragraph) or in other words that it shall not conceivably
be infringed by anything which would not also
infringe the basic claim.


Identifi-
A dependent claim does not lack compliance with
cation
35
All claims
U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph, simply because there
 
is a question as to (1) the significance of the further
Approved
limitation added by the dependent claim, or (2)
practice
whether the further limitation in fact changes the
scope of the dependent claim from that of the claim
from which it depends. The test for a proper dependent
claim under the fourth paragraph of 35
U.S.C.
112 is whether the dependent claim includes every
limitation of the claim from which it depends. The test
is not one of whether the claims differ in scope.


1
Thus, for example, if claim 1 recites the combination
of elements A, B, C, and D, a claim reciting the
structure of claim 1 in which D was omitted or
replaced by E would not be a proper dependent claim,
even though it placed further limitations on the
remaining elements or added still other elements.


Independent
Examiners are reminded that a dependent claim is
directed to a combination including everything recited
in the base claim and what is recited in the dependent
claim. It is this combination that must be compared
with the prior art, exactly as if it were presented as
one independent claim.


1
The fact that the independent and dependent claims
are in different statutory classes does not, in itself,
render the latter improper. Thus, if claim 1 recites a
specific product, a claim for the method of making the
product of claim 1 in a particular manner would be a
proper dependent claim since it could not be infringed
without infringing claim 1. Similarly, if claim 1
recites a method of making a product, a claim for a
product made by the method of claim 1 could be a
proper dependent claim. On the other hand, if claim 1
recites a method of making a specified product, a
claim to the product set forth in claim 1 would not be
a proper dependent claim since it is conceivable that
the product claim can be infringed without infringing
the base method claim if the product can be made by a
method other than that recited in the base method
claim.


1
IV.CLAIM FORM AND ARRANGEMENT


2
A singular dependent claim 2 could read as follows:


Depends from
2. The product of claim 1 in which . . . .
1


2/1
A series of singular dependent claims is permissible
in which a dependent claim refers to a preceding
claim which, in turn, refers to another preceding
claim.


2
A claim which depends from a dependent claim
should not be separated therefrom by any claim which
does not also depend from said "dependent claim." It
should be kept in mind that a dependent claim may
refer back to any preceding independent claim.


3
V.REJECTION AND OBJECTION


Depends from
If the base claim has been canceled, a claim which
2
is directly or indirectly dependent thereon should be
rejected as incomplete. If the base claim is rejected,
the dependent claim should be objected to rather than
rejected, if it is otherwise allowable.


3/2/1
====608.01(o) Basis for Claim Terminology in Description====


3
The meaning of every term used in any of the
claims should be apparent from the descriptive portion
of the specification with clear disclosure as to its
import; and in mechanical cases, it should be identified
in the descriptive portion of the specification by
reference to the drawing, designating the part or parts
therein to which the term applies. A term used in the
claims may be given a special meaning in the description.
See MPEP § 2111.01 and § 2173.05(a).


4
Usually the terminology of the original claims follows
the nomenclature of the specification, but sometimes
in amending the claims or in adding new claims,
new terms are introduced that do not appear in the
specification. The use of a confusing variety of terms
for the same thing should not be permitted.


Depends from  
New claims and amendments to the claims already
2 or 3
in the application should be scrutinized not only for
new matter but also for new terminology. While an
applicant is not limited to the nomenclature used in
the application as filed, he or she should make appropriate
amendment of the specification whenever this
nomenclature is departed from by amendment of the
claims so as to have clear support or antecedent basis
in the specification for the new terms appearing in the
claims. This is necessary in order to insure certainty in
construing the claims in the light of the specification. See 37 CFR 1.75, MPEP § 608.01(i) and § 1302.01.


4/2/1
====608.01(p) Completeness====
4/3/2/1


4/2
A disclosure in an application, to be complete, must
4/3
contain such description and details as to enable any
person skilled in the art or science to which the invention
pertains to make and use the invention as of its
filing date.


5
While the prior art setting may be mentioned in
general terms, the essential novelty, the essence of the
invention, must be described in such details, including
proportions and techniques, where necessary, as to
enable those persons skilled in the art to make and utilize
the invention.


Depends from
Specific operative embodiments or examples of the
3
invention must be set forth. Examples and description
 
should be of sufficient scope as to justify the scope of
5/3/2/1
the claims. ''Markush claims must be provided with
 
support in the disclosure for each member of the
5
Markush group. Where the constitution and formula
 
of a chemical compound is stated only as a probability
6
or speculation, the disclosure is not sufficient to support
claims identifying the compound by such composition
or formula.


Depends from
A complete disclosure should include a statement
2, 3, or 5
of utility. This usually presents no problem in
mechanical cases. In chemical cases, varying degrees
of specificity are required.


6/2/1
A disclosure involving a new chemical compound
6/3/2/1
or composition must teach persons skilled in the art
6/5/3/2/1
how to make the compound or composition. Incomplete
teachings may not be completed by reference to
subsequently filed applications.


6/2
I.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
6/3
6/5


7
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.57. Incorporation by reference.}}
(a)Subject to the conditions and requirements of this paragraph,
if all or a portion of the specification or drawing(s) is inadvertently
omitted from an application, but the application contains
a claim under § 1.55 for priority of a prior-filed foreign application,
or a claim under § 1.78 for the benefit of a prior-filed provisional,
nonprovisional, or international application, that was
present on the filing date of the application, and the inadvertently
omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) is completely
contained in the prior-filed application, the claim under § 1.55 or § 1.78 shall also be considered an incorporation by reference of the prior-filed application as to the inadvertently omitted portion
of the specification or drawing(s).


Depends from
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(1) The application must be amended to include the inadvertently
6
omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) within
any time period set by the Office, but in no case later than the
close of prosecution as defined by § 1.114 (b), or abandonment of
the application, whichever occurs earlier. The applicant is also
required to:</p>


7/6/2/1
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">(i) Supply a copy of the prior-filed application, except
7/6/3/2/1
where the prior-filed application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111;</p>
7/6/5/3/2/1


7/6/2
<p style="padding-left: +40px;">(ii) Supply an English language translation of any
7/6/3
prior-filed application that is in a language other than English; and</p>
7/6/5


<p style="padding-left: +40px;">(iii)Identify where the inadvertently omitted portion of
the specification or drawings can be found in the prior-filed application.</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(2)Any amendment to an international application pursuant
to this paragraph shall be effective only as to the United States, and shall have no effect on the international filing date of the application. In addition, no request to add the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawings in an international application designating the United States will be acted upon by
the Office prior to the entry and commencement of the national
stage (§ 1.491) or the filing of an application under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) which claims benefit of the international application.</p>


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(3)If an application is not otherwise entitled to a filing
date under § 1.53(b), the amendment must be by way of a petition
pursuant to this paragraph accompanied by the fee set forth in §
1.17(f).</p>


(b)Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, an
incorporation by reference must be set forth in the specification
and must:


When all embodiments in a multiple dependent
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(1)Express a clear intent to incorporate by reference
claim situation (claims 4, 6, and 7 above) are subject
by using the root words “incorporat(e)” and “reference” (e.g.,  
to a common rejection, objection, or requirements,
“incorporate by reference”); and</p>
reference may be made to the number of the individual
dependent claim only. For example, if 4/2 and 4/3
were subject to a common ground of rejection, reference
should be made only to claim 4 in the statement
of that rejection.


The provisions of 35 U.S.C. 132 require that each
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(2)Clearly identify the referenced patent, application,  
Office action make it explicitly clear what rejection,  
or publication.</p>
objection and/or requirement is applied to each claim
embodiment.


G.Fees for Multiple Dependent Claims
(c)“Essential material” may be incorporated by reference,
but only by way of an incorporation by reference to a U.S. patent
or U.S. patent application publication, which patent or patent
application publication does not itself incorporate such essential
material by reference. “Essential material” is material that is necessary
to:


1.Use of Form  PTO/SB/07
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(1)Provide a written description of the claimed invention,
and of the manner and process of making and using it, in
such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person
skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most
nearly connected, to make and use the same, and set forth the best
mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention
as required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112;</p>


To assist in the computation of the fees for multiple
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(2)Describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly
dependent claims, a separate “Multiple Dependent
point out and distinctly claim the invention as required by the  
Claim Fee Calculation Sheet,” form  PTO/SB/07
second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112; or</p>
has been designed for use with the current “Patent
Application Fee Determination Record,” form
PTO/SB/06. Form  PTO/SB/07 will be placed in the  
application file by the Office of Initial Patent Examination
(OIPE) where multiple dependent claims are in
the application as filed. For Image File Wrapper
(IFW) processing, see IFW Manual. If multiple
dependent claims are not included upon filing, but are


<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(3)Describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond
to a claimed means or step for performing a specified function
as required by the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112.</p>


(d)Other material (“Nonessential material”) may be incorporated
by reference to U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications,
foreign patents, foreign published applications, prior and
concurrently filed commonly owned U.S. applications, or non-
patent publications. An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or
other form of browser executable code is not permitted.


(e)The examiner may require the applicant to supply a copy
of the material incorporated by reference. If the Office requires
the applicant to supply a copy of material incorporated by reference,
the material must be accompanied by a statement that the
copy supplied consists of the same material incorporated by reference
in the referencing application.


(f)Any insertion of material incorporated by reference into
the specification or drawings of an application must be by way of
an amendment to the specification or drawings. Such an amendment
must be accompanied by a statement that the material being
inserted is the material previously incorporated by reference and
that the amendment contains no new matter.


(g)An incorporation of material by reference that does not
comply with paragraphs (b), (c), or (d) of this section is not effective
to incorporate such material unless corrected within any time
period set by the Office, but in no case later than the close of prosecution
as defined by § 1.114(b), or abandonment of the application,
whichever occurs earlier. In addition:


later added by amendment, the TC technical support
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(1)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(1) of this
staff will place the form in the application file. If there
section is permitted only if the application as file d clearly conveys
are multiple dependent claims in the application, the  
an intent to incorporate the material by reference. A mere
total number of independent and dependent claims for
reference to material does not convey an intent to incorporate the  
fee purposes will be calculated on form  PTO/SB/
material by reference.</p>
07 and the total number of claims and number of independent
claims is then placed on form  PTO/SB/06
for final fee calculation purposes.


2.Calculation of Fees
<p style="padding-left: +20px;">(2)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(2) of this
section is only permitted for material that was sufficiently
described to uniquely identify the document.</p>
|}


(a)Proper Multiple Dependent Claim


35 U.S.C. 41(a), provides that claims in proper
The Director has considerable discretion in determining
multiple dependent form may not be considered as
what may or may not be incorporated by reference
single dependent claims for the purpose of calculating
in a patent application. Effective October 21, 2004, the Office codified in 37 CFR 1.57(b) – (g) existing practice with
fees. Thus, a multiple dependent claim is considered
respect to explicit incorporations by reference with a
to be that number of dependent claims to which it
few changes to reflect the eighteen-month publication
refers. Any proper claim depending directly or indirectly
of applications. In addition, 37 CFR 1.57(a) was
from a multiple dependent claim is also considered
added to provide a safeguard for applicants when a
as the number of dependent claims as referred to  
page(s) of the specification, or a portion thereof, or a
in the multiple dependent claim from which it
sheet(s) of the drawing(s), or a portion thereof, is  
depends.
inadvertently omitted from an application, such as  
 
through a clerical error. 37 CFR 1.57(a) applies to  
(b)Improper Multiple Dependent Claim
applications filed on or after September 21, 2004. 37
 
CFR 1.57(a) permits inadvertently omitted material to
If none of the multiple dependent claims is proper,
be added to the application by way of a later filed
the multiple dependent claim fee set forth in 37 CFR  
amendment if the inadvertently omitted portion of the
1.16(j) will not be required. However, the multiple
specification or drawing(s) is completely contained in
dependent claim fee is required if at least one multiple
a prior-filed application (for which priority/benefit is
dependent claim is proper.  
claimed) even though there is no explicit incorporation
by reference of the prior-filed application. See
MPEP § 201.17 for discussion regarding 37 CFR  
1.57(a).  


If any multiple dependent claim is improper, OIPE
The incorporation by reference practice with
may indicate that fact by placing an encircled numeral
respect to applications which issue as U.S. patents
“1” in the “Dep. Claims” column of form  PTO/SB/
provides the public with a patent disclosure which
07. The fee for any improper multiple dependent
minimizes the public’s burden to search for and obtain
claim, whether it is defective for either not being in
copies of documents incorporated by reference which
the alternative form or for being directly or indirectly
may not be readily available. Through the Office’s
dependent on a prior multiple dependent claim, will
incorporation by reference policy, the Office ensures
only be one, since only an objection to the form of
that reasonably complete disclosures are published as
such a claim will normally be made. This procedure
U.S. patents. The following is the manner in which
also greatly simplifies the calculation of fees. Any
the Director has elected to exercise that discretion.
claim depending from an improper multiple dependent
Section A provides the guidance for incorporation by  
claim will also be considered to be improper and
reference in applications which are to issue as U.S.  
be counted as one dependent claim.
patents. Section B provides guidance for incorporation
by reference in benefit applications; i.e., those
domestic (35 U.S.C. 120) or foreign (35 U.S.C.
119(a)) applications relied on to establish an earlier
effective filing date. See MPEP § 2181 for the impact
of incorporation by reference on the determination of  
whether applicant has complied with the requirements
of 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph when 35 U.S.C.
112, sixth paragraph is invoked.


(c)Fee calculation example
A.Review of Applications Which Are To Issue as
Patents.


Fee calculation example
An application as filed must be complete in itself in
 
order to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112. Material nevertheless
 
may be incorporated by reference, Ex parte
i)Comments On Fee Calculation Example
Schwarze, 151 USPQ 426 (Bd. App. 1966). An application
for a patent when filed may incorporate “essential
material” by reference to (1) a U.S. patent, or
(2) a U.S. patent application publication, which
patent or patent application publication does not itself
incorporate such essential material by reference. See
37 CFR 1.57(c). Prior to October 21, 2004, Office
policy also permitted incorporation by reference to a
pending U.S. application.


Claim 1 — This is an independent claim; therefore,  
“Essential material” is defined in 37 CFR
a numeral “1” is placed opposite claim number 1 in  
1.57(c) as that which is necessary to (1) provide
the “Ind.” column.
a written description of the claimed invention, and of
the manner and process of making and using it, in
such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable
any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or
with which it is most nearly connected, to make and
use the same, and set forth the best mode contemplated
by the inventor of carrying out the invention as
required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, (2)
describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly
point out and distinctly claim the invention as
required by the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, or
(3) describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond
to a claimed means or step for performing a
specified function as required by the sixth paragraph
of 35 U.S.C. 112. In any application that is to issue as
a U.S. patent, essential material may only be incorporated
by reference to a U.S. patent or patent application
publication. The practice of permitting
incorporation by reference of material from unpublished
applications in which the issue fee was paid
was discontinued by rule on October 21, 2004.  


Claim 2 — Since this is a claim dependent on a
Other material (“nonessential subject matter”)
single independent claim, a numeral “1” is placed
may be incorporated by reference to (1) patents or
opposite claim number 2 of the “Dep.” column.
applications published by the United States or foreign
countries or regional patent offices, (2) prior and
concurrently filed, commonly owned U.S. applications,
or (3) non-patent publications . Nonessential
subject matter is subject matter referred to for purposes
of indicating the background of the invention or
illustrating the state of the art.


Claim 3 — Claim 3 is also a single dependent
An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or other
claim, so a numeral “1” is placed in the “Dep.” column.
form of browser executable code is not permitted. See
37 CFR 1.57(d) and MPEP § 608.01.


Mere reference to another application, patent, or
publication is not an incorporation of anything therein
into the application containing such reference for the
purpose of the disclosure required by 35 U.S.C. 112,
first paragraph. In re de Seversky, 474 F.2d 671, 177
USPQ 144 (CCPA 1973). 37 CFR 1.57(b)(1) limits a
proper incorporation by reference (except as provided
in 37 CFR 1.57(a)) to instances only where the perfecting
words “incorporated by reference” or the root
of the words “incorporate” (e.g., incorporating, incorporated)
and “reference” (e.g., referencing) appear.
The requirement for specific root words will bring
greater clarity to the record and provide a bright line
test as to where something is being referred to is an
incorporation by reference. The Office intends to treat
references to documents that do not meet this “bright
line” test as noncompliant incorporations by reference
and may require correction pursuant to 37 CFR
1.57(g). If a reference to a document does not clearly
indicate an intended incorporation by reference,
examination will proceed as if no incorporation by
reference statement has been made and the Office will
not expend resources trying to determine if an incorporation
by reference was intended. In addition to
other requirements for an application, the referencing
application must include an identification of the
referenced patent, application, or publication. See 37
CFR 1.57(b)(2) Particular attention should be
directed to specific portions of the referenced document
where the subject matter being incorporated may
be found. Guidelines for situations where applicant is
permitted to fill in a number for Application No.
__________ left blank in the application as filed can
be found in In re Fouche, 439 F.2d 1237, 169 USPQ
429 (CCPA 1971) (Abandoned applications less than
20 years old can be incorporated by reference to the
same extent as copending applications; both types are
open to the public upon the referencing application
issuing as a patent. See 37 CFR 1.14(a)(i)(iv) and (vi)
and MPEP § 103).


Claim 4 — Claim 4 is a proper multiple dependent
1.Complete Disclosure Filed
claim. It refers directly to two claims in the alternative,
namely, claim 2 or 3. Therefore, a numeral “2” to
indicate direct reference to two claims is placed in the
“Dep.” column opposite claim number 4.


Claim 5 — This claim is a singularly dependent
If an application is filed with a complete disclosure,
claim depending from a multiple dependent claim.  
essential material may be canceled by amendment and
For fee calculation purposes, such a claim is counted
may be substituted by reference to a U.S. patent or
as being that number of claims to which direct reference
a U.S. patent application publication. The
is made in the multiple dependent claim from  
amendment must be accompanied by a statement
which it depends. In this case, the multiple dependent
signed by the applicant, or a practitioner representing
claim number 4 it depends from counts as 2 claims;
the applicant, stating that the material canceled from  
therefore, claim 5 also counts as 2 claims. Accordingly,
the application is the same material that has been
a numeral “2” is placed opposite claim number
incorporated by reference and no new matter has
5 in the “Dep.” column.
been included (see 37 CFR 1.57(f). The same procedure
is available for nonessential material.


Claim 6 — Claim 6 depends indirectly from a multiple
If an application as filed incorporates  material by
dependent claim 4. Since claim 4 counts as 2
reference , a copy of the incorporated by reference
claims, claim 6 also counts as 2 dependent claims.  
material may be required to be submitted to the Office
Consequently, a numeral “2” is placed in the “Dep.”
even if the material is properly incorporated by reference.  
column after claim 6.
The examiner may require a copy of the incorporated
material to review and to understand what is
being incorporated or to put the description of the
material in its proper context. Another instance where
a copy of the incorporated material may be required is
where the material is being inserted by amendment
into the body of the application to replace an improper
incorporation by reference statement so that the
Office can determine that the material being added by
amendment in lieu of the incorporation is the same
material as was attempted to be incorporated. If the
Office requires the applicant to supply a copy of the
material incorporated by reference, the material must
be accompanied by a statement that the copy supplied
consists of the same material incorporated by reference
in the referencing application. See 37 CFR
1.57(e).


Claim 7 — This claim is a multiple dependent
2.Improper Incorporation
claim since it refers to claims 4, 5, or 6. However, as


37 CFR 1.57(f) addresses corrections of incorporation
by reference by inserting the material previously
incorporated by reference. A noncompliant
incorporation by reference statement may be corrected
by an amendment. 37 CFR 1.57(f). However,
the amendment must not include new matter. Incorporating
by reference material that was not incorporated
by reference on filing of an application may introduce
new matter. An incorporation by reference of essential
material to an unpublished U.S. patent application, a
foreign application or patent, or to a publication is
improper under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The improper incorporation by reference is not effective to incorporate
the material unless corrected by the applicant (37
CFR 1.57(g)). Any underlying objection or rejection
(e.g., under 35 U.S.C. 112) should be made by the
examiner until applicant corrects the improper incorporation
by reference by submitting an amendment to
amend the specification or drawings to include the
material incorporated by reference. A statement that
the material being inserted is the material previously
incorporated by reference and that the amendment
contains no new matter is also required. 37 CFR
1.57(f). See also In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d 569, 179
USPQ 157 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d
579, 179 USPQ 163 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins,
486 F.2d 577, 179 USPQ 167 (CCPA 1973). Improper
incorporation by reference statements and late corrections
thereof require expenditure of unnecessary
examination resources and slow the prosecution process.
Applicants know (or should know) whether they
want material incorporated by reference, and must
timely correct any incorporation by reference errors.
Correction must be done within the time period set
forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g).


An incorporation by reference that does not comply
with 37 CFR 1.57(b), (c), or (d) is not effective to
incorporate such material unless corrected within any
time period set by the Office (should the noncompliant
incorporation by reference be first noticed by the
Office and applicant informed thereof), but in no case
later than the close of prosecution as defined by 37
CFR 1.114(b) (should applicant be the first to notice
the noncompliant incorporation by reference and the
Office informed thereof), or abandonment of the
application, whichever occurs earlier. The phrase “or
abandonment of the application” is included in 37
CFR 1.57(g) to address the situations where an application
is abandoned prior to the close of prosecution,
e.g., the situation where an application is abandoned
after a non-final Office action.


37 CFR 1.57(g)(1) authorizes the correction of noncompliant
incorporation by reference statements that
do not use the root of the words “incorporate” and
“reference” in the incorporation by reference statement.
This correction cannot be made when the material
was merely referred to and there was no clear
specific intent to incorporate it by reference.


37 CFR 1.57(g)(2) states that a citation of a document
can be corrected where the document is sufficiently
described to uniquely identify the document.
Correction of a citation for a document that cannot be
identified as the incorporated document may be new
matter and is not authorized by 37 CFR 1.57(g)(2).
An example would be where applicant intended to
incorporate a particular journal article but supplied the
citation information for a completely unrelated book
by a different author, and there is no other information
to identify the correct journal article. Since it cannot
be determined from the citation originally supplied
what article was intended to be incorporated, it would
be improper (e.g., new matter) to replace the original
incorporation by reference with the intended incorporation
by reference. A citation of a patent application
by attorney docket number, inventor name, filing date
and title of invention may sufficiently describe the
document, but even then correction should be made to
specify the application number.


A petition under 37 CFR 1.183 to suspend the time
period requirement set forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g) will
not be appropriate. After the application has been
abandoned, applicant must file a petition to revive
under 37 CFR 1.137 for the purpose of correcting the
incorporation by reference. After the application has
issued as a patent, applicant may correct the patent by
filing a reissue application. Correcting an improper
incorporation by reference with a certificate of correction
is not an appropriate means of correction because
it may alter the scope of the claims. The scope of the
claims may be altered because 37 CFR 1.57(g) provides
that an incorporation by reference that does not
comply with paragraph (b), (c), or (d) is not an effective
incorporation. For example, an equivalent means
omitted from a patent disclosure by an ineffective
incorporation by reference would be outside the scope
of the patented claims. Hence, a correction of an
incorporation by reference pursuant to 37 CFR 1.57may alter the scope of the claims by adding the omitted
equivalent means. Changes involving the scope of
the claims should be done via the reissue process.
Additionally, the availability of the reissue process for
corrections would make a successful showing
required under 37 CFR 1.183 unlikely. The following
examples show when an improper incorporation by
reference is required to be corrected:


can be seen by looking at the “2” in the “Dep.” column
Example 1:
opposite claim 4, claim 7 depends from a multiple
dependent claim. This practice is improper under
35 U.S.C.112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c). Following the procedure
for calculating fees for improper multiple
dependent claims, a numeral “1” is placed in the
“Dep.” column with a circle drawn around it to alert
the examiner that the claim is improper.
 
Claim 8 — Claim 8 is improper since it depends
from an improper claim. If the base claim is in error,
this error cannot be corrected by adding additional
claims depending therefrom. Therefore, a numeral “1”
with a circle around it is placed in the “Dep.” column.
 
Claim 9 — Here again we have an independent
claim which is always indicated with a numeral “1” in
the “Ind.” column opposite the claim number.
 
Claim 10 — This claim refers to two independent
claims in the alternative. A numeral “2” is, therefore,
placed in the “Dep.” column opposite claim 10.
 
Claim 11 — Claim 11 is a dependent claim which
refers to two claims in the conjunctive (“1” and “9”)
rather than in the alternative (“1” or “9”). This form is
improper under 35 U.S.C. 112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c).
Accordingly, since claim 11 is improper, an encircled
number “1” is placed in the “Dep.” column opposite
Claim 11.
 
ii)Calculation of Fee in Fee Example
 
After the number of “Ind.” and “Dep.” claims are
noted on form  PTO/SB/07, each column is added.
In this example, there are 2 independent claims and 13
dependent claims or a total of 15 claims. The number
of independent and total claims can then be placed on
form  PTO/SB/06 and the fee calculated.
 
II.TREATMENT OF IMPROPER DEPENDENT
CLAIMS
 
The initial determination, for fee purposes, as to
whether a claim is dependent must be made by persons
other than examiners; it is necessary, at that time,
to accept as dependent virtually every claim which
refers to another claim, without determining whether
there is actually a true dependent relationship. The
initial acceptance of a claim as a dependent claim
does not, however, preclude a subsequent holding by
the examiner that a claim is not a proper dependent
claim. Any claim which is in dependent form but
which is so worded that it, in fact is not, as, for example,
it does not include every limitation of the claim
on which it depends, will be required to be canceledas not being a proper dependent claim; and cancelation
of any further claim depending on such a dependent
claim will be similarly required. Where a claim
in dependent form is not considered to be a proper
dependent claim under 37 CFR 1.75(c), the examiner
should object to such claim under 37
CFR 1.75(c) and
require cancellation of such improper dependent
claim or rewriting of such improper dependent claim
in independent form. See Ex parte Porter,
25
USPQ2d 1144, 1147 (Bd. of Pat. App. & Inter.
1992) (A claim determined to be an improper dependent
claim should be treated as a formal matter, in that
the claim should be objected to and applicant should
be required to cancel the claim (or replace the
improper dependent claim with an independent claim)
rather than treated by a rejection of the claim under
35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph.). The applicant may
thereupon amend the claims to place them in proper
dependent form, or may redraft them as independent
claims, upon payment of any necessary additional fee.
 
Note, that although 37 CFR 1.75(c) requires the
dependent claim to further limit a preceding claim,
this rule does not apply to product-by-process claims.


Claims which are in improper dependent form for
Upon review of the specification, the examiner
failing to further limit the subject matter of a previous
noticed that the specification included an incorporation
claim should be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) by
by reference statement incorporating essential
using form paragraph 7.36.  
material disclosed in a foreign patent. In a non-
final Office action, the examiner required the
applicant to amend the specification to include the
essential material.


¶ 7.36 Objection, 37 CFR 1.75(c), Improper Dependent
In reply to the non-final Office action, applicant
Claim
must correct the improper incorporation by reference
by filing an amendment to add the essential
material disclosed in the foreign patent and a statement
in compliance with 37 CFR1.57(f) within the
time period for reply set forth in the non-final
Office action.


Claim [1] objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c), as being of
Example 2:
improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject
matter of a previous claim. Applicant is required to cancel the
claim(s), or amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper
dependent form, or rewrite the claim(s) in independent form. [2].
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 2, insert an explanation of what is in the claim and
why it does not constitute a further limitation.
 
2.Note Ex parte Porter, 25 USPQ2d 1144 (Bd. Pat. App. &
Inter. 1992) for situations where a method claim is considered to
be properly dependent upon a parent apparatus claim and should
not be objected to or rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph.
See also MPEP §
 
608.01(n), “Infringement Test” for
dependent claims. The test for a proper dependent claim is
whether the dependent claim includes every limitation of the parent
claim. The test is not whether the claims differ in scope. A
proper dependent claim shall not conceivably be infringed by anything
which would not also infringe the basic claim.


Upon review of the specification, the examiner
determined that the subject matter incorporated by
reference from a foreign patent was “nonessential
material” and therefore, did not object to the incorporation
by reference. In reply to a non-final
Office action, applicant filed an amendment to the
claims to add a new limitation that was supported
only by the foreign patent. The amendment filed
by the applicant caused the examiner to re-determine
that the incorporated subject matter was
“essential material” under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The
examiner rejected the claims that include the new
limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, in
a final Office action.


Since the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph
was necessitated by the applicant’s amendment,
the finality of the Office action is proper. If
the applicant wishes to overcome the rejection
under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph by filing an
amendment under 37 CFR 1.57(f) to add the subject
material disclosed in the foreign patent into
the specification, applicant may file the amendment
as an after final amendment in compliance
with 37 CFR 1.116. Alternatively, applicant may
file an RCE under 37 CFR 1.114 accompanied by
the appropriate fee, and an amendment per 37 CFR
1.57(f) within the time period for reply set forth in
the final Office action.


The filing date of any application wherein essential
material is improperly incorporated by reference will
not be affected by applicant’s correction where (A)
there is a clear intent to incorporate by reference the
intended material and the correction is to add the root
words of “incorporate” and “reference,” (B) the incorporated
document can be uniquely identified and the
correction is to clarify the document’s identification,
and (C) where the correction is to insert the material
from the reference where incorporation is to an
unpublished U.S. patent application, foreign application
or patent, or to a publication.


Reliance on a commonly assigned , prior filed or
concurrently filed copending application by a different
inventor may ordinarily be made for the purpose
of completing the disclosure provided the incorporated
material is directed to nonessential material. See
37 CFR 1.57(d). See In re Fried, 329 F.2d 323, 141
USPQ 27 (CCPA 1964), and General Electric Co. v.
Brenner, 407 F.2d 1258, 159 USPQ 335 (D.C. Cir.
1968).


Since a disclosure must be complete as of the filing
date, subsequent publications or subsequently filed
applications cannot be relied on to establish a constructive
reduction to practice or an enabling disclosure
as of the filing date. White Consol. Indus., Inc. v.
Vega Servo-Control, Inc., 713 F.2d 788, 218 USPQ
961 (Fed. Cir. 1983); In re Scarbrough, 500 F.2d 560,
182 USPQ 298 (CCPA 1974); In re Glass, 492 F.2d
1228, 181 USPQ 31 (CCPA 1974).


III.INFRINGEMENT TEST
B.Review of Applications Which Are Relied on
 
To Establish an Earlier Effective Filing Date.
The test as to whether a claim is a proper dependent
claim is that it shall include every limitation of the
claim from which it depends (35 U.S.C. 112, fourth
paragraph) or in other words that it shall not conceivably
be infringed by anything which would not also
infringe the basic claim.


A dependent claim does not lack compliance with
The limitations on the material which may be incorporated
35  
by reference in U.S. patent applications which
U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph, simply because there
are to issue as U.S. patents do not apply to applications
is a question as to (1) the significance of the further
relied on only to establish an earlier effective filing
limitation added by the dependent claim, or (2)
date under 35 U.S.C. 119 or 35 U.S.C. 120.
whether the further limitation in fact changes the  
Neither 35 U.S.C. 119(a) nor 35 U.S.C. 120 places
scope of the dependent claim from that of the claim
any restrictions or limitations as to how the claimed
from which it depends. The test for a proper dependent
invention must be disclosed in the earlier application
claim under the fourth paragraph of 35  
to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph.  
U.S.C.  
Accordingly, an application is entitled to rely upon the  
112 is whether the dependent claim includes every
filing date of an earlier application, even if the earlier
limitation of the claim from which it depends. The test
application itself incorporates essential material by
is not one of whether the claims differ in scope.
reference to another document. See Ex parte Maziere,
27
USPQ2d 1705, 1706-07 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter.  
1993).


Thus, for example, if claim 1 recites the combination
The reason for incorporation by reference practice
of elements A, B, C, and D, a claim reciting the  
with respect to applications which are to issue as U.S.
structure of claim 1 in which D was omitted or
patents is to provide the public with a patent disclosure
replaced by E would not be a proper dependent claim,  
which minimizes the public’s burden to search
even though it placed further limitations on the  
for and obtain copies of documents incorporated by
remaining elements or added still other elements.
reference which may not be readily available.
Through the Office’s incorporation by reference policy,  
the Office ensures that reasonably complete disclosures
are published as U.S. patents. The same
policy concern does not apply where the sole purpose
for which an applicant relies on an earlier U.S. or foreign
application is to establish an earlier filing date.
Incorporation by reference in the earlier application of  
(1) patents or applications published by foreign countries
or regional patent offices, (2) nonpatent publications,
(3) a U.S. patent or application which itself
incorporates “essential material” by reference, or (4) a  
foreign application, is not critical in the case of a
“benefit” application.


Examiners are reminded that a dependent claim is
When an applicant, or a patent owner in a reexamination
directed to a combination including everything recited
or interference, claims the benefit of the filing
in the base claim and what is recited in the dependent
date of an earlier application which incorporates
claim. It is this combination that must be compared
material by reference, the applicant or patent owner
with the prior art, exactly as if it were presented as
may be required to supply copies of the material
one independent claim.
incorporated by reference. For example, an applicant
may claim the benefit of the filing date of a foreign
application which itself incorporates by reference
another earlier filed foreign application. If necessary,
due to an intervening reference, applicant should be
required to supply a copy of the earlier filed foreign
application, along with an English language translation.
A review can then be made of the foreign application
and all material incorporated by reference to
determine whether the foreign application discloses
the invention sought to be patented in the manner
required by the first paragraph of
35 U.S.C. 112 so
that benefit may be accorded. In re Gosteli, 872 F.2d
1008, 10 USPQ2d 1614 (Fed. Cir. 1989).


The fact that a dependent claim which is otherwise
As a safeguard against the omission of a portion of
proper might relate to a separate invention which  
a prior application for which priority is claimed under
would require a separate search or be separately classified
35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), or for which benefit is
from the claim on which it depends would not
claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or 120, applicant may
render it an improper dependent claim, although it
include a statement at the time of filing of the later
might result in a requirement for restriction.
application incorporating by reference the prior application.  
 
See MPEP § 201.06(c) and § 201.11 where
The fact that the independent and dependent claims
domestic benefit is claimed. See MPEP § 201.13
are in different statutory classes does not, in itself,
where foreign priority is claimed. See MPEP §
render the latter improper. Thus, if claim 1 recites a  
201.17 regarding 37 CFR 1.57(a) for applications
specific product, a claim for the method of making the  
filed on or after September 21, 2004. The inclusion
product of claim 1 in a particular manner would be a
of such an incorporation by reference statement in the  
proper dependent claim since it could not be infringed
later-filed application will permit applicant to include
without infringing claim 1. Similarly, if claim 1
subject matter from the prior application into the later-
recites a method of making a product, a claim for a
filed application without the subject matter being considered
product made by the method of claim 1 could be a
as new matter. For the incorporation by reference
proper dependent claim. On the other hand, if claim 1
to be effective as a proper safeguard, the
recites a method of making a specified product, a
incorporation by reference statement must be filed at
claim to the product set forth in claim 1 would not be
the time of filing of the later-filed application. An
a proper dependent claim since it is conceivable that
incorporation by reference statement added after an
the product claim can be infringed without infringing
application’s filing date is not effective because no
the base method claim if the product can be made by a  
new matter can be added to an application after its filing
method other than that recited in the base method
date (see 35 U.S.C. 132(a).
claim.  


IV.CLAIM FORM AND ARRANGEMENT
II.SIMULATED OR PREDICTED TEST RESULTS
OR PROPHETIC EXAMPLES


A singular dependent claim 2 could read as follows:
Simulated or predicted test results and prophetical
 
examples (paper examples) are permitted in patent
2. The product of claim 1 in which . . . .
applications. Working examples correspond to work
 
actually performed and may describe tests which have
A series of singular dependent claims is permissible
actually been conducted and results that were
in which a dependent claim refers to a preceding
achieved. Paper examples describe the manner and
claim which, in turn, refers to another preceding
process of making an embodiment of the invention
claim.
which has not actually been conducted. Paper examples
should not be represented as work actually done.  
No results should be represented as actual results
unless they have actually been achieved. Paper examples
should not be described using the past tense.
Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. v. Promega Corp., 323 F.3d
1354, 1367, 66 USPQ2d 1385, 1394 (Fed. Cir. 2003).


A claim which depends from a dependent claim
For problems arising from the designation of materials
should not be separated therefrom by any claim which
by trademarks and trade names, see MPEP §
does not also depend from said “dependent claim.” It
608.01(v).
should be kept in mind that a dependent claim may
refer back to any preceding independent claim. These
are the only restrictions with respect to the sequence
of claims and, in general, applicant’s sequence should
not be changed. See MPEP §


608.01(j). Applicant
====608.01 (q)Substitute or Rewritten Specification====
may be so advised by using form paragraph 6.18.


¶ 6.18 Series of Singular Dependent Claims
37 CFR 1.125. Substitute specification.


A series of singular dependent claims is permissible in which a
(a)If the number or nature of the amendments or the legibility
dependent claim refers to a preceding claim which, in turn, refers
of the application papers renders it difficult to consider the
to another preceding claim.
application, or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the
Office may require the entire specification, including the claims,  
or any part thereof, be rewritten.


A claim which depends from a dependent claim should not be  
(b)Subject to § 1.312, a substitute specification, excluding
separated by any claim which does not also depend from said
the claims, may be filed at any point up to payment of the issue
dependent claim.
fee if it is accompanied by a statement that the substitute specification
includes no new matter.  


It should be kept in mind that a dependent claim
(c)A substitute specification submitted under this section
may refer to any preceding independent claim. In general, applicant’s
must be submitted with markings showing all the changes relative
sequence will not be changed. See MPEP § 608.01(n).
to the immediate prior version of the specification of record. The
text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the
added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by
strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after
the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or
fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter
must be shown by being placed within double brackets if
strike-through cannot be easily perceived. An accompanying
clean version (without markings) must also be supplied. Numbering
the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered
a change that must be shown pursuant to this paragraph.


During prosecution, the order of claims may
(d)A substitute specification under this section is not permitted
change and be in conflict with the requirement that
in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding.
dependent claims refer to a preceding claim. Accordingly,
the numbering of dependent claims and the
numbers of preceding claims referred to in dependent
claims should be carefully checked when claims are
renumbered upon allowance.


V.REJECTION AND OBJECTION
The specification is sometimes in such faulty
English that a new specification is necessary; in such
instances, a new specification should be required.


If the base claim has been canceled, a claim which
Form paragraph 6.28 may be used where the specification
is directly or indirectly dependent thereon should be  
is in faulty English.
rejected as incomplete. If the base claim is rejected,
the dependent claim should be objected to rather than
rejected, if it is otherwise allowable.






¶ 6.28 Idiomatic English


A substitute specification in proper idiomatic English and in
compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(a) and (b) is required. The substitute
specification filed must be accompanied by a statement that it
contains no new matter.


37 CFR 1.125(a) applies to a substitute specification
required by the Office. If the number or nature of
the amendments or the legibility of the application
papers renders it difficult to consider the application,
or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the
Office may require the entire specification, including
the claims, or any part thereof be rewritten.


Form paragraph 7.43 can be used to state the objection.
Form paragraph 6.28.01 may be used where the  
examiner, for reasons other than faulty English,
requires a substitute specification.




¶ 7.43 Objection to Claims, Allowable Subject Matter


Claim [1] objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base
¶ 6.28.01 Substitute Specification Required by Examiner
claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form
including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening
claims.


608.01(o)Basis for Claim Terminology inDescription [R-3]
A substitute specification [1] the claims is required pursuant to
37 CFR 1.125(a) because [2].


The meaning of every term used in any of the
A substitute specification must not contain new matter. The  
claims should be apparent from the descriptive portion
substitute specification must be submitted with markings showing
of the specification with clear disclosure as to its
all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification  
import; and in mechanical cases, it should be identified
of record. The text of any added subject matter must be  
in the descriptive portion of the specification by  
shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter
reference to the drawing, designating the part or parts
must be shown by strikethrough except that double brackets
therein to which the term applies. A term used in the
placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to  
claims may be given a special meaning in the description.  
show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of
See MPEP § 2111.01 and § 2173.05(a).
any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within
double brackets if strikethrough cannot be easily perceived. An
accompanying clean version (without markings) and a statement


Usually the terminology of the original claims follows
the nomenclature of the specification, but sometimes
in amending the claims or in adding new claims,
new terms are introduced that do not appear in the
specification. The use of a confusing variety of terms
for the same thing should not be permitted.


New claims and amendments to the claims already
in the application should be scrutinized not only for
new matter but also for new terminology. While an
applicant is not limited to the nomenclature used in
the application as filed, he or she should make appropriate
amendment of the specification whenever this
nomenclature is departed from by amendment of the
claims so as to have clear support or antecedent basis
in the specification for the new terms appearing in the
claims. This is necessary in order to insure certainty in
construing the claims in the light of the specification,
Ex parte Kotler, 1901 C.D. 62, 95 O.G. 2684
(Comm’r Pat. 1901). See 37 CFR 1.75, MPEP §
608.01(i) and § 1302.01. Note that examiners should
ensure that the terms and phrases used in claims presented
late in prosecution of the application (including
claims amended via an examiner’s amendment)
find clear support or antecedent basis in the description
so that the meaning of the terms in the claims
may be ascertainable by reference to the description,
see 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1). If the examiner determines
that the claims presented late in prosecution do not
comply with 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1), applicant will be
required to make appropriate amendment to the
description to provide clear support or antecedent
basis for the terms appearing in the claims provided
no new matter is introduced.


The specification should be objected to if it does
not provide proper antecedent basis for the claims by
using form paragraph 7.44.


¶ 7.44 Claimed Subject Matter Not in Specification


The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper
antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR
1.75(d)(1) and MPEP §


608.01(o). Correction of the following is  
that the substitute specification contains no new matter must also
required: [1]
be supplied. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of
record is not considered a change that must be shown.


608.01(p)Completeness [R-3]
Examiner Note:


Newly filed applications obviously failing to disclose
1.In bracket 1, insert either --excluding-- or --including--.  
an invention with the clarity required are discussed
in MPEP § 702.01.


A disclosure in an application, to be complete, must
2.In bracket 2, insert clear and concise examples of why a new
contain such description and details as to enable any
specification is required.
person skilled in the art or science to which the invention
pertains to make and use the invention as of its
filing date. In re Glass, 492 F.2d 1228, 181 USPQ 31
(CCPA 1974).


While the prior art setting may be mentioned in
3.A new specification is required if the number or nature of the  
general terms, the essential novelty, the essence of the  
amendments render it difficult to consider the application or to  
invention, must be described in such details, including
arrange the papers for printing or copying, 37 CFR 1.125.
proportions and techniques, where necessary, as to  
enable those persons skilled in the art to make and utilize
the invention.


Specific operative embodiments or examples of the
4.See also form paragraph 13.01 for partial rewritten specification.
invention must be set forth. Examples and description
should be of sufficient scope as to justify the scope of
the claims. Markush claims must be provided with
support in the disclosure for each member of the
Markush group. Where the constitution and formula
of a chemical compound is stated only as a probability
or speculation, the disclosure is not sufficient to support
claims identifying the compound by such composition
or formula.


A complete disclosure should include a statement
of utility. This usually presents no problem in
mechanical cases. In chemical cases, varying degrees
of specificity are required.


A disclosure involving a new chemical compound
or composition must teach persons skilled in the art
how to make the compound or composition. Incomplete
teachings may not be completed by reference to
subsequently filed applications.




37 CFR 1.125(b) applies to a substitute specification
voluntarily filed by the applicant. Subject to the
provisions of 37 CFR 1.312, a substitute specification,
excluding claims, may be voluntarily filed by the
applicant at any point up to the payment of the issue
fee provided it is accompanied by a statement that the
substitute specification includes no new matter. The
Office will accept a substitute specification voluntarily
filed by the applicant if the requirements of 37
CFR 1.125(b) are satisfied.


37 CFR 1.125(c) requires a substitute specification
filed under 37 CFR 1.125(a) or (b) be submitted in
clean form without markings. A marked-up copy of
the substitute specification showing all the changes
relative to the immediate prior version of the specification
of record must also be submitted. The text of
any added subject matter must be shown by underlining
the added text. The text of any deleted matter must
be shown by strike-through except that double brackets
placed before and after the deleted characters may
be used to show deletion of five of fewer consecutive
characters. The text of any deleted subject matter
must be shown by being placed within double brackets
if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. Numbering
the paragraphs of the specification of record is
not considered a change that must be shown under 37
CFR 1.125(c) The paragraphs of any substitute specification,
other than the claims, should be individually
numbered in Arabic numerals (for example [0001]) so
that any amendment to the specification may be made
by replacement paragraph in accordance with 37 CFR
1.121(b)(1).


A substitute specification filed under 37 CFR
1.125(b) must be accompanied by a statement indicating
that no new matter was included. There is no obligation
on the examiner to make a detailed comparison
between the old and the new specifications for determining
whether or not new matter has been added. If,
however, an examiner becomes aware that new matter
is present, objection thereto should be made.


The filing of a substitute specification rather than
amending the original application has the advantage
for applicants of eliminating the need to prepare an
amendment of the specification. If word processing
equipment is used by applicants, substitute specifications
can be easily prepared. The Office receives the
advantage of saving the time needed to enter amendments
in the specification and a reduction in the number
of printing errors. A substitute specification is not
permitted in a reissue application or in a reexamination
proceeding. 37 CFR 1.125(d).


For “Guidelines For Examination Of Applications
A substitute specification which complies with
For Compliance With The Utility Requirement of 35
37
U.S.C. 101,” see MPEP § 2107.
CFR 1.125 should normally be entered. The examiner
 
should write “Enter” or “OK to Enter” and his or
For “General Principles Governing Utility Rejections,”
her initials in ink in the left margin of the first page of
see MPEP § 2107.01.
the substitute specification. A substitute specification
 
which is denied entry should be so marked.  
For a discussion of the utility requirement under
35
U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, in drug cases, see
MPEP §
 
2107.03 and § 2164.06(a).  


For “Procedural Considerations Related to Rejections
Form paragraph 6.28.02 may be used to notify
for Lack of Utility,” see MPEP § 2107.02.
applicant that a substitute specification submitted
under 37 CFR 1.125(b) has not been entered. For  
Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual.


For “Special Considerations for Asserted Therapeutic
or Pharmacological Utilities,” see MPEP
§


2107.03.
¶ 6.28.02 Substitute Specification Filed Under 37 CFR
1.125(b) and (c) Not Entered.


I.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
The substitute specification filed [1] has not been entered
because it does not conform to 37 CFR 1.125(b) and (c) because:
[2]


Examiner Note:


1.In bracket 2, insert statement of why the substitute specification
is improper, for example:


37 CFR 1.57. Incorporation by reference.
-- the statement as to a lack of new matter under 37 CFR 1.125(b)
is missing--,


(a)Subject to the conditions and requirements of this paragraph,
-- a marked-up copy of the substitute specification has not been
if all or a portion of the specification or drawing(s) is inadvertently
supplied (in addition to the clean copy)--;
omitted from an application, but the application contains
a claim under § 1.55 for priority of a prior-filed foreign application,
or a claim under § 1.78 for the benefit of a prior-filed provisional,
nonprovisional, or international application, that was
present on the filing date of the application, and the inadvertently
omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) is completely
contained in the prior-filed application, the claim under § 1.55 or
§ 1.78 shall also be considered an incorporation by reference of
the prior-filed application as to the inadvertently omitted portion
of the specification or drawing(s).


(1)The application must be amended to include the inadvertently
-- a clean copy of the substitute specification has not been supplied
omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) within
(in addition to the marked-up copy)--; or,
any time period set by the Office, but in no case later than the  
close of prosecution as defined by § 1.114 (b), or abandonment of
the application, whichever occurs earlier. The applicant is also
required to:


(i)Supply a copy of the prior-filed application, except
-- the substitute specification has been filed:
where the prior-filed application is an application filed under 35
U.S.C. 111;


(ii)Supply an English language translation of any
- in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding, 37
prior-filed application that is in a language other than English; and
CFR 1.125(d)-, or


(iii)Identify where the inadvertently omitted portion of  
- after payment of the issue fee-, or
the specification or drawings can be found in the prior-filed application.


- containing claims (to be amended)- --.
2.A substitute specification filed after final action or appeal is
governed by 37 CFR 1.116. A substitute specification filed after
the mailing of a notice of allowance is governed by 37 CFR 1.312.


(2)Any amendment to an international application pursuant
to this paragraph shall be effective only as to the United States,
and shall have no effect on the international filing date of the
application. In addition, no request to add the inadvertently omitted
portion of the specification or drawings in an international
application designating the United States will be acted upon by
the Office prior to the entry and commencement of the national
stage (§ 1.491) or the filing of an application under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) which claims benefit of the international application.


(3)If an application is not otherwise entitled to a filing
date under § 1.53(b), the amendment must be by way of a petition
pursuant to this paragraph accompanied by the fee set forth in §
1.17(f).


(b)Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, an
incorporation by reference must be set forth in the specification
and must:


(1)Express a clear intent to incorporate by reference
by using the root words “incorporat(e)” and “reference” (e.g.,
“incorporate by reference”); and


(2)Clearly identify the referenced patent, application,
or publication.


(c)“Essential material” may be incorporated by reference,
See MPEP § 714.20 regarding entry of amendments
but only by way of an incorporation by reference to a U.S. patent
which include an unacceptable substitute specification.
or U.S. patent application publication, which patent or patent
application publication does not itself incorporate such essential
material by reference. “Essential material” is material that is necessary
to:


(1)Provide a written description of the claimed invention,
and of the manner and process of making and using it, in
such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person
skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most
nearly connected, to make and use the same, and set forth the best
mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention
as required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112;


(2)Describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly
For new matter in amendment, see MPEP § 608.04.
point out and distinctly claim the invention as required by the
second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112; or


(3)Describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond
For application prepared for issue, see MPEP
to a claimed means or step for performing a specified function
§
as required by the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112.


(d)Other material (“Nonessential material”) may be incorporated
1302.02.
by reference to U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications,
foreign patents, foreign published applications, prior and
concurrently filed commonly owned U.S. applications, or non-
patent publications. An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or
other form of browser executable code is not permitted.


(e)The examiner may require the applicant to supply a copy
====608.01(r)Derogatory Remarks About====
of the material incorporated by reference. If the Office requires
Prior Art in Specification
the applicant to supply a copy of material incorporated by reference,
the material must be accompanied by a statement that the
copy supplied consists of the same material incorporated by reference
in the referencing application.


(f)Any insertion of material incorporated by reference into
The applicant may refer to the general state of the
the specification or drawings of an application must be by way of  
art and the advance thereover made by his or her
an amendment to the specification or drawings. Such an amendment
invention, but he or she is not permitted to make
must be accompanied by a statement that the material being
derogatory remarks concerning the inventions of others.
inserted is the material previously incorporated by reference and
Derogatory remarks are statements disparaging
that the amendment contains no new matter.
the products or processes of any particular person
other than the applicant, or statements as to the merits
or validity of applications or patents of another person.  
Mere comparisons with the prior art are not considered
to be disparaging, per se.
 
====608.01(s)Restoration of Canceled Matter[R-5]====


(g)An incorporation of material by reference that does not
Canceled text in the specification can be reinstated
comply with paragraphs (b), (c), or (d) of this section is not effective
only by a subsequent amendment presenting the previously
to incorporate such material unless corrected within any time
canceled matter as a new insertion. 37 CFR
period set by the Office, but in no case later than the close of prosecution
1.121(b)(4). A claim canceled by amendment (deleted
as defined by § 1.114(b), or abandonment of the application,
in its entirety) may be reinstated only by a subsequent
whichever occurs earlier. In addition:
amendment presenting the claim as a new claim with
a new claim number. 37 CFR 1.121(c)(5). See MPEP
§ 714.


====608.01(t)Use in Subsequent Application====


A reservation for a future application of subject
matter disclosed but not claimed in a pending application
will not be permitted in the pending application.
37 CFR 1.79; MPEP § 608.01(e).


No part of a specification can normally be transferred
to another application. Drawings may be transferred
to another application only upon the granting of
a petition filed under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.182.
See MPEP § 608.02(i).


====608.01(u)Use of Formerly Filed Incomplete====
Application [R-3]


Parts of an incomplete application which have been
retained by the Office may be used as part of a complete
application if the missing parts are later supplied.
See MPEP § 506.


(1)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(1) of this
====608.01(v)Trademarks and Names Used in Trade ====
section is permitted only if the application as file d clearly conveys
an intent to incorporate the material by reference. A mere
reference to material does not convey an intent to incorporate the
material by reference.


(2)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(2) of this
The expressions “trademarks” and “names used in
section is only permitted for material that was sufficiently
trade” as used below have the following meanings:
described to uniquely identify the document.


The Director has considerable discretion in determining
Trademark: a word, letter, symbol, or device
what may or may not be incorporated by reference
adopted by one manufacturer or merchant and used to
in a patent application. General Electric Co. v.
identify and distinguish his or her product from those
Brenner, 407 F.2d 1258, 159 USPQ 335 (D.C. Cir.
of others. It is a proprietary word, letter, symbol, or
1968). Effective October 21, 2004, the Office codified
device pointing distinctly to the product of one producer.
in 37 CFR 1.57(b) – (g) existing practice with
 
respect to explicit incorporations by reference with a
Names Used in Trade: a nonproprietary name by
few changes to reflect the eighteen-month publication
which an article or product is known and called
of applications. In addition, 37 CFR 1.57(a) was
among traders or workers in the art, although it may
added to provide a safeguard for applicants when a
not be so known by the public, generally. Names used
page(s) of the specification, or a portion thereof, or a
in trade do not point to the product of one producer,  
sheet(s) of the drawing(s), or a portion thereof, is
but they identify a single article or product irrespective
inadvertently omitted from an application, such as
of producer.
through a clerical error. 37 CFR 1.57(a) applies to
 
applications filed on or after September 21, 2004. 37
Names used in trade are permissible in patent applications if:
CFR 1.57(a) permits inadvertently omitted material to
 
be added to the application by way of a later filed
(A) Their meanings are established by an accompanying
amendment if the inadvertently omitted portion of the
definition which is sufficiently precise and
specification or drawing(s) is completely contained in
definite to be made a part of a claim, or
a prior-filed application (for which priority/benefit is  
claimed) even though there is no explicit incorporation
by reference of the prior-filed application. See
MPEP § 201.17 for discussion regarding 37 CFR
1.57(a).


The incorporation by reference practice with
(B) In this country, their meanings are well-
respect to applications which issue as U.S. patents
known and satisfactorily defined in the literature.
provides the public with a patent disclosure which
 
minimizes the public’s burden to search for and obtain
Condition (A) or (B) must be met at the time of filing of the complete application.
copies of documents incorporated by reference which
may not be readily available. Through the Office’s
incorporation by reference policy, the Office ensures
that reasonably complete disclosures are published as
U.S. patents. The following is the manner in which
the Director has elected to exercise that discretion.
Section A provides the guidance for incorporation by
reference in applications which are to issue as U.S.  
patents. Section B provides guidance for incorporation
by reference in benefit applications; i.e., those
domestic (35 U.S.C. 120) or foreign (35 U.S.C.
119(a)) applications relied on to establish an earlier
effective filing date. See MPEP § 2181 for the impact
of incorporation by reference on the determination of  
whether applicant has complied with the requirements
of 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph when 35 U.S.C.
112, sixth paragraph is invoked.


A.Review of Applications Which Are To Issue as
======I. TRADEMARKS======
Patents.


An application as filed must be complete in itself in
The relationship between a trademark and the product
order to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112. Material nevertheless
it identifies is sometimes indefinite, uncertain, and
may be incorporated by reference, Ex parte
arbitrary. The formula or characteristics of the product
Schwarze, 151 USPQ 426 (Bd. App. 1966). An application
may change from time to time and yet it may continue
for a patent when filed may incorporate “essential
to be sold under the same trademark. In patent specifications,  
material” by reference to (1) a U.S. patent, or
every element or ingredient of the product
(2) a U.S. patent application publication, which
should be set forth in positive, exact, intelligible language,  
patent or patent application publication does not itself
so that there will be no uncertainty as to what
incorporate such essential material by reference. See
is meant. Arbitrary trademarks which are liable to  
37 CFR 1.57(c). Prior to October 21, 2004, Office
mean different things at the pleasure of manufacturers
policy also permitted incorporation by reference to a
do not constitute such language. Ex Parte Kattwinkle,
pending U.S. application.
12 USPQ 11 (Bd. App. 1931).
 
“Essential material” is defined in 37 CFR
1.57(c) as that which is necessary to (1) provide
a written description of the claimed invention, and of
the manner and process of making and using it, in
such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable
any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or
with which it is most nearly connected, to make and
use the same, and set forth the best mode contemplated
by the inventor of carrying out the invention as
required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, (2)
describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly
point out and distinctly claim the invention as
required by the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, or
(3) describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond
to a claimed means or step for performing a
specified function as required by the sixth paragraph
of 35 U.S.C. 112. In any application that is to issue as  
a U.S. patent, essential material may only be incorporated
by reference to a U.S. patent or patent application
publication. The practice of permitting
incorporation by reference of material from unpublished
applications in which the issue fee was paid
was discontinued by rule on October 21, 2004.
 
Other material (“nonessential subject matter”)
may be incorporated by reference to (1) patents or
applications published by the United States or foreign
countries or regional patent offices, (2) prior and
concurrently filed, commonly owned U.S. applications,
or (3) non-patent publications . Nonessential


However, if the product to which the trademark
refers is set forth in such language that its identity
is clear, the examiners are authorized to permit the use of the trademark if it is distinguished from common
descriptive nouns by capitalization. If the trademark has a fixed and definite meaning, it constitutes
sufficient identification unless some physical or chemical characteristic of the article or material is
involved in the invention. In that event, as also in
those cases where the trademark has no fixed and definite
meaning, identification by scientific or other
explanatory language is necessary. In re Gebauer-
Fuelnegg, 121 F.2d 505, 50 USPQ 125 (CCPA 1941).


The matter of sufficiency of disclosure must be
decided on an individual case-by-case basis. In re
Metcalfe, 410 F.2d 1378, 161 USPQ 789 (CCPA 1969).


Where the identification of a trademark is introduced
by amendment, it must be restricted to the characteristics
of the product known at the time the
application was filed to avoid any question of new
matter.


If proper identification of the product sold under a
trademark, or a product referred to only by a name
used in trade, is omitted from the specification and
such identification is deemed necessary under the
principles set forth above, the examiner should hold
the disclosure insufficient and reject on the ground of
insufficient disclosure any claims based on the identification
of the product merely by trademark or by the
name used in trade. If the product cannot be otherwise
defined, an amendment defining the process of its
manufacture may be permitted. Such amendments
must be supported by satisfactory showings establishing
that the specific nature or process of manufacture
of the product as set forth in the amendment was
known at the time of filing of the application.


Although the use of trademarks having definite
meanings is permissible in patent applications, the
proprietary nature of the marks should be respected.
Trademarks should be identified by capitalizing each
letter of the mark (in the case of word or letter marks)
or otherwise indicating the description of the mark (in
the case of marks in the form of a symbol or device or
other nontextual form). Every effort should be made
to prevent their use in any manner which might
adversely affect their validity as trademarks.


subject matter is subject matter referred to for purposes
Form paragraph 6.20 may be used.
of indicating the background of the invention or
illustrating the state of the art.


The examiner should not permit the use of language
such as “the product X (a descriptive name) commonly
known as Y (trademark)” since such language
does not bring out the fact that the latter is a trademark.
Language such as “the product X (a descriptive
name) sold under the trademark Y” is permissible.


The use of a trademark in the title of an application
should be avoided as well as the use of a trademark
coupled with the word “type”, e.g., “Band-Aid type
bandage.”


An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or other
In the event that the proprietary trademark is a
form of browser executable code is not permitted. See
“symbol or device” depicted in a drawing, either the
37 CFR 1.57(d) and MPEP § 608.01.
brief description of the drawing or the detailed
description of the drawing should specify that the
“symbol or device” is a registered trademark of Company
X.
 
The owner of a trademark may be identified in the
specification.
 
Technology Center Directors should reply to all
trademark misuse complaint letters and forward a
copy to the editor of this manual. Where a letter
demonstrates a trademark misuse in a patent application
publication, the Office should, where the application
is still pending, ensure that the trademark is
replaced by appropriate generic terminology.


See Appendix I for a partial listing of trademarks
and the particular goods to which they apply.


======II. INCLUSION OF COPYRIGHT OR MASK WORK NOTICE IN PATENTS======


Mere reference to another application, patent, or
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.71. Detailed description and specification of the invention}}
publication is not an incorporation of anything therein
{{Ellipsis}}
into the application containing such reference for the
(d) A copyright or mask work notice may be placed in a design or utility patent application adjacent to copyright and mask work material contained therein. The notice may appear at any appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure. For
purpose of the disclosure required by 35 U.S.C. 112,
notices in drawings, see § 1.84(s). The content of the notice must
first paragraph. In re de Seversky, 474 F.2d 671, 177
be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example,  
USPQ 144 (CCPA 1973). 37 CFR 1.57(b)(1) limits a
“©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17
proper incorporation by reference (except as provided
U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes,  
in 37 CFR 1.57(a)) to instances only where the perfecting
legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively.  
words “incorporated by reference” or the root
Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted  
of the words “incorporate” (e.g., incorporating, incorporated)
only if the authorization language set forth in paragraph (e)  
and “reference” (e.g., referencing) appear.
of this section is included at the beginning (preferably as the first
The requirement for specific root words will bring
paragraph) of the specification.
greater clarity to the record and provide a bright line
 
test as to where something is being referred to is an
(e) The authorization shall read as follows:
incorporation by reference. The Office intends to treat
references to documents that do not meet this “bright
line” test as noncompliant incorporations by reference
and may require correction pursuant to 37 CFR
1.57(g). If a reference to a document does not clearly
indicate an intended incorporation by reference,  
examination will proceed as if no incorporation by
reference statement has been made and the Office will
not expend resources trying to determine if an incorporation
by reference was intended. In addition to
other requirements for an application, the referencing
application must include an identification of the
referenced patent, application, or publication. See 37
CFR 1.57(b)(2) Particular attention should be
directed to specific portions of the referenced document
where the subject matter being incorporated may
be found. Guidelines for situations where applicant is
permitted to fill in a number for Application No.
__________ left blank in the application as filed can
be found in In re Fouche, 439 F.2d 1237, 169 USPQ
429 (CCPA 1971) (Abandoned applications less than
20 years old can be incorporated by reference to the  
same extent as copending applications; both types are
open to the public upon the referencing application
issuing as a patent. See 37 CFR 1.14(a)(i)(iv) and (vi)
and MPEP § 103).


1.Complete Disclosure Filed
{{tab1}}A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.</p>
|}


If an application is filed with a complete disclosure,
essential material may be canceled by amendment and
may be substituted by reference to a U.S. patent or
a U.S. patent application publication. The
amendment must be accompanied by a statement
signed by the applicant, or a practitioner representing
the applicant, stating that the material canceled from
the application is the same material that has been
incorporated by reference and no new matter has
been included (see 37 CFR 1.57(f). The same procedure
is available for nonessential material.


If an application as filed incorporates  material by
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings}}
reference , a copy of the incorporated by reference
(s) Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or mask
material may be required to be submitted to the Office
work notice may appear in the drawing, but must be placed within
even if the material is properly incorporated by reference.
the sight of the drawing immediately below the figure representing
The examiner may require a copy of the incorporated
the copyright or mask work material and be limited to letters
material to review and to understand what is
having a print size of.32 cm. to.64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4 inches) high.  
being incorporated or to put the description of the
The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements
material in its proper context. Another instance where
provided for by law. For example, “ ©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C.
a copy of the incorporated material may be required is
401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly
where the material is being inserted by amendment
limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of  
into the body of the application to replace an improper
copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or
incorporation by reference statement so that the
mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language
Office can determine that the material being added by
set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably
amendment in lieu of the incorporation is the same
as the first paragraph) of the specification.
material as was attempted to be incorporated. If the
|}
Office requires the applicant to supply a copy of the
material incorporated by reference, the material must
be accompanied by a statement that the copy supplied
consists of the same material incorporated by reference
in the referencing application. See 37 CFR
1.57(e).


2.Improper Incorporation


The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will permit
the inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in a
design or utility patent application, and thereby any
patent issuing therefrom, which discloses material on
which copyright or mask work protection has previously
been established, under the following conditions:


{{tab1}}(A) The copyright or mask work notice must be placed adjacent to the copyright or mask work material. Therefore, the notice may appear at any appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure, including the drawing. However, if appearing in the drawing, the notice must comply with 37 CFR 1.84(s). If placed on a drawing in conformance with these provisions, the notice will not be objected to as extraneous matter under 37 CFR 1.84.</p>


37 CFR 1.57(f) addresses corrections of incorporation
{{tab1}}(B) The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements required by law. For example, “©1983 John Doe”(17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited, and under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work respectively.</p>
by reference by inserting the material previously
incorporated by reference. A noncompliant
incorporation by reference statement may be corrected
by an amendment. 37 CFR 1.57(f). However,
the amendment must not include new matter. Incorporating
by reference material that was not incorporated
by reference on filing of an application may introduce
new matter. An incorporation by reference of essential
material to an unpublished U.S. patent application, a
foreign application or patent, or to a publication is
improper under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The improper incor
 
 


{{tab1}}(C) Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the following authorization in 37 CFR 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification to be printed for the patent:</p>


{{tab2}}A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.</p>


{{tab1}}(D) Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice after a Notice of Allowance has been mailed will be permitted only if the criteria of 37 CFR 1.312 have been satisfied.</p>


The inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in
a design or utility patent application, and thereby any
patent issuing therefrom, under the conditions set
forth above will serve to protect the rights of the
author/inventor, as well as the public, and will serve
to promote the mission and goals of the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office. Therefore, the inclusion of a
copyright or mask work notice which complies with
these conditions will be permitted. However, any
departure from these conditions may result in a
refusal to permit the desired inclusion. If the authorization
required under condition (C) above does not
include the specific language “(t)he (copyright or
mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the
patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and
Trademark Office patent files or records,...” the notice
will be objected to as improper by the examiner of the
application. If the examiner maintains the objection
upon reconsideration, a petition may be filed in accordance
with 37 CFR 1.181.


poration by reference is not effective to incorporate
===608.02 Drawing===
the material unless corrected by the applicant (37
 
CFR 1.57(g)). Any underlying objection or rejection
{{Statute|35 U.S.C. 113. Drawings.}}
(e.g., under 35 U.S.C. 112) should be made by the
The applicant shall furnish a drawing where necessary for the  
examiner until applicant corrects the improper incorporation
understanding of the subject matter to be patented. When the  
by reference by submitting an amendment to
nature of such subject matter admits of illustration by a drawing
amend the specification or drawings to include the  
and the applicant has not furnished such a drawing, the Commissioner
material incorporated by reference. A statement that
may require its submission within a time period of not less
the material being inserted is the material previously
than two months from the sending of a notice thereof. Drawings
incorporated by reference and that the amendment
submitted after the filing date of the application may not be used
contains no new matter is also required. 37 CFR
(i) to overcome any insufficiency of the specification due to lack
1.57(f). See also In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d 569, 179
of an enabling disclosure or otherwise inadequate disclosure
USPQ 157 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d
therein, or (ii) to supplement the original disclosure thereof for the
579, 179 USPQ 163 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins,
purpose of interpretation of the scope of any claim.
486 F.2d 577, 179 USPQ 167 (CCPA 1973). Improper
|}
incorporation by reference statements and late corrections
thereof require expenditure of unnecessary
examination resources and slow the prosecution process.
Applicants know (or should know) whether they
want material incorporated by reference, and must
timely correct any incorporation by reference errors.  
Correction must be done within the time period set
forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g).


An incorporation by reference that does not comply
with 37 CFR 1.57(b), (c), or (d) is not effective to
incorporate such material unless corrected within any
time period set by the Office (should the noncompliant
incorporation by reference be first noticed by the
Office and applicant informed thereof), but in no case
later than the close of prosecution as defined by 37
CFR 1.114(b) (should applicant be the first to notice
the noncompliant incorporation by reference and the
Office informed thereof), or abandonment of the
application, whichever occurs earlier. The phrase “or
abandonment of the application” is included in 37
CFR 1.57(g) to address the situations where an application
is abandoned prior to the close of prosecution,
e.g., the situation where an application is abandoned
after a non-final Office action.


37 CFR 1.57(g)(1) authorizes the correction of noncompliant
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.81. Drawings required in patent application.}}
incorporation by reference statements that
(a) The applicant for a patent is required to furnish a drawing
do not use the root of the words “incorporate” and  
of his or her invention where necessary for the understanding
“reference” in the incorporation by reference statement.
of the subject matter sought to be patented; this drawing, or a high
This correction cannot be made when the material
quality copy thereof, must be filed with the application. Since corrections
was merely referred to and there was no clear
are the responsibility of the applicant, the original drawing(
specific intent to incorporate it by reference.
s) should be retained by the applicant for any necessary future
correction.
 
(b) Drawings may include illustrations which facilitate an
understanding of the invention (for example, flow sheets in cases
of processes, and diagrammatic views).
 
(c) Whenever the nature of the subject matter sought to be
patented admits of illustration by a drawing without its being necessary
for the understanding of the subject matter and the applicant
has not furnished such a drawing, the examiner will require
its submission within a time period of not less than two months
from the date of the sending of a notice thereof.


37 CFR 1.57(g)(2) states that a citation of a document
(d) Drawings submitted after the filing date of the application
can be corrected where the document is sufficiently
may not be used to overcome any insufficiency of the specification
described to uniquely identify the document.
due to lack of an enabling disclosure or otherwise
Correction of a citation for a document that cannot be
inadequate disclosure therein, or to supplement the original disclosure
identified as the incorporated document may be new
thereof for the purpose of interpretation of the scope of
matter and is not authorized by 37 CFR 1.57(g)(2).
any claim.
An example would be where applicant intended to  
|}
incorporate a particular journal article but supplied the  
citation information for a completely unrelated book
by a different author, and there is no other information
to identify the correct journal article. Since it cannot
be determined from the citation originally supplied
what article was intended to be incorporated, it would
be improper (e.g., new matter) to replace the original  
incorporation by reference with the intended incorporation
by reference. A citation of a patent application
by attorney docket number, inventor name, filing date
and title of invention may sufficiently describe the  
document, but even then correction should be made to
specify the application number.


A petition under 37 CFR 1.183 to suspend the time
period requirement set forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g) will
not be appropriate. After the application has been
abandoned, applicant must file a petition to revive
under 37 CFR 1.137 for the purpose of correcting the
incorporation by reference. After the application has
issued as a patent, applicant may correct the patent by
filing a reissue application. Correcting an improper
incorporation by reference with a certificate of correction
is not an appropriate means of correction because
it may alter the scope of the claims. The scope of the
claims may be altered because 37 CFR 1.57(g) provides
that an incorporation by reference that does not
comply with paragraph (b), (c), or (d) is not an effective
incorporation. For example, an equivalent means
omitted from a patent disclosure by an ineffective
incorporation by reference would be outside the scope
of the patented claims. Hence, a correction of an
incorporation by reference pursuant to 37 CFR 1.57may alter the scope of the claims by adding the omitted
equivalent means. Changes involving the scope of
the claims should be done via the reissue process.
Additionally, the availability of the reissue process for
corrections would make a successful showing
required under 37 CFR 1.183 unlikely. The following
examples show when an improper incorporation by
reference is required to be corrected:


======I. DRAWING REQUIREMENTS======


The first sentence of 35 U.S.C 113 requires a
drawing
to be submitted upon filing where such drawing
is necessary for the understanding of the invention.
In this situation, the lack of a drawing renders
the application incomplete and, as such, the application
cannot be given a filing date until the drawing is
received. The second sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113addresses the situation wherein a drawing is not necessary
for the understanding of the invention, but the
subject matter sought to be patented admits of illustration
and no drawing was submitted on filing. The lack
of a drawing in this situation does not render the
application incomplete but rather is treated as an
informality. The examiner should require such drawings
in almost all such instances. Such drawings could
be required during the initial processing of the application
but do not have to be furnished at the time the
application is filed. The applicant is given at least
2 months from the date of the letter requiring drawings
to submit the drawing(s).


If the specification includes a sequence listing or a
table, such a sequence listing or table is not permitted
to be reprinted in the drawings. 37 CFR 1.83(a) and
1.58(a). If a sequence listing as shown in the drawings
has more information than is contained in the specification,
the sequence listing could be included in the
specification and the drawings. Applications filed
under 35 U.S.C. 371 are excluded from the prohibition
from having the same tables and sequence listings
in both the description portion of the
specification and drawings.


======II.RECEIPT OF DRAWING AFTER THE FILING DATE======


If the examiner discovers new matter in a substitute
or additional drawing, the drawing should not be
entered. The drawing should be objected to as containing
new matter. A new drawing without such new
matter may be required if the examiner determines
that a drawing is needed under 37 CFR 1.81 or 37
CFR 1.83. The examiner’s decision would be reviewable
by filing a petition under 37 CFR 1.181. The
Technology Center (TC) Director would decide such a
petition.
======III. HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FIRST SENTENCE OF 35 U.S.C 113======


Example 1:
The Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE)
 
will make the initial decision in all new applications
Upon review of the specification, the examiner
as to whether a drawing is “necessary” under the first
noticed that the specification included an incorporation
sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113. A drawing will be considered
by reference statement incorporating essential
necessary under the first sentence of 35 U.S.C.
material disclosed in a foreign patent. In a non-
113 in all applications where the drawing is referred
final Office action, the examiner required the
to in the specification and one or more figures have
applicant to amend the specification to include the  
been omitted.
essential material.
 
In reply to the non-final Office action, applicant
must correct the improper incorporation by reference
by filing an amendment to add the essential
material disclosed in the foreign patent and a statement
in compliance with 37 CFR1.57(f) within the
time period for reply set forth in the non-final
Office action.


The determination under 35 U.S.C. 113 (first sentence)
as to when a drawing is necessary will be handled
in OIPE in accordance with the following
procedure. OIPE will make the initial determination
as to whether drawings are required for the understanding
of the subject matter of the invention. When no drawings are included in the application as filed
and drawings are required, the application is treated as
incomplete and the applicant is so informed by OIPE.
A filing date will not be granted and applicant will be
notified to complete the application (37 CFR 1.53(e)).
If a drawing is later furnished, a filing date may be
granted as of the date of receipt of such drawing.


An OIPE formality examiner should not treat an
application without drawings as incomplete if drawings
are not required. A drawing is not required for a
filing date under 35 U.S.C. 111 and 113 if the application
contains:


Example 2:
(A) at least one process claim including the term
“process” or “method” in its introductory phrase;


Upon review of the specification, the examiner
(B) at least one composition claim including the  
determined that the subject matter incorporated by
term “composition,” “compound,” “mixture” or
reference from a foreign patent was “nonessential
“pharmaceutical” in its introductory phrase;
material” and therefore, did not object to the incorporation
by reference. In reply to a non-final
Office action, applicant filed an amendment to the
claims to add a new limitation that was supported
only by the foreign patent. The amendment filed
by the applicant caused the examiner to re-determine
that the incorporated subject matter was
“essential material” under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The
examiner rejected the claims that include the new
limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, in  
a final Office action.


Since the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph
(C) at least one claim directed to a coated article
was necessitated by the applicant’s amendment,
or product or to an article or product made from a particular
the finality of the Office action is proper. If
material or composition (i.e., an article of
the applicant wishes to overcome the rejection
known and conventional character (e.g., a table),  
under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph by filing an  
coated with or made of a particular composition (e.g.,  
amendment under 37 CFR 1.57(f) to add the subject
a specified polymer such as polyvinyl-chloride));
material disclosed in the foreign patent into
the specification, applicant may file the amendment
as an after final amendment in compliance
with 37 CFR 1.116. Alternatively, applicant may
file an RCE under 37 CFR 1.114 accompanied by
the appropriate fee, and an amendment per 37 CFR
1.57(f) within the time period for reply set forth in
the final Office action.


The following form paragraphs may be used:
(D) at least one claim directed to a laminated article
or product (i.e., a laminated article of known and
conventional character (e.g., a table)); or


¶ 6.19 Incorporation by Reference, Unpublished U.S.  
(E) at least one claim directed to an article, apparatus,  
Application, Foreign Patent or Application, Publication
or system where the sole distinguishing feature
is the presence of a particular material (e.g., a hydraulic
system using a particular hydraulic fluid, or a conventional
packaged suture using a particular material).


The incorporation of essential material in the specification by
For a more complete explanation about when a
reference to an unpublished U.S. application, foreign application
drawing is required, see MPEP § 601.01(f). For applications
or patent, or to a publication is improper. Applicant is required to
submitted without all of the drawings
amend the disclosure to include the material incorporated by reference,  
described in the specification, see MPEP § 601.01(g).
if the material is relied upon to overcome any objection,
rejection, or other requirement imposed by the Office. The
amendment must be accompanied by a statement executed by the  
applicant, or a practitioner representing the  
applicant, stating that
the material being inserted is the material previously incorporated
by reference and that the amendment contains no new matter. 37
CFR 1.57(f).


Examiner Note:
If an examiner determines that a filing date should
 
not have been granted in an application because it
Since the material that applicant is attempting to incorporate in  
does not contain drawings, the matter should be  
the specification is considered to be essential material, an appropriate
brought to the attention of the supervisory patent
objection to the specification and/or rejection of the  
examiner (SPE) for review. If the SPE decides that
claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112, should be made. One or more of
drawings are required to understand the subject matter
form paragraphs 7.31.01 to 7.31.04, as for example, should be  
of the invention, the SPE should return the application
used following this form paragraph.
to OIPE with a typed, signed, and dated memorandum
requesting cancellation of the filing date and identifying
the subject matter required to be illustrated.


¶ 6.19.01 Ineffective Incorporation by Reference, General
======IV. HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE SECOND SENTENCE OF 35 U.S.C 113 - ILLUSTRATION SUBSEQUENTLY REQUIRED======


The attempt to incorporate subject matter into this application
35 U.S.C.113 addresses the situation wherein a
by reference to [1] is ineffective because [2].
drawing is not necessary for the understanding of the
invention, but the subject matter sought to be patented
admits of illustration by a drawing and the applicant
has not furnished a drawing. The lack of a drawing in
this situation does not render the application incomplete
but rather is treated as an informality. A filing
date will be accorded with the original presentation of
the papers, despite the absence of drawings. The
acceptance of an application without a drawing does
not preclude the examiner from requiring an illustration
in the form of a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or
37 CFR 1.83(c). In requiring such a drawing, the
examiner should clearly indicate that the requirement
is made under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or 37 CFR 1.83(a) and
be careful not to state that he or she is doing so
“because it is necessary for the understanding of the
invention,” as that might give rise to an erroneous
impression as to the completeness of the application
as filed. Examiners making such requirements are to
specifically require, as a part of the applicant’s next
reply, at least an ink sketch or permanent print of any
drawing in reply to the requirement, even though no
allowable subject matter is yet indicated. This will
afford the examiner an early opportunity to determine
the sufficiency of the illustration and the absence of
new matter. See 37 CFR 1.121 and 37 CFR 1.81(d).  


Examiner Note:
Applicant should also amend the specification
accordingly to reference to the new illustration at the
time of submission of the drawing(s). This may obviate
further correspondence where an amendment
places the application in condition for allowance.


1.In bracket 1, identify the document such as an application or
======V. DRAWING STANDARDS======
patent number or other identification.


2.In bracket 2, give reason(s) why it is ineffective (e.g., the
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.}}
root words “incorporate” and/or “reference” have been omitted,
(a) Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting
see 37 CFR 1.57(b)(1); the reference document is not clearly identified
drawings in utility and design patent applications.
as required by 37 CFR 1.57(b)(2)).


3.This form paragraph should be followed by form paragraph
{{tab1}}(1) Black ink. Black and white drawings are normally required. India ink, or its equivalent that secures solid black lines, must be used for drawings; or</p>
6.19.03.


¶ 6.19.03 Correction of Ineffective Incorporation by
{{tab1}}(2) Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration. The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications and statutory invention registrations only after granting a petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:</p>
Reference


The incorporation by reference will not be effective until correction
{{tab2}}(i) The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);</p>
is made to comply with 37 CFR 1.57(b), (c), or (d). If the
incorporated material is relied upon to meet any outstanding
objection, rejection, or other requirement imposed by the Office,
the correction must be made within any time period set by the
Office for responding to the objection, rejection, or other requirement
for the incorporation to be effective. Compliance will not be
held in abeyance with respect to responding to the objection,
rejection, or other requirement for the incorporation to be effective.
In no case may the correction be made later than the close of
prosecution as defined in 37 CFR 1.114(b), or abandonment of the
application, whichever occurs earlier.


Any correction inserting material by amendment that was previously
{{tab2}}(ii) Three (3) sets of color drawings;</p>
incorporated by reference must be accompanied by a
statement that the material being inserted is the material incorpo


{{tab2}}(iii) An amendment to the specification to insert (unless the specification contains or has been previously amended to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description of the drawings:</p>


{{tab3}}The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.</p>


(b) Photographs.—


{{tab1}}(1) Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible in the printed patent.</p>


{{tab1}}(2) Color photographs. Color photographs will be accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.</p>


(c) Identification of drawings. Identifying indicia should be
provided, and if provided, should include the title of the invention,
inventor’s name, and application number, or docket number (if
any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application.
If this information is provided, it must be placed on the
front of each sheet within the top margin. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be identified as
either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to §
1.121(d). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure
including annotations indicating the changes made is filed, such
marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet”
pursuant to § 1.121(d)(1).


rated by reference and the amendment contains no new matter. 37
(d) Graphic forms in drawings. Chemical or mathematical
CFR 1.57(f).
formulae, tables, and waveforms may be submitted as drawings
 
and are subject to the same requirements as drawings. Each chemical
The filing date of any application wherein essential
or mathematical formula must be labeled as a separate figure,  
material is improperly incorporated by reference will
using brackets when necessary, to show that information is properly
not be affected by applicant’s correction where (A)
integrated. Each group of waveforms must be presented as a  
there is a clear intent to incorporate by reference the
single figure, using a common vertical axis with time extending
intended material and the correction is to add the root
along the horizontal axis. Each individual waveform discussed in
words of “incorporate” and “reference,” (B) the incorporated
the specification must be identified with a separate letter designation
document can be uniquely identified and the
adjacent to the vertical axis.
correction is to clarify the document’s identification,  
and (C) where the correction is to insert the material
from the reference where incorporation is to an
unpublished U.S. patent application, foreign application
or patent, or to a publication.
 
Reliance on a commonly assigned , prior filed or
concurrently filed copending application by a different
inventor may ordinarily be made for the purpose
of completing the disclosure provided the incorporated
material is directed to nonessential material. See
37 CFR 1.57(d). See In re Fried, 329 F.2d 323, 141
USPQ 27 (CCPA 1964), and General Electric Co. v.
Brenner, 407 F.2d 1258, 159 USPQ 335 (D.C. Cir.
1968).


Since a disclosure must be complete as of the filing
(e) Type of paper. Drawings submitted to the Office must be  
date, subsequent publications or subsequently filed
made on paper which is flexible, strong, white, smooth, non-shiny,  
applications cannot be relied on to establish a constructive
and durable. All sheets must be reasonably free from cracks,
reduction to practice or an enabling disclosure
creases, and folds. Only one side of the sheet may be used for the
as of the filing date. White Consol. Indus., Inc. v.  
drawing. Each sheet must be reasonably free from erasures and
Vega Servo-Control, Inc., 713 F.2d 788, 218 USPQ
must be free from alterations, overwritings, and interlineations.  
961 (Fed. Cir. 1983); In re Scarbrough, 500 F.2d 560,
Photographs must be developed on paper meeting the sheet-size
182 USPQ 298 (CCPA 1974); In re Glass, 492 F.2d
requirements of paragraph (f) of this section and the margin requirements of paragraph (g) of this section. See paragraph (b) of
1228, 181 USPQ 31 (CCPA 1974).
this section for other requirements for photographs.


B.Review of Applications Which Are Relied on  
(f) Size of paper. All drawing sheets in an application must
To Establish an Earlier Effective Filing Date.
be the same size. One of the shorter sides of the sheet is regarded
as its top. The size of the sheets on which drawings are made must
be:


The limitations on the material which may be incorporated
{{tab1}}(1) 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4), or</p>
by reference in U.S. patent applications which
are to issue as U.S. patents do not apply to applications
relied on only to establish an earlier effective filing
date under 35 U.S.C. 119 or 35 U.S.C. 120.
Neither 35 U.S.C. 119(a) nor 35 U.S.C. 120 places
any restrictions or limitations as to how the claimed
invention must be disclosed in the earlier application
to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph.
Accordingly, an application is entitled to rely upon the
filing date of an earlier application, even if the earlier
application itself incorporates essential material by
reference to another document. See Ex parte Maziere,
27
USPQ2d 1705, 1706-07 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter.
1993).


The reason for incorporation by reference practice
{{tab1}}(2) 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inches).</p>
with respect to applications which are to issue as U.S.  
patents is to provide the public with a patent disclosure
which minimizes the public’s burden to search
for and obtain copies of documents incorporated by
reference which may not be readily available.  
Through the Office’s incorporation by reference policy,
the Office ensures that reasonably complete disclosures
are published as U.S. patents. The same
policy concern does not apply where the sole purpose
for which an applicant relies on an earlier U.S. or foreign
application is to establish an earlier filing date.  
Incorporation by reference in the earlier application of
(1) patents or applications published by foreign countries
or regional patent offices, (2) nonpatent publications,
(3) a U.S. patent or application which itself
incorporates “essential material” by reference, or (4) a
foreign application, is not critical in the case of a
“benefit” application.


When an applicant, or a patent owner in a reexamination
(g) Margins. The sheets must not contain frames around the
or interference, claims the benefit of the filing
sight (i.e., the usable surface), but should have scan target points
date of an earlier application which incorporates
(i.e., cross-hairs) printed on two cater-corner margin corners. Each
material by reference, the applicant or patent owner
sheet must include a top margin of at least 2.5
may be required to supply copies of the material
cm. (1
incorporated by reference. For example, an applicant
inch), a left
may claim the benefit of the filing date of a foreign
side margin of at
application which itself incorporates by reference
least 2.5
another earlier filed foreign application. If necessary,
cm. (1
due to an intervening reference, applicant should be
inch), a right side margin of at
required to supply a copy of the earlier filed foreign
least 1.5
application, along with an English language translation.  
cm. (5/8
A review can then be made of the foreign application
inch), and a bottom margin of at least 1.0
and all material incorporated by reference to
cm.
determine whether the foreign application discloses
(3/8
the invention sought to be patented in the manner
inch), thereby leaving a sight no greater than 17.0
required by the first paragraph of
cm. by  
35 U.S.C. 112 so
26.2
that benefit may be accorded. In re Gosteli, 872 F.2d
cm. on 21.0
1008, 10 USPQ2d 1614 (Fed. Cir. 1989).
cm. by 29.7
cm. (DIN size A4) drawing sheets,  
and a sight no greater than 17.6
cm. by 24.4
cm. (6 15/16 by 9 5/
8
inches) on 21.6
cm. by 27.9
cm. (8 1/2 by 11
inch) drawing
sheets.


As a safeguard against the omission of a portion of  
(h) Views. The drawing must contain as many views as necessary
a prior application for which priority is claimed under
to show the invention. The views may be plan, elevation,
35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), or for which benefit is
section, or perspective views. Detail views of portions of elements,
claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or 120, applicant may
on a larger scale if necessary, may also be used. All views
include a statement at the time of filing of the later
of the drawing must be grouped together and arranged on the
application incorporating by reference the prior application.
sheet(s) without wasting space, preferably in an upright position,  
See MPEP § 201.06(c) and § 201.11 where
clearly separated from one another, and must not be included in
domestic benefit is claimed. See MPEP § 201.13
the sheets containing the specifications, claims, or abstract. Views
must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain
center lines. Waveforms of electrical signals may be connected by
dashed lines to show the relative timing of the waveforms.


{{tab1}}(1) Exploded views. Exploded views, with the separated parts embraced by a bracket, to show the relationship or order of assembly of various parts are permissible. When an exploded view is shown in a figure which is on the same sheet as another figure, the exploded view should be placed in brackets.</p>


{{tab1}}(2) Partial views. When necessary, a view of a large machine or device in its entirety may be broken into partial views on a single sheet, or extended over several sheets if there is no loss in facility of understanding the view. Partial views drawn on separate sheets must always be capable of being linked edge to edge so that no partial view contains parts of another partial view. A smaller scale view should be included showing the whole formed by the partial views and indicating the positions of the parts shown. When a portion of a view is enlarged for magnification purposes, the view and the enlarged view must each be labeled as separate views.</p>


{{tab2}}(i) Where views on two or more sheets form, in effect, a single complete view, the views on the several sheets must be so arranged that the complete figure can be assembled without concealing any part of any of the views appearing on the various sheets.</p>


{{tab2}}(ii) A very long view may be divided into several parts placed one above the other on a single sheet. However, the relationship between the different parts must be clear and unambiguous.</p>


{{tab1}}(3) Sectional views. The plane upon which a sectional
view is taken should be indicated on the view from which the section
is cut by a broken line. The ends of the broken line should be
designated by Arabic or Roman numerals corresponding to the
view number of the sectional view, and should have arrows to
indicate the direction of sight. Hatching must be used to indicate
section portions of an object, and must be made by regularly
spaced oblique parallel lines spaced sufficiently apart to enable
the lines to be distinguished without difficulty. Hatching should
not impede the clear reading of the reference characters and lead
lines. If it is not possible to place reference characters outside the
hatched area, the hatching may be broken off wherever reference
characters are inserted. Hatching must be at a substantial angle to
the surrounding axes or principal lines, preferably 45°. A cross
section must be set out and drawn to show all of the materials as
they are shown in the view from which the cross section was
taken. The parts in cross section must show proper material(s) by
hatching with regularly spaced parallel oblique strokes, the space
between strokes being chosen on the basis of the total area to be
hatched. The various parts of a cross section of the same item
should be hatched in the same manner and should accurately and
graphically indicate the nature of the material(s) that is illustrated
in cross section. The hatching of juxtaposed different elements
must be angled in a different way. In the case of large areas, hatching
may be confined to an edging drawn around the entire inside
of the outline of the area to be hatched. Different types of hatching
should have different conventional meanings as regards the nature
of a material seen in cross section.
{{tab1}}(4) Alternate position. A moved position may be shown
by a broken line superimposed upon a suitable view if this can be
done without crowding; otherwise, a separate view must be used
for this purpose.
{{tab1}}(5) Modified forms. Modified forms of construction must
be shown in separate views.


where foreign priority is claimed. See MPEP §
(i) Arrangement of views. One view must not be placed
201.17 regarding 37 CFR 1.57(a) for applications
upon another or within the outline of another. All views on the
filed on or after September 21, 2004. The inclusion
same sheet should stand in the same direction and, if possible,
of such an incorporation by reference statement in the  
stand so that they can be read with the sheet held in an upright
later-filed application will permit applicant to include
position. If views wider than the width of the sheet are necessary
subject matter from the prior application into the later-
for the clearest illustration of the invention, the sheet may be
filed application without the subject matter being considered
turned on its side so that the top of the sheet, with the appropriate
as new matter. For the incorporation by reference
top margin to be used as the heading space, is on the right-hand
to be effective as a proper safeguard, the  
side. Words must appear in a horizontal, left-to-right fashion when
incorporation by reference statement must be filed at
the page is either upright or turned so that the top becomes the  
the time of filing of the later-filed application. An
right side, except for graphs utilizing standard scientific convention
incorporation by reference statement added after an
to denote the axis of abscissas (of X) and the axis of ordinates
application’s filing date is not effective because no
(of Y).
new matter can be added to an application after its filing
 
date (see 35 U.S.C. 132(a).
(j) Front page view. The drawing must contain as many
views as necessary to show the invention. One of the views should
be suitable for inclusion on the front page of the patent application  
publication and patent as the illustration of the invention. Views
must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain
center lines. Applicant may suggest a single view (by figure number)  
for inclusion on the front page of the patent application publication
and patent.


II.SIMULATED OR PREDICTED TEST RESULTS
(k) Scale. The scale to which a drawing is made must be
OR PROPHETIC EXAMPLES
large enough to show the mechanism without crowding when the
drawing is reduced in size to two-thirds in reproduction. Indications
such as “actual size” or “scale 1/2” on the drawings are not permitted since these lose their meaning with reproduction in a
different format.


Simulated or predicted test results and prophetical
(l) Character of lines, numbers, and letters. All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
examples (paper examples) are permitted in patent
applications. Working examples correspond to work
actually performed and may describe tests which have
actually been conducted and results that were
achieved. Paper examples describe the manner and
process of making an embodiment of the invention
which has not actually been conducted. Paper examples
should not be represented as work actually done.  
No results should be represented as actual results
unless they have actually been achieved. Paper examples
should not be described using the past tense.
Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. v. Promega Corp., 323 F.3d
1354, 1367, 66 USPQ2d 1385, 1394 (Fed. Cir. 2003).


For problems arising from the designation of materials
(m) Shading. The use of shading in views is encouraged if it
by trademarks and trade names, see MPEP §
aids in understanding the invention and if it does not reduce legibility.
608.01(v).
Shading is used to indicate the surface or shape of spherical,
cylindrical, and conical elements of an object. Flat parts may also
be lightly shaded. Such shading is preferred in the case of parts
shown in perspective, but not for cross sections. See paragraph
(h)(3) of this section. Spaced lines for shading are preferred.
These lines must be thin, as few in number as practicable, and
they must contrast with the rest of the drawings. As a substitute
for shading, heavy lines on the shade side of objects can be used
except where they superimpose on each other or obscure reference
characters. Light should come from the upper left corner at an
angle of 45°. Surface delineations should preferably be shown by
proper shading. Solid black shading areas are not permitted,
except when used to represent bar graphs or color.
 
(n) Symbols. Graphical drawing symbols may be used for
conventional elements when appropriate. The elements for which
such symbols and labeled representations are used must be adequately
identified in the specification. Known devices should be
illustrated by symbols which have a universally recognized conventional
meaning and are generally accepted in the art. Other
symbols which are not universally recognized may be used, subject
to approval by the Office, if they are not likely to be confused
with existing conventional symbols, and if they are readily identifiable.
 
(o) Legends. Suitable descriptive legends may be used subject
to approval by the Office, or may be required by the examiner
where necessary for understanding of the drawing. They should
contain as few words as possible.
 
(p) Numbers, letters, and reference characters.
 
{{tab1}}(1) Reference characters (numerals are preferred), sheet numbers, and view numbers must be plain and legible, and must not be used in association with brackets or inverted commas, or enclosed within outlines, e.g., encircled. They must be oriented in the same direction as the view so as to avoid having to rotate the sheet. Reference characters should be arranged to follow the profile of the object depicted.</p>


608.01(q)Substitute or Rewritten Specification
{{tab1}}(2) The English alphabet must be used for letters, except where another alphabet is customarily used, such as the Greek alphabet to indicate angles, wavelengths, and mathematical formulas.</p>
[R-3]


37 CFR 1.125. Substitute specification.
{{tab1}}(3) Numbers, letters, and reference characters must measure at least.32 cm. (1/8 inch) in height. They should not be placed in the drawing so as to interfere with its comprehension. Therefore, they should not cross or mingle with the lines. They should not be placed upon hatched or shaded surfaces. When necessary, such as indicating a surface or cross section, a reference character may be underlined and a blank space may be left in the hatching or shading where the character occurs so that it appears distinct.</p>


(a)If the number or nature of the amendments or the legibility
{{tab1}}(4) The same part of an invention appearing in more than one view of the drawing must always be designated by the same reference character, and the same reference character must never be used to designate different parts.</p>
of the application papers renders it difficult to consider the
application, or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the
Office may require the entire specification, including the claims,
or any part thereof, be rewritten.


(b)Subject to § 1.312, a substitute specification, excluding
{{tab1}}(5) Reference characters not mentioned in the description shall not appear in the drawings. Reference characters mentioned in the description must appear in the drawings.</p>
the claims, may be filed at any point up to payment of the issue
fee if it is accompanied by a statement that the substitute specification
includes no new matter.  


(c)A substitute specification submitted under this section
(q) Lead lines. Lead lines are those lines between the reference
must be submitted with markings showing all the changes relative
characters and the details referred to. Such lines may be
to the immediate prior version of the specification of record. The
straight or curved and should be as short as possible. They must  
text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the  
originate in the immediate proximity of the reference character
added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by
and extend to the feature indicated. Lead lines must not cross each
strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after
other. Lead lines are required for each reference character except  
the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or  
for those which indicate the surface or cross section on which they
fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter
are placed. Such a reference character must be underlined to make
must be shown by being placed within double brackets if
it clear that a lead line has not been left out by mistake. Lead lines
strike-through cannot be easily perceived. An accompanying
must be executed in the same way as lines in the drawing. See
clean version (without markings) must also be supplied. Numbering
paragraph (l) of this section.
the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered
a change that must be shown pursuant to this paragraph.


(d)A substitute specification under this section is not permitted
(r) Arrows. Arrows may be used at the ends of lines, provided
in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding.
that their meaning is clear, as follows:


The specification is sometimes in such faulty
{{tab1}}(1) On a lead line, a freestanding arrow to indicate the entire section towards which it points;</p>
English that a new specification is necessary; in such
instances, a new specification should be required.


Form paragraph 6.28 may be used where the specification
{{tab1}}(2) On a lead line, an arrow touching a line to indicate the surface shown by the line looking along the direction of the arrow; or</p>
is in faulty English.


{{tab1}}(3) To show the direction of movement.</p>


(s) Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or mask work notice may appear in the drawing, but must be placed within the sight of the drawing immediately below the figure representing the copyright or mask work material and be limited to letters having a print size of 32 cm. to 64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4 inches) high. The content of the notice must be limited to only
those elements provided for by law. For example, “©1983 John
Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909)
would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient
notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion
of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if
the authorization language set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the
beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.
(t) Numbering of sheets of drawings. The sheets of drawings
should be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with
1, within the sight as defined in paragraph (g) of this section.
These numbers, if present, must be placed in the middle of the top
of the sheet, but not in the margin. The numbers can be placed on
the right-hand side if the drawing extends too close to the middle
of the top edge of the usable surface. The drawing sheet numbering
must be clear and larger than the numbers used as reference
characters to avoid confusion. The number of each sheet should
be shown by two Arabic numerals placed on either side of an
oblique line, with the first being the sheet number and the second
being the total number of sheets of drawings, with no other marking.


¶ 6.28 Idiomatic English
(u) Numbering of views.


A substitute specification in proper idiomatic English and in  
{{tab1}}(1) The different views must be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with 1, independent of the numbering of the sheets and, if possible, in the order in which they appear on the drawing sheet(s). Partial views intended to form one complete view, on one or several sheets, must be identified by the same number followed by a capital letter. View numbers must be preceded by the abbreviation “FIG.” Where only a single view is used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not be numbered and the abbreviation “FIG.” must not appear.</p>
compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(a) and (b) is required. The substitute
specification filed must be accompanied by a statement that it  
contains no new matter.  


37 CFR 1.125(a) applies to a substitute specification
{{tab1}}(2) Numbers and letters identifying the views must be simple and clear and must not be used in association with brackets, circles, or inverted commas. The view numbers must be larger than the numbers used for reference characters.</p>
required by the Office. If the number or nature of
the amendments or the legibility of the application
papers renders it difficult to consider the application,  
or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the
Office may require the entire specification, including
the claims, or any part thereof be rewritten.


Form paragraph 6.28.01 may be used where the  
(v) Security markings. Authorized security markings may be  
examiner, for reasons other than faulty English,  
placed on the drawings provided they are outside the sight, preferably
requires a substitute specification.
centered in the top margin.


(w) Corrections. Any corrections on drawings submitted to
the Office must be durable and permanent.


(x) Holes. No holes should be made by applicant in the
drawing sheets.


¶ 6.28.01 Substitute Specification Required by Examiner
(y) Types of drawings. See § 1.152 for design drawings,
 
§ 1.165 for plant drawings, and § 1.173(a)(2) for reissue drawings.
A substitute specification [1] the claims is required pursuant to
|}
37 CFR 1.125(a) because [2].
 
A substitute specification must not contain new matter. The
substitute specification must be submitted with markings showing
all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification
of record. The text of any added subject matter must be
shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter
must be shown by strikethrough except that double brackets
placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to
show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of
any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within
double brackets if strikethrough cannot be easily perceived. An
accompanying clean version (without markings) and a statement




Drawings on paper are acceptable as long as they
are in compliance with 37 CFR 1.84. Corrections
thereto must be made in the form of replacement
sheets labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet”
since the Office does not release drawings for correction.
See 37 CFR 1.85.


Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date
of an application must be identified as either
“Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” so that the
Office will recognize how to treat such a drawing
sheet for entry into the application. See 37 CFR
1.84(c). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing
figure, including annotations indicating the changes
made, is filed, such marked-up copy must be clearly
labeled as “Annotated Sheet.”


Good quality copies made on office copiers are
acceptable if the lines are uniformly thick, black, and
solid. Facsimile copies of drawings are acceptable if
included with application papers mailed or hand-carried
to the Office or if submitted at the time of payment
of the issue fee (see “Payment of the Issue Fee
and Filing Related Correspondence by Facsimile,”
1254 O.G. 91 (January 15, 2002)). Applicants should
ensure that the facsimile transmission process does
not unreasonably degrade the quality of the drawings.


Drawings are currently accepted in two different
size formats. It is, however, required that all drawing
sheets in a particular application be the same size for
ease of handling and reproduction.


that the substitute specification contains no new matter must also
For examples of proper drawings, in addition to
be supplied. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of  
selected rules of practice related to patent drawings
record is not considered a change that must be shown.  
and interpretations of those rules, see the “Guide for
the Preparation of Patent Drawings” which is available
from the USPTO web site at www.uspto.gov.
 
For information regarding certified copies of an
application-as-filed which does not meet the sheet
size/margin and
quality requirements of 37 CFR 1.52,
1.84(f), and 1.84(g), see MPEP § 608.01.


Examiner Note:
For design patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.152, see
MPEP § 1503.02.


1.In bracket 1, insert either --excluding-- or --including--.  
For plant patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.165, see
MPEP § 1606.


2.In bracket 2, insert clear and concise examples of why a new
For reissue application drawings, see MPEP § 1413.
specification is required.


3.A new specification is required if the number or nature of the
For correction of drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(p).  
amendments render it difficult to consider the application or to
For prints, preparation and distribution, see MPEP §
arrange the papers for printing or copying, 37 CFR 1.125.
508 and § 608.02(m). For prints, return of drawings,
see MPEP § 608.02(y).


4.See also form paragraph 13.01 for partial rewritten specification.
For amendment of drawings, see MPEP § 714.


For pencil notations of classification and name or
initials of assistant examiner to be placed on drawings,
see MPEP § 719.03.


The filing of a divisional or continuation application
under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.53(b) (unexecuted
application) does not obviate the need for
acceptable drawings. See MPEP § 608.02(b).


See MPEP § 601.01(f) for treatment of applications
filed without drawings and MPEP § 601.01(g) for
treatment of applications filed without all figures of
drawings.


37 CFR 1.125(b) applies to a substitute specification
======VI. DEFINITIONS======
voluntarily filed by the applicant. Subject to the
 
provisions of 37 CFR 1.312, a substitute specification,
A number of different terms are used when referring
excluding claims, may be voluntarily filed by the
to drawings in patent applications. The following
applicant at any point up to the payment of the issue
definitions are used in this Manual.
fee provided it is accompanied by a statement that the
substitute specification includes no new matter. The  
Office will accept a substitute specification voluntarily
filed by the applicant if the requirements of 37
CFR 1.125(b) are satisfied.


37 CFR 1.125(c) requires a substitute specification
'''Original drawings''': The drawing submitted with the  
filed under 37 CFR 1.125(a) or (b) be submitted in
application when filed.
clean form without markings. A marked-up copy of
the substitute specification showing all the changes
relative to the immediate prior version of the specification
of record must also be submitted. The text of
any added subject matter must be shown by underlining
the added text. The text of any deleted matter must
be shown by strike-through except that double brackets
placed before and after the deleted characters may
be used to show deletion of five of fewer consecutive
characters. The text of any deleted subject matter
must be shown by being placed within double brackets
if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. Numbering
the paragraphs of the specification of record is
not considered a change that must be shown under 37
CFR 1.125(c) The paragraphs of any substitute specification,
other than the claims, should be individually
numbered in Arabic numerals (for example [0001]) so
that any amendment to the specification may be made
by replacement paragraph in accordance with 37 CFR
1.121(b)(1).  


A substitute specification filed under 37 CFR
'''Substitute drawing''': A drawing filed later than the
1.125(b) must be accompanied by a statement indicating
filing date of an application. Usually submitted to  
that no new matter was included. There is no obligation
replace an original informal drawing.
on the examiner to make a detailed comparison
between the old and the new specifications for determining
whether or not new matter has been added. If,
however, an examiner becomes aware that new matter
is present, objection thereto should be made.


The filing of a substitute specification rather than
'''Acceptable drawing''': A drawing that is acceptable
amending the original application has the advantage
for publication of the application or issuance of the  
for applicants of eliminating the need to prepare an
patent.
amendment of the specification. If word processing
equipment is used by applicants, substitute specifications
can be easily prepared. The Office receives the
advantage of saving the time needed to enter amendments
in the specification and a reduction in the number
of printing errors. A substitute specification is not
permitted in a reissue application or in a reexamination
proceeding. 37 CFR 1.125(d).


A substitute specification which complies with
'''Corrected drawing''': A drawing that includes corrections
37
of informalities and changes approved by the  
CFR 1.125 should normally be entered. The examiner
examiner.
should write “Enter” or “OK to Enter” and his or
her initials in ink in the left margin of the first page of
the substitute specification. A substitute specification
which is denied entry should be so marked.  


Form paragraph 6.28.02 may be used to notify
'''Informal drawing''': A drawing which does not comply
applicant that a substitute specification submitted
with the form requirements of 37 CFR 1.84.  
under 37 CFR 1.125(b) has not been entered. For
Drawings may be informal because they are not on
Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual.
the proper size sheets, the quality of the lines is poor,
or for other reasons such as the size of reference elements.  
Informal drawings could be acceptable for the
purposes of publication and examination. An objection
will generally only be made to an informal drawing
if the Office is unable to reproduce the drawing or
the contents of the drawing are unacceptable to the
examiner.


'''Drawing print''': This term is used for the white
paper print prepared by the Scanning Division of the
Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) of original
drawings in paper application files. The drawing
prints contain the application number near the left-
hand margin. Drawing prints should be placed on the
top on the right-hand flap of the application file wrapper.
A drawing print is not made for image file wrapper
(IFW) applications.


¶ 6.28.02 Substitute Specification Filed Under 37 CFR
'''Interference print''': This term is used to designate
1.125(b) and (c) Not Entered.
the copy prepared of the original drawings filed in file
cabinets separate from the paper file wrappers and  
used to make interference searches.


The substitute specification filed [1] has not been entered
'''Plan''': This term is used to illustrate the top view.
because it does not conform to 37 CFR 1.125(b) and (c) because:
[2]


Examiner Note:
'''Elevation''': This term is used to illustrate views
showing the height of objects.


1.In bracket 2, insert statement of why the substitute specification
======VII. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS======
is improper, for example:


-- the statement as to a lack of new matter under 37 CFR 1.125(b)  
{{statute|37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.}}
is missing--,
{{Ellipsis}}
(b) Photographs.—


-- a marked-up copy of the substitute specification has not been
{{tab1}}(1) Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible in the printed patent.</p>
supplied (in addition to the clean copy)--;
|}


-- a clean copy of the substitute specification has not been supplied
(in addition to the marked-up copy)--; or,


-- the substitute specification has been filed:
Photographs or photomicrographs (not photolithographs
or other reproductions of photographs made by
using screens) printed on sensitized paper are acceptable
as final drawings, in lieu of India ink drawings,
to illustrate inventions which are incapable of being
accurately or adequately depicted by India ink drawings,
e.g., electrophoresis gels, blots, (e.g., immunological,
western, Southern, and northern),
autoradiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained),
histological tissue cross sections (stained and
unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin
layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures,
metallurgical microstructures, textile fabrics, grain
structures and ornamental effects. The photographs or
photomicrographs must show the invention more
clearly than they can be done by India ink drawings
and otherwise comply with the rules concerning such
drawings.


- in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding, 37  
Black and white photographs submitted in lieu of
CFR 1.125(d)-, or
ink drawings must comply with 37 CFR 1.84(b).
There is no requirement for a petition or petition fee,
and only one set of photographs is required. See 1213
O.G. 108 (Aug. 4, 1998) and 1211 O.G. 34 (June 9,  
1998) and 37 CFR 1.84(b)(1).


- after payment of the issue fee-, or
Such photographs to be acceptable must be made
on photographic paper having the following characteristics
which are generally recognized in the photographic
trade: double weight paper with a surface
described as smooth with a white tint. Note that photographs
filed on or after October 1, 2001 may no
longer be mounted on Bristol Board. See 37 CFR
1.84(e) and 1246 O.G. 106 (May 22, 2001). If several
photographs are used to make one sheet of drawings,
the photographs must be contained (i.e., developed)
on a single sheet.


- containing claims (to be amended)- --.  
See MPEP § 1503.02 for discussion of photographs
used in design patent applications.


2.A substitute specification filed after final action or appeal is
Photographs may be treated as artifacts and maintained
governed by 37 CFR 1.116. A substitute specification filed after
in an artifact folder when the patent application
the mailing of a notice of allowance is governed by 37 CFR 1.312.
is an IFW application since the photographs may
not be able to be accurately reproduced by scanning.


======VIII. COLOR DRAWINGS OR COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS======


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.}}
(a) Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting
drawings in utility and design patent applications:
{{Ellipsis}}
{{tab1}}(2) Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration. The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications and statutory invention registrations only after granting a petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:</p>


{{tab2}}(i)The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);</p>


{{tab2}}(ii)Three (3) sets of color drawings;</p>


{{tab2}}(iii)An amendment to the specification to insert (unless the specification contains or has been previously amended to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description of the drawings:</p>


See MPEP § 714.20 regarding entry of amendments
{{tab3}}The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.</p>
which include an unacceptable substitute specification.


(b) Photographs.
{{Ellipsis}}
(2) Color photographs. Color photographs will be
accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions
for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs
have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.
|}


For new matter in amendment, see MPEP § 608.04.


For application prepared for issue, see MPEP
Limited use of color drawings in utility patent
§
applications is provided for in 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and
(b)(2). Unless a petition is filed and granted, color
drawings or color photographs will not be accepted in
a utility or design patent application. The examiner
must object to the color drawings or color photographs
as being improper and require applicant either
to cancel the drawings or to provide substitute black
and white drawings.


1302.02.
Under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2), the applicant
must file a petition with fee requesting acceptance of
the color drawings or color photographs. Three sets of
color drawings or color photographs must also be submitted
(37 CFR1.84(a)(2)(ii)). The petition is
decided by a Supervisory Patent Examiner. See
MPEP § 1002.02(d).  


608.01(r)Derogatory Remarks About
If the application is an IFW application, the color
Prior Art in Specification
photographs are maintained in an artifact folder.


The applicant may refer to the general state of the
Where color drawings or color photographs are
art and the advance thereover made by his or her
filed in a continuing application, applicant must
invention, but he or she is not permitted to make
renew the petition under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2)
derogatory remarks concerning the inventions of others.  
even though a similar petition was filed in the prior
Derogatory remarks are statements disparaging
application. Until the renewed petition is granted, the
the products or processes of any particular person
examiner must object to the color drawings or color
other than the applicant, or statements as to the merits
photographs as being improper.
or validity of applications or patents of another person.
Mere comparisons with the prior art are not considered
to be disparaging, per se.


608.01(s)Restoration of Canceled Matter[R-5]
In light of the substantial administrative and economic
burden associated with printing a utility patent
with color drawings or color photographs, the patent
copies which are printed at issuance of the patent will
depict the drawings in black and white only. However,
a set of color drawings or color photographs will be
attached to the Letters Patent. Moreover, copies of the
patent with color drawings or color photographs
attached thereto will be provided by the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office upon special request and payment
of the fee necessary to recover the actual costs
associated therewith.


Canceled text in the specification can be reinstated
Accordingly, the petition must also be accompanied
only by a subsequent amendment presenting the previously
by a proposed amendment to insert the following language
canceled matter as a new insertion. 37 CFR
as the first paragraph in the portion of the specification
1.121(b)(4). A claim canceled by amendment (deleted
containing a brief description of the
in its entirety) may be reinstated only by a subsequent
drawings:
amendment presenting the claim as a new claim with
a new claim number. 37 CFR 1.121(c)(5). See MPEP
§ 714.


608.01(t)Use in Subsequent Application
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided
by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upon request and
payment of the necessary fee.


A reservation for a future application of subject
It is anticipated that such a petition will be granted
matter disclosed but not claimed in a pending application
only when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has
will not be permitted in the pending application.
determined that a color drawing or color photograph
37 CFR 1.79; MPEP § 608.01(e).
is the only practical medium by which to disclose in a  
printed utility patent the subject matter to be patented.


No part of a specification can normally be transferred
It is emphasized that a decision to grant the petition
to another application. Drawings may be transferred
should not be regarded as an indication that color
to another application only upon the granting of  
drawings or color photographs are necessary to comply
a petition filed under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.182.  
with a statutory requirement. In this latter respect,
See MPEP § 608.02(i).
clearly it is desirable to file any desired color drawings
or color photographs as part of the original application  
papers in order to avoid issues concerning
statutory defects (e.g., lack of enablement under 35
U.S.C. 112 or new matter under 35 U.S.C. 132).


608.01(u)Use of Formerly Filed Incomplete
======IX. DRAWING SYMBOLS======
Application [R-3]


Parts of an incomplete application which have been
37 CFR 1.84(n) indicates that graphic drawing
retained by the Office may be used as part of a complete
symbols and other labeled representations may be
application if the missing parts are later supplied.  
used for conventional elements where appropriate,
See MPEP § 506.
subject to approval by the Office. Also, suitable legends
may be used, or may be required, in proper
cases. For examples of suitable symbols and legends,
see the “Guide for the Preparation of Patent Drawings”
available from the USPTO web site at
www.uspto.gov.


608.01(v)Trademarks and Names Used
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)  
in Trade [R-2]
is a private non-profit organization whose numerous
publications include some that pertain to graphical
symbols. Such publications, for examples, Graphic
Symbols for Fluid Power Diagrams, IEEE Standard
Graphic Symbols for Logic Functions, Graphic Symbols
for Electrical and Electronics Diagrams, are considered
to be generally acceptable in patent drawings.
ANSI headquarters are at 1819 L Street, NW, Suite
600, Washington, DC 20036, with offices at 25 West
43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. The organization’s
Internet address is www.ansi.org. Although ANSI
documents and other published sources may be used
as guides during the selection of graphic symbols for
patent drawings, the Office will not “approve” any
published collection of symbols as a group because
their use and clarity must be decided on a case-by-
case basis. Overly specific symbols should be
avoided. Symbols with unclear meanings should be
labeled for clarification.


The expressions “trademarks” and “names used in
The following symbols should be used to indicate
trade” as used below have the following meanings:
various materials where the material is an important
feature of the invention. The use of conventional features
is very helpful in making prior art searches.


Trademark: a word, letter, symbol, or device
'''Shading examples'''
adopted by one manufacturer or merchant and used to
identify and distinguish his or her product from those
of others. It is a proprietary word, letter, symbol, or
device pointing distinctly to the product of one producer.


[[File:MPEP608 02-1.jpg|550px]]
[[File:MPEP608 02-2.jpg|550px]]


Names Used in Trade: a nonproprietary name by
====608.02(a) New Drawing — When Replacement is Required Before Examination====
which an article or product is known and called
among traders or workers in the art, although it may
not be so known by the public, generally. Names used
in trade do not point to the product of one producer,
but they identify a single article or product irrespective
of producer.


Names used in trade are permissible in patent applications  
See MPEP § 608.02 for the procedure to follow
if:
when drawings have not been filed, but a drawing will
aid in the understanding of the invention. See MPEP
§ 601.01(f) for the procedure to follow when applications
appear to be missing sheets of drawings. Drawings
in utility and plant applications will be
reviewed by the Office of Initial Patent Examination
(OIPE) for compliance with certain requirements of
37 CFR 1.84. OIPE will send a Notice to File Corrected
Application Papers if the drawings are not
acceptable for purposes of publication. The notice
will give applicant a time period of 2 months from the
mailing date of the notice to file acceptable drawings.
This time period for reply is extendable under 37 CFR
1.136(a). OIPE will not release applications to the
Technology Centers until acceptable drawings are
filed in the applications.


(A)Their meanings are established by an accompanying
If at the time of the initial assignment of an application
definition which is sufficiently precise and
to an examiner’s docket, or if at the time the
definite to be made a part of a claim, or
application is taken up for action, the supervisory
 
patent examiner believes the  drawings to be of such
(B)In this country, their meanings are well-
a condition as to not permit reasonable examination of  
known and satisfactorily defined in the literature.
the application, applicant should be required to immediately
 
submit corrected drawings. However, if the
Condition (A) or (B) must be met at the time of filing
drawings do permit reasonable examination and the  
of the complete application.
supervisory patent examiner believes the drawings are
 
of such a character as to render the application defective
 
under 35 U.S.C. 112, examination should begin
 
immediately with a requirement for corrected drawings
I. TRADEMARKS
and a rejection of the claims as not being in compliance
with 35
U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, being
made.


The relationship between a trademark and the product
If the drawings have been indicated by the applicant
it identifies is sometimes indefinite, uncertain, and
as informal, but no objection has been made to
arbitrary. The formula or characteristics of the product
the drawings by OIPE (drawings considered acceptable
may change from time to time and yet it may continue
by OIPE), the examiner should not require
to be sold under the same trademark. In patent specifications,  
replacement of the “informal” drawings with new
every element or ingredient of the product
drawings. If the examiner does make objections to the
should be set forth in positive,
drawings, the examiner should require correction in
reply to the Office action and not permit the objection
to be held in abeyance. See MPEP § 608.02(b), §
608.02(d) - § 608.02(h) and § 608.02(p) for further
information on specific grounds for finding drawings
informalities.


exact, intelligible language,
UNTIMELY FILED DRAWINGS
so that there will be no uncertainty as to what
is meant. Arbitrary trademarks which are liable to
mean different things at the pleasure of manufacturers
do not constitute such language. Ex Parte Kattwinkle,
12 USPQ 11 (Bd. App. 1931).


However, if the product to which the trademark
If a drawing is not timely received in reply to a
refers is set forth in such language that its identity
notice from the Office or a letter from the examiner
is
who requires a drawing, the application becomes
clear, the examiners are authorized to permit the
abandoned for failure to reply.


For the handling of additional, duplicate, or substitute
drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(h).


====608.02(b) Informal Drawings====


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.}}
(a) A utility or plant application will not be placed on the
files for examination until objections to the drawings have been
corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application
publication will not include drawings filed after the application
has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is
otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a
request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not
be considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to
final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application
meets the requirements of § 1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for
reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the
drawing may be admitted for examination.


(b) The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction.
If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must
be submitted within the time set by the Office.


(c) If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing
does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed,
the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period
of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within
which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance
with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable
under § 1.136 (a) or § 1.136 (b).
|}


use
of the trademark if it is distinguished from common
descriptive nouns by capitalization. If the trademark
has a fixed and definite meaning, it constitutes
sufficient identification unless some physical or
chemical characteristic of the article or material is
involved in the invention. In that event, as also in
those cases where the trademark has no fixed and definite
meaning, identification by scientific or other
explanatory language is necessary. In re Gebauer-
Fuelnegg, 121 F.2d 505, 50 USPQ 125 (CCPA 1941).
The matter of sufficiency of disclosure must be
decided on an individual case-by-case basis. In re
Metcalfe, 410
F.2d 1378, 161 USPQ 789 (CCPA
1969).
Where the identification of a trademark is introduced
by amendment, it must be restricted to the characteristics
of the product known at the time the
application was filed to avoid any question of new
matter.
If proper identification of the product sold under a
trademark, or a product referred to only by a name
used in trade, is omitted from the specification and
such identification is deemed necessary under the
principles set forth above, the examiner should hold
the disclosure insufficient and reject on the ground of
insufficient disclosure any claims based on the identification
of the product merely by trademark or by the
name used in trade. If the product cannot be otherwise
defined, an amendment defining the process of its
manufacture may be permitted. Such amendments
must be supported by satisfactory showings establishing
that the specific nature or process of manufacture
of the product as set forth in the amendment was
known at the time of filing of the application.


Although the use of trademarks having definite
In instances where the drawing is such that the  
meanings is permissible in patent applications, the  
prosecution can be carried on without the corrections,
proprietary nature of the marks should be respected.
applicant is informed of the reasons why the drawing
Trademarks should be identified by capitalizing each
is objected to on Form PTO-948 or in an examiner’s
letter of the mark (in the case of word or letter marks)
action, and that the drawing is admitted for examination
or otherwise indicating the description of the mark (in  
purposes only (see MPEP § 707.07(a)). To be
the case of marks in the form of a symbol or device or
fully responsive, an amendment must include corrected
other nontextual form). Every effort should be made
drawings. See 37 CFR 1.85(c) and 37 CFR
to prevent their use in any manner which might
1.121(d). The objection to the drawings will not be  
adversely affect their validity as trademarks.
held in abeyance.


Form paragraph 6.20 may be used.
======I. INFORMAL DRAWINGS======


¶ 6.20 Trademarks and Their Use
The Office no longer considers drawings as formal
or informal. Drawings are either acceptable or not
acceptable. Drawings will be accepted by the Office
of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) if the drawings are readable and reproducible for publication purposes.
See MPEP § 507.


The use of the trademark [1] has been noted in this application.  
Examiners should review the drawings for disclosure
It should be capitalized wherever it appears and be accompanied
of the claimed invention and for proper use of  
by the generic terminology.
reference numerals. Unless applicant is otherwise
notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in
abeyance. A request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fideattempt to advance the application to final action (37
CFR 1.135(c)). Drawing corrections should be made
promptly before allowance of the application in order
to avoid delays in issuance of the application as a
patent or a reduction to any term adjustment. See 37
CFR 1.704(c)(10).


Although the use of trademarks is permissible in patent applications,
======II. NOTIFYING APPLICANT======
the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected
and every effort made to prevent their use in any manner which
might adversely affect their validity as trademarks.


Examiner Note:
If the original drawings are not acceptable, a 2-part
form, PTO-948, may be used to indicate what the
objections are and that new corrected drawings are
required. In either case, the drawings will be accepted
as satisfying the requirements of 37 CFR 1.51. The
examiners are directed to advise the applicants by
way of form PTO-948 (see MPEP § 707.07(a)) in the
first Office action of the reasons why the drawings are
not acceptable.


Capitalize each letter of the word in the bracket or include a
======III. HANDLING OF REPLACEMENT DRAWINGS======
proper trademark symbol, such as ™ or ® following the word.


The examiner should not permit the use of language
In those situations where an application is filed
such as “the product X (a descriptive name) commonly
with unacceptable drawings, applicants will be notified
known as Y (trademark)” since such language
by OIPE to file new acceptable drawings complying
does not bring out the fact that the latter is a trademark.
with 37 CFR 1.84 and 1.121(d). If the requirement
Language such as “the product X (a descriptive
for corrected drawings appears on the notice of  
name) sold under the trademark Y” is permissible.
allowability (PTOL-37), the drawings must be filed
within three months of the date of mailing of the
notice of allowability. Also, each sheet of the drawing
should include the application number and the art unit
in the upper center margin (37 CFR 1.84(c)) and
labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet.” In the
past, some drawings have been misdirected because
the art unit indicated on the filing receipt was used
rather than that indicated on the notice forms.


The use of a trademark in the title of an application
In utility applications, the examination will normally
should be avoided as well as the use of a trademark
be conducted using the originally presented
coupled with the word “type”, e.g., “Band-Aid type
drawings. The sufficiency of disclosure, as concerns
bandage.”
the subject matter claimed, will be made by the examiner
utilizing the original drawings. IT IS APPLICANT’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE THAT NO
NEW MATTER IS ADDED when submitting
replacement drawings after allowance since they will
not normally be reviewed by an examiner. Of course,
if the examiner notices new matter in the replacement
drawings, appropriate action to have the new matter
deleted should be undertaken.


In the event that the proprietary trademark is a
====608.02(c) Drawing Print Kept in File Wrapper====
“symbol or device” depicted in a drawing, either the
brief description of the drawing or the detailed
description of the drawing should specify that the
“symbol or device” is a registered trademark of Company
X.


The owner of a trademark may be identified in the
The drawing prints must always be kept on top of
specification.
the papers on the right side of the file wrapper under
any bibliographic data sheet , if the application is
maintained in paper. If the application is maintained
in an image file wrapper (IFW) and the drawings are
photographs or in color, the original photographs or
color drawings may be maintained in an artifact
folder. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual.


Technology Center Directors should reply to all
Applications may be sent to issue or to the Files
trademark misuse complaint letters and forward a
Repository without the original drawing, if any, if the
copy to the editor of this manual. Where a letter
drawing cannot be located. For an application sent to
demonstrates a trademark misuse in a patent application  
issue with missing drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(z).
publication, the Office should, where the application
For abandoned applications sent to the Files Repository,
is still pending, ensure that the trademark is
a notation should be made on the Contents portion
replaced by appropriate generic terminology.
of the file wrapper that the drawings were
missing.


See Appendix I for a partial listing of trademarks
Upon initial processing, the original drawings are
and the particular goods to which they apply.
placed in the center portion of the application file
wrapper under the specification , if the application is
maintained in paper, and the executed oath or declaration
by the Scanning Division.


====608.02(d) Complete Illustration in Drawings====


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.83. Content of drawing.}}
(a) The drawing in a nonprovisional application must
show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However,
conventional features disclosed in the description and
claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a
proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the
drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled
representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables
and sequence listings that are included in the specification are,
except for applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371, not permitted to
be included in the drawings.


II. INCLUSION OF COPYRIGHT OR
(b) When the invention consists of an improvement on an
MASK WORK NOTICE IN PATENTS
old machine the drawing must when possible exhibit, in one or
more views, the improved portion itself, disconnected from the
old structure, and also in another view, so much only of the old
structure as will suffice to show the connection of the invention
therewith.


37 CFR 1.71. Detailed description and specification of the
(c) Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do
invention
not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration
within a time period of not less than two months from the date of
the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the
requirements of § 1.81(d).
|}


Any structural detail that is of sufficient importance
to be described should be shown in the drawing. (Ex
parte Good, 1911 C.D. 43, 164 O.G. 739 (Comm’r
Pat. 1911).)


====608.02(e) Examiner Determines Completeness and Consistency of Drawings====


(d)A copyright or mask work notice may be placed in a
The examiner should see to it that the figures are
design or utility patent application adjacent to copyright and mask
correctly described in the brief description of the several
 
views of the drawing section of the specification,
that the reference characters are properly applied, that
no single reference character is used for two different
parts or for a given part and a modification of such
part, and that there are no superfluous illustrations.


====608.02(f) Modifications in Drawings====


Modifications may not be shown in broken lines on
figures which show in solid lines another form of the
invention. Ex parte Badger, 1901 C.D. 195, 97 O.G.
1596 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).


All modifications described must be illustrated, or
the text canceled. (Ex parte Peck, 1901 C.D. 136, 96
O.G. 2409 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).) This requirement
does not apply to a mere reference to minor variations
nor to well-known and conventional parts.


====608.02(g) Illustration of Prior Art====


work material contained therein. The notice may appear at any
Figures showing the prior art are usually unnecessary
appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure. For
and should be canceled. Ex parte Elliott, 1904
notices in drawings, see § 1.84(s). The content of the notice must
C.D. 103, 109 O.G. 1337 (Comm’r Pat. 1904). However,  
be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example,  
where needed to understand applicant’s invention,  
“©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17
they may be retained if designated by a legend
U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes,  
such as “Prior Art.”
legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively.
Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted
only if the authorization language set forth in paragraph (e)
of this section is included at the beginning (preferably as the first
paragraph) of the specification.


(e)The authorization shall read as follows:
====608.02(h) Replacement Drawings====


A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
When an amendment is filed stating that replacement
material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection.
sheets of drawings are filed with the amendment
The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection
and such drawings have not been transmitted to the
to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent
Technology Center (TC), the technical support staff in
document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent
the TC should attempt to locate the missing drawings.
and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
In the next communication of the examiner, the applicant
reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.
is notified if the drawings have been received and
whether or not the replacement drawings have been
entered in the application. If the replacement drawings
are not entered, the examiner should give the
applicant a concise and complete explanation as to
why the drawings were not entered.


Replacement drawings, together with the file wrapper,
may be routed through the TC Draftsperson if the
examiner would like the draftsperson’s assistance in
identifying errors in the drawings. For Image File
Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual. The
draftsperson will note any defects of the drawings on
a PTO-948.


The examiner should not overlook such factors as
new matter, the necessity for the replacement sheets
and consistency with other sheets. The technical support
staff will routinely enter all replacement sheets in
the contents of the application. For IFW processing,
see IFW Manual. If the examiner decides that the
sheets should not be entered, the examiner should provide
the applicant with the complete, explicit reasoning
for the denial of entry. The entries made by the
technical support staff will be marked “(N.E.).”


37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings
====608.02(i) Transfer of Drawings From Prior Applications====
 


Transfer of drawings from a first pending application
to another will be made only upon the granting of
a petition filed under 37 CFR 1.182 which must set
forth a hardship situation requiring such transfer of
drawings.


(s)Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or mask
====608.02(m) Drawing Prints====
work notice may appear in the drawing, but must be placed within
the sight of the drawing immediately below the figure representing
the copyright or mask work material and be limited to letters
having a print size of.32 cm. to.64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4 inches) high.
The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements
provided for by law. For example, “ ©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C.
401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly
limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of
copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or
mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language
set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably
as the first paragraph) of the specification.


Preparation and distribution of drawing prints is
discussed in MPEP § 508.


Prints are made of acceptable drawings of an application
maintained in paper. These prints are kept on
top of the papers on the right side of the file wrapper
under any bibliographic data sheet. See MPEP §
719.01(b). No drawing prints are made for an image
file wrapper (IFW) application.


The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will permit
The original drawing, of course, should not be
the inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in a
marked up by the examiner. Where, as in an electrical
design or utility patent application, and thereby any
wiring application, it is desirable to identify the various
patent issuing therefrom, which discloses material on
circuits by different colors, or in any more or less
which copyright or mask work protection has previously
complex application, it is advantageous to apply legends,
been established, under the following conditions:
arrows, or other indicia, the drawing prints may
 
be used and retained unofficially in the file since the  
 
drawing prints are no longer needed for a record of  
(A)The copyright or mask work notice must be  
the drawings as originally filed. If the application is
placed adjacent to the copyright or mask work material.
maintained in paper, the drawing prints, as colored by
Therefore, the notice may appear at any appropriate
the examiner, may be retained in the paper application file. If the application is an IFW application, the  
portion of the patent application disclosure,  
drawing prints may be retained by the examiner.
including the drawing. However, if appearing in the  
drawing, the notice must comply with 37 CFR
1.84(s). If placed on a drawing in conformance with
these provisions, the notice will not be objected to as
extraneous matter under 37 CFR 1.84.


(B)The content of the notice must be limited to
Prints remain in the paper application file at all
only those elements required by law. For example,
times except as provided in MPEP § 608.02(c).
“©1983 John Doe”(17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John
Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited, and
under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of
copyright and mask work respectively.


(C)Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice
====608.02(n) Duplicate Prints in Patentability Report Applications====
will be permitted only if the following authorization
in 37 CFR 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably
as the first paragraph) of the specification to be
printed for the patent:
 
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document
contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask
work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner
has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone
of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and
Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise
reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.
 
(D)Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice
after a Notice of Allowance has been mailed will be
permitted only if the criteria of 37 CFR 1.312 have
been satisfied.
 
The inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in
a design or utility patent application, and thereby any
patent issuing therefrom, under the conditions set
forth above will serve to protect the rights of the
author/inventor, as well as the public, and will serve
to promote the mission and goals of the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office. Therefore, the inclusion of a
copyright or mask work notice which complies with
these conditions will be permitted. However, any
departure from these conditions may result in a
refusal to permit the desired inclusion. If the authorization
required under condition (C) above does not
include the specific language “(t)he (copyright or
mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the
patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and
Trademark Office patent files or records,...” the notice
will be objected to as improper by the examiner of the
application. If the examiner maintains the objection
upon reconsideration, a petition may be filed in accordance
with 37 CFR 1.181.


In patentability report cases having drawings, the
examiner to whom the application is assigned should
normally obtain a duplicate set of the interference
prints of the drawing for filing in the Technology Center
(TC) to which the application is referred.


When an application that has had patentability
report prosecution is passed for issue or becomes
abandoned, notification of this fact is given by the TC
having jurisdiction of the case to each TC that submitted
a patentability report. The examiner of each such
reporting TC notes the date of allowance or abandonment
on his or her duplicate set of prints. At such time
as these prints become of no value to the reporting
TC, they may be destroyed.


For patentability reports, see MPEP § 705 to
§ 705.01(f).


====608.02(o) Notations Entered on Drawing====


Drawings are no longer endorsed with an application
number or receipt date. A draftsperson’s
“stamp” to indicate approval is no longer required on
patent drawings, and these stamps are no longer used
by draftspersons. If the drawings in an allowed application
are not indicated as having been disapproved or
canceled, the most-recently filed drawings will be
used for printing the patent.


608.02Drawing [R-3]
====608.02(p) Correction of Drawings====


35 U.S.C. 113. Drawings.
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in application.}}
{{Ellipsis}}
(d) Drawings: One or more application drawings shall
be amended in the following manner: Any changes to an application
drawing must be in compliance with § 1.84 and must be submitted
on a replacement sheet of drawings which shall be an
attachment to the amendment document and, in the top margin,
labeled “Replacement Sheet”. Any replacement sheet of drawings
shall include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior
version of the sheet, even if only one figure is amended. Any new
sheet of drawings containing an additional figure must be labeled
in the top margin as “New Sheet”. All changes to the drawings
shall be explained, in detail, in either the drawing amendment or
remarks section of the amendment paper.


The applicant shall furnish a drawing where necessary for the
{{tab1}}(1) A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, may be included. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings.</p>
understanding of the subject matter to be patented. When the
nature of such subject matter admits of illustration by a drawing  
and the applicant has not furnished such a drawing, the Commissioner
may require its submission within a time period of not less
than two months from the sending of a notice thereof. Drawings
submitted after the filing date of the application may not be used
(i) to overcome any insufficiency of the specification due to lack
of an enabling disclosure or otherwise inadequate disclosure
therein, or (ii) to supplement the original disclosure thereof for the
purpose of interpretation of the scope of any claim.


37 CFR 1.81. Drawings required in patent application.
{{tab1}}(2) A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, must be provided when required by the examiner.</p>
|}


(a)The applicant for a patent is required to furnish a drawing
of his or her invention where necessary for the understanding
of the subject matter sought to be patented; this drawing, or a high
quality copy thereof, must be filed with the application. Since corrections
are the responsibility of the applicant, the original drawing(
s) should be retained by the applicant for any necessary future
correction.


(b)Drawings may include illustrations which facilitate an  
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.}}
understanding of the invention (for example, flow sheets in cases
(a) A utility or plant application will not be placed on the
of processes, and diagrammatic views).
files for examination until objections to the drawings have been
corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application
publication will not include drawings filed after the application
has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is
otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a
request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not
be considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to
final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application
meets the requirements of § 1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for  
reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the
drawing may be admitted for examination.
 
(b) The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction.
If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must
be submitted within the time set by the Office.
 
(c) If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing
does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed,
the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period
of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within
which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance
with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable
under § 1.136(a) or § 1.136(b).
|}


(c)Whenever the nature of the subject matter sought to be
patented admits of illustration by a drawing without its being necessary
for the understanding of the subject matter and the applicant
has not furnished such a drawing, the examiner will require
its submission within a time period of not less than two months
from the date of the sending of a notice thereof.


(d)Drawings submitted after the filing date of the application
See also MPEP § 608.02(b). For correction at
may not be used to overcome any insufficiency of the specification
allowance and issue, see MPEP § 608.02(w) and
due to lack of an enabling disclosure or otherwise
MPEP § 1302.05.
inadequate disclosure therein, or to supplement the original disclosure
thereof for the purpose of interpretation of the scope of
any claim.


I.DRAWING REQUIREMENTS
A canceled figure may be reinstated. An amendment
should be made to the specification adding the
brief description of the view if a canceled figure is
reinstated.


The first sentence of 35 U.S.C 113 requires a
====608.02(q) Conditions Precedent to Amendment of Drawing====
drawing
to be submitted upon filing where such drawing
is necessary for the understanding of the invention.
In this situation, the lack of a drawing renders
the application incomplete and, as such, the application
cannot be given a filing date until the drawing is
received. The second sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113addresses the situation wherein a drawing is not necessary
for the understanding of the invention, but the
subject matter sought to be patented admits of illustration
and no drawing was submitted on filing. The lack
of a drawing in this situation does not render the
application incomplete but rather is treated as an
informality. The examiner should require such drawings
in almost all such instances. Such drawings could
be required during the initial processing of the application
but do not have to be furnished at the time the
application is filed. The applicant is given at least
2
months from the date of the letter requiring drawings
to submit the drawing(s).


If the specification includes a sequence listing or a
See MPEP § 507 for changes to the patent drawings  
table, such a sequence listing or table is not permitted
for purposes of a patent application publication.
to be reprinted in the drawings. 37 CFR 1.83(a) and
1.58(a). If a sequence listing as shown in the drawings
has more information than is contained in the specification,
the sequence listing could be included in the
specification and the drawings. Applications filed
under 35 U.S.C. 371 are excluded from the prohibition
from having the same tables and sequence listings
in both the description portion of the
specification and drawings.


II.RECEIPT OF DRAWING AFTER THE
If applicant wishes to amend the original drawings,
FILING DATE
at his or her own initiative, applicant is encouraged to
submit new drawings as soon as possible, and preferably
before allowance of the application.  


If the examiner discovers new matter in a substitute
====608.02(t) Cancellation of Figures====
or additional drawing, the drawing should not be
entered. The drawing should be objected to as containing
new matter. A new drawing without such new
matter may be required if the examiner determines
that a drawing is needed under 37 CFR 1.81 or 37
CFR 1.83. The examiner’s decision would be reviewable
by filing a petition under 37 CFR 1.181. The
Technology Center (TC) Director would decide such a
petition.


III.HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS
If a drawing figure is canceled, a replacement
UNDER THE FIRST SENTENCE
sheet of drawings must be submitted without the figure
OF 35 U.S.C 113
(see 37 CFR 1.121(d)). If the canceled drawing
figure was the only drawing on the sheet, then only a
marked-up copy of the drawing sheet including an
annotation showing that the drawing has been cancelled
is required. The marked-up (annotated) copy
must be clearly labeled as 'Annotated Sheet' and must
be presented in the amendment or remarks section of
the amendment document which explains the changes
to the drawings (see 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1)). The brief
description of the drawings should also be amended to
reflect this change.


The Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE)  
====608.02(v) Drawing Changes Which Require Annotated Sheets====
will make the initial decision in all new applications
as to whether a drawing is “necessary” under the first
sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113. A drawing will be considered
necessary under the first sentence of 35 U.S.C.
113 in all applications where the drawing is referred
to in the specification and one or more figures have
been omitted.


The determination under 35 U.S.C. 113 (first sentence)
When changes are to be made in the drawing itself,
as to when a drawing is necessary will be handled
other than mere changes in reference characters, designations
in OIPE in accordance with the following
of figures, or inking over lines pale and
procedure. OIPE will make the initial determination
rough, a marked-up copy of the drawing should
as to whether drawings are required for the understanding
be filed with a replacement drawing. The marked-up
of the subject matter of the invention. When
copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet.”
See 37 CFR 1.84(c) and 1.121(d). Ordinarily, broken
lines may be changed to full without a sketch.


Annotated sheets filed by an applicant and used for
correction of the drawing will not be returned. All
such annotated sheets must be in ink or permanent
prints.


====608.02(w) Drawing Changes Which May Be Made Without Applicant’s Annotated Sheets====


Where an application is ready for issue except for a
slight defect in the drawing not involving change in
structure, the examiner will prepare a letter to the
applicant indicating the change to be made and
include a marked-up copy of the drawing
showing the addition or alteration to be made. The
marked-up copy of the drawing should be attached to
the letter to the applicant and a copy placed in the
application file.


The correction must be made at applicant’s
expense.


As a guide to the examiner, the following corrections
are illustrative of those that may be made by
an annotated sheet:


no drawings are included in the application as filed
(A) Adding two or three reference characters or
and drawings are required, the application is treated as
exponents.
incomplete and the applicant is so informed by OIPE.
A filing date will not be granted and applicant will be
notified to complete the application (37 CFR 1.53(e)).
If a drawing is later furnished, a filing date may be
granted as of the date of receipt of such drawing.


An OIPE formality examiner should not treat an
(B) Changing one or two numerals or figure ordinals.  
application without drawings as incomplete if drawings
Garrett v. Cox, 233 F.2d 343, 346, 110 USPQ
are not required. A drawing is not required for a
52, 54
filing date under 35 U.S.C. 111 and 113 if the application
(CCPA 1956).
contains:


(A)at least one process claim including the term
(C) Removing superfluous matter.
“process” or “method” in its introductory phrase;


(B)at least one composition claim including the
(D) Adding or reversing directional arrows.
term “composition,” “compound,” “mixture” or  
“pharmaceutical” in its introductory phrase;


(C)at least one claim directed to a coated article
(E) Changing Roman Numerals to Arabic
or product or to an article or product made from a particular
Numerals to agree with specification.
material or composition (i.e., an article of
known and conventional character (e.g., a table),
coated with or made of a particular composition (e.g.,
a specified polymer such as polyvinyl-chloride));


(D)at least one claim directed to a laminated article
(F) Adding section lines or brackets, where easily
or product (i.e., a laminated article of known and
executed.
conventional character (e.g., a table)); or


(E)at least one claim directed to an article, apparatus,
(G) Changing lead lines.
or system where the sole distinguishing feature
is the presence of a particular material (e.g., a hydraulic
system using a particular hydraulic fluid, or a conventional
packaged suture using a particular material).  


For a more complete explanation about when a
(H) Correcting misspelled legends.
drawing is required, see MPEP § 601.01(f). For applications
submitted without all of the drawings
described in the specification, see MPEP § 601.01(g).


If an examiner determines that a filing date should
====608.02(x) Drawing Corrections or Changes Accepted Unless Notified Otherwise====
not have been granted in an application because it
does not contain drawings, the matter should be
brought to the attention of the supervisory patent
examiner (SPE) for review. If the SPE decides that
drawings are required to understand the subject matter
of the invention, the SPE should return the application
to OIPE with a typed, signed, and dated memorandum
requesting cancellation of the filing date and identifying
the subject matter required to be illustrated.


IV.HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS
Drawing corrections or changes will be entered
UNDER THE SECOND SENTENCE
at the time they are presented, unless applicant is notified
OF 35 U.S.C 113 - ILLUSTRATION
to the contrary by the examiner in the action following
SUBSEQUENTLY REQUIRED
the amended drawing submission.


35 U.S.C.113 addresses the situation wherein a
CORRECTION OR CHANGE NOT ACCEPTED
drawing is not necessary for the understanding of the
 
invention, but the subject matter sought to be patented
Where the corrected or changed drawing is not  
admits of illustration by a drawing and the applicant  
accepted, for example, because the submitted corrections
has not furnished a drawing. The lack of a drawing in
or changes are erroneous, or involve new
this situation does not render the application incomplete
matter or  do not include all necessary corrections,
but rather is treated as an informality. A filing
the applicant will be notified and informed of any
date will be accorded with the original presentation of  
required corrective action in the next Office action.  
the papers, despite the absence of drawings. The
The examiner should explicitly and clearly set forth
acceptance of an application without a drawing does
all the reasons for not approving the corrections to the  
not preclude the examiner from requiring an illustration
drawings in the next communication to the applicant.  
in the form of a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or
See MPEP § 608.02(p) for suggested form paragraphs  
37 CFR 1.83(c). In requiring such a drawing, the
that may be used by examiners to notify applicants of
examiner should clearly indicate that the requirement
drawing corrections.
is made under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or 37 CFR 1.83(a) and
be careful not to state that he or she is doing so
“because it is necessary for the understanding of the
invention,” as that might give rise to an erroneous
impression as to the completeness of the application
as filed. Examiners making such requirements are to
specifically require, as a part of the applicant’s next  
reply, at
least an ink sketch or permanent print of any
drawing in reply to the requirement, even though no
allowable subject matter is yet indicated. This will
afford the examiner an early opportunity to determine
the sufficiency of the illustration and the absence of
new matter. See 37 CFR 1.121 and 37 CFR 1.81(d).
One of the following form paragraphs may be used to  
require a drawing:


====608.02(y)Return of Drawing====


Drawings will not be returned to the applicant.


¶ 6.23 Subject Matter Admits of Illustration
====608.02(z) Allowable Applications Needing Drawing Corrections or Corrected Drawings====


The subject matter of this application admits of illustration by a
If an application is being allowed, and corrected
drawing to facilitate understanding of the invention. Applicant is  
drawings have not been filed, form PTOL-37 provides
required to furnish a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c). No new matter
an appropriate check box for requiring corrected
may be introduced in the required drawing. Each drawing
drawings.
sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be
labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New
Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d).


Examiner Note:
Allowable applications with drawings that were
 
indicated by the applicant to be informal should be
When requiring drawings before examination use form paragraph
turned in for counting and forwarding to the Publishing
6.23.01 with a PTOL-90 or PTO-90C form as a cover sheet.
Division without the drawings having been corrected.
Examiners should not require new drawings
merely because the applicant indicated that the drawings
submitted on filing were informal. If at allowance,
the examiner determines that correction is
required, the drawings requiring correction should be
placed as the top papers in the center fold of the file
wrapper, if the application is maintained in paper. For
Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual.  
A proposed drawing correction, for example a
drawing sheet with corrections marked in pencil,
should be stapled to the right outside flap of the file
wrapper over the area having the search information.
Care should be taken to make certain that the corrections
have been approved by the examiner. Such
approval should be made by the examiner prior to
counting the allowance of the application by writing
“Approved,” the examiner’s initials or full name, and
the date, on the front page of the proposed drawing
corrections. In IFW applications, generally, the most
recently filed drawings will be used for printing,
unless they have been indicated as “Not Entered.”


Extensions of time to provide acceptable drawings
after the mailing of a notice of allowability are no
longer permitted. If the Office of Publications
receives drawings that cannot be scanned or are otherwise
unacceptable for publication, the Office of Publication
will mail a requirement for corrected drawings,
giving applicant a shortened statutory period of two
months (with no extensions of time permitted) to
reply. The drawings will ordinarily not be returned to
the examiner for corrections.


I. APPLICATIONS HAVING LOST DRAWINGS


A replacement drawing should be obtained from
the Office of Initial Patent Examination’s records of
the application as originally filed. If the reproduced
drawings are not acceptable for publishing, applicant
should be required to submit corrected drawings.


The Notice of Allowability is verified and printed
using PALM, and the Notice is mailed to the applicant.


The application is then forwarded to Licensing and
Review or the Publishing Division, as appropriate,
using the PALM transaction code after the application
has been revised for issue.


II. UTILITY PATENT APPLICATIONS RECEIVING
FORMAL DRAWINGS AFTER
THE NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY


Where replacement drawings are received in utility
patent applications examined with informal drawings
and the Notice of Allowability was mailed prior to the
receipt of the replacement drawings, the technical
support staff should forward the replacement drawings
to the Publishing Division. Submission to the
examiner is not necessary unless an amendment
accompanies the drawings which changes the specification,
such as where the description of figures is
added or canceled.


¶ 6.23.01 Subject Matter Admits of Illustration (No
III. BORROWING FILES FROM PUBLISHING
Examination of Claims)
DIVISION


The subject matter of this application admits of illustration by a
Allowed files requiring drawing corrections are
drawing to facilitate understanding of the invention. Applicant is
sent to the Publishing Division. At times, examiners
required to furnish a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81. No new matter
have a
may be introduced in the required drawing.
need to borrow these applications. When borrowing
applications, examining corps personnel must
submit a request to the Office of Patent Publications
Customer Service Center.


Applicant is given a TWO MONTH time period to submit a
IV. 37 CFR 1.312 AMENDMENTS
drawing in compliance with 37 CFR 1.81. Extensions of time
may be obtained under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). Failure
to timely submit a drawing will result in ABANDONMENT of
the application.


Examiner Note:
For information on handling amendments to drawings
filed under 37 CFR 1.312, see MPEP § 714.16.


1.Use of this form paragraph should be extremely rare and limited
===608.03 Models, Exhibits, Specimens===
to those instances where no examination can be performed
due to lack of an illustration of the invention resulting in a lack of
understanding of the claimed subject matter.


2.Use a PTOL-90 or PTO-90C form as a cover sheet for this
{{Statute|35 U.S.C. 114. Models, specimens.}}
communication.
The Director may require the applicant to furnish a model of
convenient size to exhibit advantageously the several parts of his
invention.


Applicant should also amend the specification
When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the  
accordingly to reference to the new illustration at the  
Director may require the applicant to furnish specimens or ingredients
time of submission of the drawing(s). This may obviate
for the purpose of inspection or experiment.
further correspondence where an amendment
|}
places the application in condition for allowance.


V.DRAWING STANDARDS


37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.91. Models or exhibits not generally admitted aspart of application or patent.}}
(a) A model or exhibit will not be admitted as part of the
record of an application unless it:


(a)Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting
{{tab1}}(1)Substantially conforms to the requirements of §1.52or §1.84;</p>
drawings in utility and design patent applications.
 
{{tab1}}(2) Is specifically required by the Office; or</p>


(1)Black ink. Black and white drawings are normally
{{tab1}}(3) Is filed with a petition under this section including:</p>
required. India ink, or its equivalent that secures solid black lines,
must be used for drawings; or


(2)Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary
{{tab2}}(i) The fee set forth in §1.17(h); and</p>
as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject
matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent
application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration.
The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all
details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the
printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international
applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy
thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The
Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications
and statutory invention registrations only after granting a
petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings
are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:


(i)The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);
{{tab2}}(ii) An explanation of why entry of the model or exhibit in the file record is necessary to demonstrate patentability.</p>


(ii)Three (3) sets of color drawings;
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this
section, a model, working model, or other physical exhibit may be
required by the Office if deemed necessary for any purpose in
examination of the application.


(iii)An amendment to the specification to insert
(c) Unless the model or exhibit substantially conforms to the  
(unless the specification contains or has been previously amended
requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84 under paragraph (a)(1) of this
to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the
section, it must be accompanied by photographs that show multiple
brief description of the drawings:
views of the material features of the model or exhibit and that
substantially conform to the requirements of § 1.84.
|}


The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by
the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.


(b)Photographs.—
Models or exhibits are generally not admitted as
part of an application or patent unless the requirements
of 37 CFR 1.91 are satisfied.


(1)Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies
With the exception of cases involving perpetual
of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design
motion, a model is not ordinarily required by the
patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility
Office to demonstrate the operability of a device. If  
and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the
operability of a device is questioned, the applicant
only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention.
must establish it to the satisfaction of the examiner,
For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis
but he or she may choose his or her own way of so  
gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern),
doing.
auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained),
histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals,
plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline
structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental
effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application
admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a
drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of  
sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible
in the printed patent.


(2)Color photographs. Color photographs will be
Models or exhibits that are required by the Office
accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions
or filed with a petition under 37 CFR 1.91(a)(3) must
for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs
be accompanied by photographs that (A) show multiple
have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.
views of the material features of the model or
exhibit, and (B) substantially conform to the requirements
of 37 CFR 1.84. See 37 CFR 1.91(c). Material
features are considered to be those features which represent
that portion(s) of the model or exhibit forming
the basis for which the model or exhibit has been submitted.
Where a video or DVD or similar item is submitted
as a model or exhibit, applicant must submit
photographs of what is depicted in the video or DVD
(the content of the material such as a still image single
frame of a movie) and not a photograph of a video
cassette, DVD disc or compact disc.


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.93. Specimens.}}
When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the
applicant may be required to furnish specimens of the composition,
or of its ingredients or intermediates, for the purpose of
inspection or experiment.
|}


(c)Identification of drawings. Identifying indicia should be
provided, and if provided, should include the title of the invention,
inventor’s name, and application number, or docket number (if
any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application.
If this information is provided, it must be placed on the
front of each sheet within the top margin. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be identified as
either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to §
1.121(d). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure
including annotations indicating the changes made is filed, such
marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet”
pursuant to § 1.121(d)(1).


(d)Graphic forms in drawings. Chemical or mathematical
See MPEP Chapter 2400 regarding treatment of  
formulae, tables, and waveforms may be submitted as drawings
biotechnology deposits.
and are subject to the same requirements as drawings. Each chemical
or mathematical formula must be labeled as a separate figure,
using brackets when necessary, to show that information is properly
integrated. Each group of waveforms must be presented as a
single figure, using a common vertical axis with time extending
along the horizontal axis. Each individual waveform discussed in
the specification must be identified with a separate letter designation
adjacent to the vertical axis.


(e)Type of paper. Drawings submitted to the Office must be
====608.03(a)Handling of Models, Exhibits, and Specimens====
made on paper which is flexible, strong, white, smooth, non-shiny,
and durable. All sheets must be reasonably free from cracks,
creases, and folds. Only one side of the sheet may be used for the
drawing. Each sheet must be reasonably free from erasures and
must be free from alterations, overwritings, and interlineations.
Photographs must be developed on paper meeting the sheet-size
requirements of paragraph (f) of this section and the margin


All models and exhibits received in the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office should be taken to the Technology
Center (TC) assigned the related application for
examination. The receipt of all models and exhibits
which are to be entered into the application file record
must be properly recorded on the “Contents” portion
of the application file wrapper or, if the application is
an Image File Wrapper (IFW) application, on an artifact
sheet. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual section
3.6.


A label indicating the application number, filing
date, and attorney’s name and address should be
attached to the model or exhibit so that it is clearly
identified and easily returned. The Office may
return the model, exhibit, or specimen, at any time
once it is no longer necessary for the conduct of business
before the Office and return of the model or
exhibit is appropriate. See 37
CFR 1.94.


If the model or exhibit cannot be conveniently
stored within the application file wrapper or in an artifact
folder, it should not be accepted.


Models and exhibits may be presented for demonstration
purposes during an interview. The models and
exhibits should be taken away by applicant or his/her
attorney or agent at the conclusion of the interview
since models or exhibits are generally not permitted to
be admitted as part of the application or patent unless
the requirements of 37
CFR 1.91 are satisfied. See
MPEP § 713.08. A full description of what was demonstrated
or exhibited during the interview must be
made of record. See 37 CFR 1.133. Any model or
exhibit that is left with the examiner at the conclusion of the interview, which is not made part of the application
or patent, may be disposed of at the discretion
of the Office.


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.94. Return of models, exhibits or specimens.}}
(a) Models, exhibits, or specimens may be returned to the
applicant if no longer necessary for the conduct of business before
the Office. When applicant is notified that a model, exhibit, or
specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business
before the Office and will be returned, applicant must arrange for
the return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at the applicant’s
expense. The Office will dispose of perishables without notice to
applicant unless applicant notifies the Office upon submission of
the model, exhibit or specimen that a return is desired and makes
arrangements for its return promptly upon notification by the
Office that the model, exhibit or specimen is no longer necessary
for the conduct of business before the Office.


requirements of paragraph (g) of this section. See paragraph (b) of  
(b) Applicant is responsible for retaining the actual model,
this section for other requirements for photographs.
exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable life of any patent resulting
from the application. The provisions of this paragraph do not
apply to a model or exhibit that substantially conforms to the
requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84, where the model or exhibit has
been described by photographs that substantially conform to §
1.84, or where the model, exhibit or specimen is perishable.


(f)Size of paper. All drawing sheets in an application must
(c) Where applicant is notified, pursuant to paragraph (a) of  
be the same size. One of the shorter sides of the sheet is regarded
this section, of the need to arrange for return of a model, exhibit or
as its top. The size of the sheets on which drawings are made must
specimen, applicant must arrange for the return within the period
be:
set in such notice, to avoid disposal of the model, exhibit or specimen
by the Office. Extensions of time are available under § 1.136,
except in the case of perishables. Failure to establish that the  
return of the item has been arranged for within the period set or
failure to have the item removed from Office storage within a reasonable
amount of time notwithstanding any arrangement for
return, will permit the Office to dispose of the model, exhibit or
specimen.
|}


(1)21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4), or


(2)21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inches).
When applicant is notified that a model,
exhibit, or specimen is no longer necessary for the
conduct of business before the Office and will be
returned, applicant must make arrangements for the
return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at applicant’s
expense. The Office may return the model,
exhibit, or specimen at any time once it is no longer
necessary for the conduct of business and need not
wait until the close of prosecution or later. Where the
model, exhibit, or specimen is a perishable, the Office
will be presumed to have permission to dispose of the
item without notice to applicant, unless applicant notifies
the Office upon submission of the item that a
return is desired and arrangements are promptly made
for the item’s return upon notification by the Office.


(g)Margins. The sheets must not contain frames around the
For models, exhibits, or specimens that are
sight (i.e., the usable surface), but should have scan target points
returned, applicant is responsible for retaining the  
(i.e., cross-hairs) printed on two cater-corner margin corners. Each
actual model, exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable
sheet must include a top margin of at least 2.5
life of any patent resulting from the application except
cm. (1
where: (A) the model or exhibit substantially conforms
inch), a left
to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 or 1.84; (B)
side margin of at
the model or exhibit has been described by photographs
least 2.5
that substantially conform to 37 CFR 1.84; or
cm. (1
(C) the model, exhibit, or specimen is perishable.  
inch), a right side margin of at
Applicant may be called upon to resubmit such
least 1.5
returned model, exhibit, or specimen under appropriate
cm. (5/8
circumstances, such as where a continuing application
inch), and a bottom margin of at least 1.0
is filed.  
cm.
(3/8
inch), thereby leaving a sight no greater than 17.0
cm. by
26.2
cm. on 21.0
cm. by 29.7
cm. (DIN size A4) drawing sheets,  
and a sight no greater than 17.6
cm. by 24.4
cm. (6 15/16 by 9 5/
8
inches) on 21.6
cm. by 27.9
cm. (8 1/2 by 11
inch) drawing
sheets.


(h)Views. The drawing must contain as many views as necessary
The notification to applicant that a model, exhibit,  
to show the invention. The views may be plan, elevation,  
or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of  
section, or perspective views. Detail views of portions of elements,  
business before the Office will set a time period
on a larger scale if necessary, may also be used. All views
within which applicant must make arrangements for a
of the drawing must be grouped together and arranged on the
return of a model, exhibit, or specimen. The time
sheet(s) without wasting space, preferably in an upright position,  
period is normally one month from the mailing date of  
clearly separated from one another, and must not be included in  
the notification, unless the item is perishable, in
the sheets containing the specifications, claims, or abstract. Views
which case the time period will be shorter. Extensions
must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain
of time are available under 37 CFR 1.136, except in  
center lines. Waveforms of electrical signals may be connected by
the case of perishables. Failure by applicant to establish
dashed lines to show the relative timing of the waveforms.
that arrangements for the return of a model,  
exhibit, or specimen have been made within the time
period set in the notice will result in the disposal of
the model, exhibit, or specimen by the Office.
 
For plant specimens, see MPEP § 1607 and 37 CFR 1.166.


(1)Exploded views. Exploded views, with the separated
{{Statute|37 CFR 1.95. Copies of exhibits.}}
parts embraced by a bracket, to show the relationship or order of
Copies of models or other physical exhibits will not ordinarily
assembly of various parts are permissible. When an exploded
be furnished by the Office, and any model or exhibit in an application
view is shown in a figure which is on the same sheet as another
or patent shall not be taken from the Office except in the custody
figure, the exploded view should be placed in brackets.
of an employee of the Office specially authorized by the  
Director.
|}


(2)Partial views. When necessary, a view of a large
machine or device in its entirety may be broken into partial views
on a single sheet, or extended over several sheets if there is no loss
in facility of understanding the view. Partial views drawn on separate
sheets must always be capable of being linked edge to edge so
that no partial view contains parts of another partial view. A
smaller scale view should be included showing the whole formed
by the partial views and indicating the positions of the parts
shown. When a portion of a view is enlarged for magnification
purposes, the view and the enlarged view must each be labeled as
separate views.


(i)Where views on two or more sheets form, in
===608.04 New Matter===
effect, a single complete view, the views on the several sheets
must be so arranged that the complete figure can be assembled
without concealing any part of any of the views appearing on the
various sheets.


(ii)A very long view may be divided into several parts
37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in applications.
placed one above the other on a single sheet. However, the relationship
between the different parts must be clear and unambiguous.




(3)Sectional views. The plane upon which a sectional
view is taken should be indicated on the view from which the section
is cut by a broken line. The ends of the broken line should be
designated by Arabic or Roman numerals corresponding to the
view number of the sectional view, and should have arrows to
indicate the direction of sight. Hatching must be used to indicate
section portions of an object, and must be made by regularly
spaced oblique parallel lines spaced sufficiently apart to enable
the lines to be distinguished without difficulty. Hatching should
not impede the clear reading of the reference characters and lead
lines. If it is not possible to place reference characters outside the
hatched area, the hatching may be broken off wherever reference
characters are inserted. Hatching must be at a substantial angle to
the surrounding axes or principal lines, preferably 45°. A cross
section must be set out and drawn to show all of the materials as
they are shown in the view from which the cross section was
taken. The parts in cross section must show proper material(s) by
hatching with regularly spaced parallel oblique strokes, the space
between strokes being chosen on the basis of the total area to be
hatched. The various parts of a cross section of the same item
should be hatched in the same manner and should accurately and
graphically indicate the nature of the material(s) that is illustrated
in cross section. The hatching of juxtaposed different elements
must be angled in a different way. In the case of large areas, hatching
may be confined to an edging drawn around the entire inside
of the outline of the area to be hatched. Different types of hatching
should have different conventional meanings as regards the nature
of a material seen in cross section.


(4)Alternate position. A moved position may be shown
(f)No new matter. No amendment may introduce new matter
by a broken line superimposed upon a suitable view if this can be
into the disclosure of an application.
done without crowding; otherwise, a separate view must be used
for this purpose.


(5)Modified forms. Modified forms of construction must
be shown in separate views.


(i)Arrangement of views. One view must not be placed
upon another or within the outline of another. All views on the
same sheet should stand in the same direction and, if possible,
stand so that they can be read with the sheet held in an upright
position. If views wider than the width of the sheet are necessary
for the clearest illustration of the invention, the sheet may be
turned on its side so that the top of the sheet, with the appropriate
top margin to be used as the heading space, is on the right-hand
side. Words must appear in a horizontal, left-to-right fashion when
the page is either upright or turned so that the top becomes the
right side, except for graphs utilizing standard scientific convention
to denote the axis of abscissas (of X) and the axis of ordinates
(of Y).


(j)Front page view. The drawing must contain as many
In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not
views as necessary to show the invention. One of the views should
only on the specification and drawing as filed but also
be suitable for inclusion on the front page of the patent application
on the original claims if their content justifies it. See
publication and patent as the illustration of the invention. Views
MPEP § 608.01(l).
must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain
center lines. Applicant may suggest a single view (by figure number)
for inclusion on the front page of the patent application publication
and patent.
 
(k)Scale. The scale to which a drawing is made must be
large enough to show the mechanism without crowding when the
drawing is reduced in size to two-thirds in reproduction. Indications
such as “actual size” or “scale 1/2” on the drawings are not


While amendments to the specification and claims
involving new matter are ordinarily entered, such
matter is required to be canceled from the descriptive
portion of the specification, and the claims affected
are rejected under 35
U.S.C. 112, first paragraph.


When new matter is introduced into the specification,
the amendment should be objected to under 35
U.S.C. 132 (35 U.S.C. 251 if a reissue application)
and a requirement made to cancel the new matter. The
subject matter which is considered to be new matter
must be clearly identified by the examiner. If the new
matter has been entered into the claims or affects the
scope of the claims, the claims affected should be
rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, because
the new matter is not described in the application as
originally filed.


A “new matter” amendment of the drawing is ordinarily
not entered; neither is an additional or substitute
sheet containing “new matter” even though
provisionally entered by the TC technical support
staff. See MPEP § 608.02(h).


The examiner’s holding of new matter may be petitionable
or appealable. See MPEP § 608.04(c).


For new matter in reissue application, see MPEP
§ 1411.02. For new matter in substitute specification,
see MPEP § 608.01(q).


permitted since these lose their meaning with reproduction in a  
Note: No amendment is permitted in a provisional
different format.
application after it receives a filing date.


(l)Character of lines, numbers, and letters. All drawings
====608.04(a) Matter Not in Original Specification, Claims, or Drawings====
must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory
reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must
be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently
dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight
of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate
reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine,
to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional
views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in
the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different
meaning.


(m)Shading. The use of shading in views is encouraged if it
Matter not in the original specification, claims, or
aids in understanding the invention and if it does not reduce legibility.
drawings is usually new matter. Depending on circumstances
Shading is used to indicate the surface or shape of spherical,  
such as the adequacy of the original disclosure,
cylindrical, and conical elements of an object. Flat parts may also
the addition of inherent characteristics such
be lightly shaded. Such shading is preferred in the case of parts
as chemical or physical properties, a new structural
shown in perspective, but not for cross sections. See paragraph
formula or a new use may be new matter. See Ex parte
(h)(3) of this section. Spaced lines for shading are preferred.  
Vander Wal, 109 USPQ 119, 1956 C.D. 11, 705 O.G. 5
These lines must be thin, as few in number as practicable, and
(Bd. App. 1955) (physical properties), Ex parte Fox,
they must contrast with the rest of the drawings. As a substitute
128 USPQ 157, 1960 C.D. 28, 761 O.G. 906 (Bd.
for shading, heavy lines on the shade side of objects can be used
App. 1957) (new formula) and Ex parte Ayers, 108
except where they superimpose on each other or obscure reference
USPQ 444 (Bd. App. 1955) (new use). For rejection
characters. Light should come from the upper left corner at an
of claim involving new matter, see MPEP
angle of 45°. Surface delineations should preferably be shown by
§
proper shading. Solid black shading areas are not permitted,  
except when used to represent bar graphs or color.


(n)Symbols. Graphical drawing symbols may be used for
706.03(o).
conventional elements when appropriate. The elements for which
such symbols and labeled representations are used must be adequately
identified in the specification. Known devices should be
illustrated by symbols which have a universally recognized conventional
meaning and are generally accepted in the art. Other
symbols which are not universally recognized may be used, subject
to approval by the Office, if they are not likely to be confused
with existing conventional symbols, and if they are readily identifiable.


For completeness of disclosure, see MPEP §
608.01(p). For trademarks and tradenames, see
MPEP § 608.01(v).


(o)Legends. Suitable descriptive legends may be used subject
====608.04(b)New Matter by PreliminaryAmendment [R-3]====
to approval by the Office, or may be required by the examiner
where necessary for understanding of the drawing. They should
contain as few words as possible.
 
(p)Numbers, letters, and reference characters.


(1)Reference characters (numerals are preferred), sheet
A preliminary amendment present on the filing
numbers, and view numbers must be plain and legible, and must
date of the application (e.g., filed along with the filing
not be used in association with brackets or inverted commas, or
of the application) is considered a part of the original
enclosed within outlines, e.g., encircled. They must be oriented in
disclosure. See MPEP § 714.01(e) and § 602. A preliminary
the same direction as the view so as to avoid having to rotate the  
amendment filed after the filing date of the
sheet. Reference characters should be arranged to follow the profile
application is not part of the original disclosure of
of the object depicted.
the
application. See MPEP § 706.03(o). For applications
filed on or after September 21, 2004, the Office
will automatically treat any preliminary amendment
under 37 CFR 1.115(a)(1) that is present on the
filing
date of the application as part of the original
disclosure. If a preliminary amendment is present on
the filing date of
an application, and the oath or declaration
under
37
CFR 1.63 does not also refer to the  
preliminary amendment, the normal operating procedure
is
to  
not
screen the preliminary amendment to
determine whether
it contains subject matter not otherwise
included in the specification or drawings of the  


(2)The English alphabet must be used for letters, except
where another alphabet is customarily used, such as the Greek
alphabet to indicate angles, wavelengths, and mathematical formulas.




(3)Numbers, letters, and reference characters must measure
at least.32 cm. (1/8 inch) in height. They should not be placed
in the drawing so as to interfere with its comprehension. Therefore,
they should not cross or mingle with the lines. They should
not be placed upon hatched or shaded surfaces. When necessary,
such as indicating a surface or cross section, a reference character
may be underlined and a blank space may be left in the hatching
or shading where the character occurs so that it appears distinct.


(4)The same part of an invention appearing in more than
one view of the drawing must always be designated by the same
reference character, and the same reference character must never
be used to designate different parts.


(5)Reference characters not mentioned in the description
shall not appear in the drawings. Reference characters mentioned
in the description must appear in the drawings.


(q)Lead lines. Lead lines are those lines between the reference
application as filed (i.e., subject matter that is “new
characters and the details referred to. Such lines may be
matter” relative to the specification and drawings of
straight or curved and should be as short as possible. They must
the application). As a result, it is applicant’s obligation
originate in the immediate proximity of the reference character
to review the preliminary amendment to ensure
and extend to the feature indicated. Lead lines must not cross each
that it does not contain subject matter not otherwise
other. Lead lines are required for each reference character except
included in the specification or drawings of the application
for those which indicate the surface or cross section on which they
as filed. If the preliminary amendment contains
are placed. Such a reference character must be underlined to make
subject matter not otherwise included in the specification
it clear that a lead line has not been left out by mistake. Lead lines
and drawings of the application, applicant must  
must be executed in the same way as lines in the drawing. See
provide a supplemental oath or declaration under 37
paragraph (l) of this section.
CFR 1.67 referring to such preliminary amendment.  
The failure to submit a supplemental oath or declaration
under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to a preliminary
amendment that contains subject matter not otherwise
included in the specification or drawings of the application
as filed removes safeguards that are implied in  
the oath or declaration requirements that the inventor
review and understand the contents of the application,
and acknowledge the duty to disclose to the Office all
information known to be material to patentability as
defined in 37 CFR 1.56.


(r)Arrows. Arrows may be used at the ends of lines, provided
Applicants can avoid the need to file an oath or declaration
that their meaning is clear, as follows:
referring to any preliminary amendment by
incorporating any desired amendments into the text of
the specification including a new set of claims when
filing the application instead of filing a preliminary
amendment, even where the application is a continuation
or divisional application of a prior-filed application.
Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged
to avoid submitting any preliminary amendments so
as to minimize the burden on the Office in processing
preliminary amendments and reduce delays in processing
the application.


(1)On a lead line, a freestanding arrow to indicate the  
During examination, if an examiner determines that
entire section towards which it points;
a preliminary amendment that is present on the filing
date of the application includes subject matter not otherwise
supported by the originally filed specification
and drawings, and the oath or declaration does not
refer to the preliminary amendment, the examiner
may require the applicant to file a supplemental oath
or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to the preliminary
amendment. In response to the requirement,
applicant must submit (1) an oath or declaration that
refers to the preliminary amendment, (2) an amendment
that cancels the subject matter not supported by
the originally filed specification and drawings, or (3)
a request for reconsideration.


(2)On a lead line, an arrow touching a line to indicate the  
For applications filed prior to September 21, 2004,  
surface shown by the line looking along the direction of the arrow;
a preliminary amendment that was present on the filing
or
date of an application may be considered a part of  
 
the original disclosure if it was referred to in a first
(3)To show the direction of movement.
filed oath or declaration in compliance with 37 CFR
 
1.63. If the preliminary amendment was not referred
(s)Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or
to in the oath or declaration, applicant will be required
mask
to submit a supplemental oath or declaration under 37
work notice may appear in the drawing, but must
CFR 1.67 referring to both the application and the
be  
preliminary amendment filed with the original application.  
placed
A surcharge under 37 CFR 1.16(f) will also be  
within the sight of the drawing immediately below the
required unless it has been previously paid.
figure representing the copyright or mask work material and be
limited to letters having a print size of 32 cm. to 64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4
inches) high. The content of the notice must be limited to only
those elements provided for by law. For example, “©1983 John
Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909)  
would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient
notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion
of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if
the authorization language set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the
beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.


(t)Numbering of sheets of drawings. The sheets of drawings
====608.04(c)Review of Examiner’s Holding of New Matter====
should be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with
1, within the sight as defined in paragraph (g) of this section.
These numbers, if present, must be placed in the middle of the top
of the sheet, but not in the margin. The numbers can be placed on
the right-hand side if the drawing extends too close to the middle
of the top edge of the usable surface. The drawing sheet numbering
must be clear and larger than the numbers used as reference
characters to avoid confusion. The number of each sheet should
be shown by two Arabic numerals placed on either side of an
oblique line, with the first being the sheet number and the second
being the total number of sheets of drawings, with no other marking.


Where the new matter is confined to amendments
to the specification, review of the examiner’s requirement
for cancelation is by way of petition. But where
the alleged new matter is introduced into or affects the
claims, thus necessitating their rejection on this
ground, the question becomes an appealable one, and
should not be considered on petition even though that
new matter has been introduced into the specification
also. 37 CFR 1.181 and 37 CFR 1.191 afford the
explanation of this seemingly inconsistent practice as
affecting new matter in the specification.


===608.05 Sequence Listing Table, or Computer Program Listing Appendix Submitted on a Compact Disc[R-5]===


{{Statute|37 CFR 1.52. Language, paper, writing, margins, compact disc specifications.}}
(e) Electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent
United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the
file of a patent application or reexamination proceeding.


:(1) The following documents may be submitted to the Office on a compact disc in compliance with this paragraph:


::(i)A computer program listing (see § 1.96);


::(ii)A “Sequence Listing” (submitted under § 1.821(c)); or


(u)Numbering of views.
::(iii)Any individual table (see § 1.58) if the table is more than 50 pages in length, or if the total number of pages of all of the tables in an application exceeds 100 pages in length, where a table page is a page printed on paper in conformance with paragraph (b) of this section and § 1.58(c).


(1)The different views must be numbered in consecutive
:(2)A compact disc as used in this part means a Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) in compliance with this paragraph. A CD-ROM is a “read-only” medium on which the data is pressed into the disc so that it cannot be changed or erased. A CD-R is a “write once” medium on which once the data is recorded, it is permanent and cannot be changed or erased.
Arabic numerals, starting with 1, independent of the numbering of
the sheets and, if possible, in the order in which they appear on the
drawing sheet(s). Partial views intended to form one complete
view, on one or several sheets, must be identified by the same
number followed by a capital letter. View numbers must be preceded
by the abbreviation “FIG.” Where only a single view is used
in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not be  
numbered and the abbreviation “FIG.” must not appear.


(2)Numbers and letters identifying the views must be
:(3)
simple and clear and must not be used in association with brackets,
::(i) Each compact disc must conform to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9660 standard, and the contents of each compact disc must be in compliance with the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). CD-R discs must be finalized so that they are closed to further writing to the CD-R.
circles, or inverted commas. The view numbers must be larger
than the numbers used for reference characters.


(v)Security markings. Authorized security markings may be  
::(ii)Each compact disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case within an unsealed padded and protective mailing envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on paper in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. The transmittal letter must list for each compact disc the machine format (e.g., IBM-PC, Macintosh), the operating system compatibility (e.g., MS-DOS, MS-Windows, Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes, and dates of creation, plus any other special information that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret (e.g., tables in landscape orientation should be identified as landscape orientation or be identified when inquired about) the information on the compact disc. Compact discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to the applicant.
placed on the drawings provided they are outside the sight, preferably
centered in the top margin.


(w)Corrections. Any corrections on drawings submitted to
:(4)Any compact disc must be submitted in duplicate unless it contains only the “Sequence Listing” in computer readable form required by § 1.821(e). The compact disc and duplicate copy must be labeled “Copy 1” and “Copy 2,” respectively. The transmittal letter which accompanies the compact disc must include a statement that the two compact discs are identical. In the event that the two compact discs are not identical, the Office will use the compact disc labeled “Copy 1” for further processing. Any amendment to the information on a compact disc must be by way of a replacement compact disc in compliance with this paragraph containing the substitute information, and must be accompanied by a statement that the replacement compact disc contains no new matter. The compact disc and copy must be labeled “COPY 1 REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY” (with the month, day and year of creation indicated), and “COPY 2 REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY,” respectively.
the Office must be durable and permanent.


(x)Holes. No holes should be made by applicant in the  
:(5)The specification must contain an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc in a separate paragraph (§ 1.77(b)(5)), identifying each compact disc by the names of the files contained on each of the compact discs, their date of creation and their sizes in bytes. The Office may require applicant to amend the specification to include in the paper portion any part of the specification previously submitted on compact disc.
drawing sheets.


(y)Types of drawings. See § 1.152 for design drawings,
:(6)A compact disc must also be labeled with the following information:
§ 1.165 for plant drawings, and § 1.173(a)(2) for reissue drawings.


::(i)The name of each inventor (if known);


Drawings on paper are acceptable as long as they
::(ii)Title of the invention;
are in compliance with 37 CFR 1.84. Corrections
thereto must be made in the form of replacement
sheets labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet”
since the Office does not release drawings for correction.
See 37 CFR 1.85.


Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date
::(iii)The docket number, or application number if known, used by the person filing the application to identify the application; and
of an application must be identified as either
“Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” so that the
Office will recognize how to treat such a drawing
sheet for entry into the application. See 37 CFR
1.84(c). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing
figure, including annotations indicating the changes
made, is filed, such marked-up copy must be clearly
labeled as “Annotated Sheet.”


Good quality copies made on office copiers are
::(iv)A creation date of the compact disc.
acceptable if the lines are uniformly thick, black, and
solid. Facsimile copies of drawings are acceptable if
included with application papers mailed or hand-carried
to the Office or if submitted at the time of payment
of the issue fee (see “Payment of the Issue Fee
and Filing Related Correspondence by Facsimile,”
1254 O.G. 91 (January 15, 2002)). Applicants should
ensure that the facsimile transmission process does
not unreasonably degrade the quality of the drawings.


Drawings are currently accepted in two different
::(v)If multiple compact discs are submitted, the label shall indicate their order (e.g. “1 of X”).
size formats. It is, however, required that all drawing
sheets in a particular application be the same size for
ease of handling and reproduction.


For examples of proper drawings, in addition to
::(vi)An indication that the disk is “Copy 1” or “Copy 2” of the submission. See paragraph (b)(4) of this section.
selected rules of practice related to patent drawings
and interpretations of those rules, see the “Guide for
the Preparation of Patent Drawings” which is available
from the USPTO web site at www.uspto.gov.  


For information regarding certified copies of an
:(7)If a file is unreadable on both copies of the disc, the unreadable file will be treated as not having been submitted. A file is unreadable if, for example, it is of a format that does not comply with the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section, it is corrupted by a computer virus, or it is written onto a defective compact disc.
application-as-filed which does not meet the sheet
size/margin and
quality requirements of 37 CFR 1.52,
1.84(f), and 1.84(g), see MPEP § 608.01.


For design patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.152, see
(f)
MPEP §
:(1) Any sequence listing in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or § 1.492(j). For purposes of determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or §1.492(j), for an application the specification and drawings of which, excluding any sequence listing in compliance with §1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, are submitted in whole or in part on an electronic medium other than the Office electronic filing system, each three kilobytes of content submitted on an electronic medium shall be counted as a sheet of paper.


1503.02.
:(2)Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the paper size equivalent of the specification and drawings of an application submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be considered to be the number of sheets of paper present in the specification and drawings of the application when entered into the Office file wrapper after being rendered by the Office electronic filing system for purposes of computing the application size fee required by § 1.16(s). Any sequence listing in compliance with § 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing in compliance with § 1.96, submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) if the listing is submitted in ACSII text as part of an associated file.
|}


For plant patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.165, see
37 CFR 1.77. Arrangement of application elements.
MPEP §


1606.
(a)The elements of the application, if applicable, should
appear in the following order:


For reissue application drawings, see MPEP §
(1)Utility application transmittal form.
1413.


For correction of drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(p).  
(2)Fee transmittal form.
For prints, preparation and distribution, see MPEP §
508 and §


608.02(m). For prints, return of drawings,
(3)Application data sheet (see § 1.76).
see MPEP §


608.02(y).
(4)Specification.


For amendment of drawings, see MPEP § 714.
(5)Drawings.


For pencil notations of classification and name or  
(6)Executed oath or declaration.
initials of assistant examiner to be placed on drawings,
see MPEP § 719.03.


The filing of a divisional or continuation application
(b)The specification should include the following sections
under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.53(b) (unexecuted
in order:
application) does not obviate the need for
acceptable drawings. See MPEP §


608.02(b).
(1)Title of the invention, which may be accompanied by
an introductory portion stating the name, citizenship, and residence
of the applicant (unless included in the application data
sheet).


See MPEP §


601.01(f) for treatment of applications
filed without drawings and MPEP §


601.01(g) for
treatment of applications filed without all figures of
drawings.


VI.DEFINITIONS


A number of different terms are used when referring
to drawings in patent applications. The following
definitions are used in this Manual.


Original drawings: The drawing submitted with the  
(2)Cross-reference to related applications (unless
application when filed.
included in the application data sheet).


Substitute drawing: A drawing filed later than the
(3)Statement regarding federally sponsored research or
filing date of an application. Usually submitted to
development.
replace an original informal drawing.


Acceptable drawing: A drawing that is acceptable
(4)The names of the parties to a joint research agreement.
for publication of the application or issuance of the
patent.




(5)Reference to a “Sequence Listing,” a table, or a computer
program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and
an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc
(see § 1.52(e)(5)). The total number of compact discs including
duplicates and the files on each compact disc shall be specified.


(6)Background of the invention.


(7)Brief summary of the invention.


(8)Brief description of the several views of the drawing.


Corrected drawing: A drawing that includes corrections
(9)Detailed description of the invention.
of informalities and changes approved by the  
examiner.


Informal drawing: A drawing which does not comply
(10) A claim or claims.
with the form requirements of 37 CFR 1.84.
Drawings may be informal because they are not on
the proper size sheets, the quality of the lines is poor,
or for other reasons such as the size of reference elements.
Informal drawings could be acceptable for the
purposes of publication and examination. An objection
will generally only be made to an informal drawing
if the Office is unable to reproduce the drawing or
the contents of the drawing are unacceptable to the
examiner.


Drawing print: This term is used for the white
(11) Abstract of the disclosure.
paper print prepared by the Scanning Division of the
Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) of original
drawings in paper application files. The drawing
prints contain the application number near the left-
hand margin. Drawing prints should be placed on the
top on the right-hand flap of the application file wrapper.
A drawing print is not made for image file wrapper
(IFW) applications. For IFW processing, see IFW
Manual.


Interference print: This term is used to designate
(12) “Sequence Listing,” if on paper (see §§
the copy prepared of the original drawings filed in file
cabinets separate from the paper file wrappers and
1.821through 1.825).
used to make interference searches. For IFW processing,
see IFW Manual.


Plan: This term is used to illustrate the top view.
(c)The text of the specification sections defined in paragraphs
(b)(1) through (b)(12) of this section, if applicable, should
be preceded by a section heading in uppercase and without underlining
or bold type.


Elevation This term is used to illustrate views
Special procedures for the presentation of large
showing the height of objects.
tables, computer program listings and certain biosequences
on compact discs are set forth in 37 CFR
1.52(e). Use of compact discs is desirable in view of
the lengthy data listings being submitted as part of the
disclosure in some patent applications. Such listings
are often several hundred pages or more in length. By
filing and publishing such data listings on compact
disc rather than on paper, substantial cost savings can
result to the applicants, the public, and the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.
 
BACKGROUND
 
A compact disc submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e)
must either be a CD-ROM or a CD-R. A CD-ROM is
made by a process of pressing the disc from a master
template; the data cannot be erased or rewritten. A
CD-R is a compact disc that has a recording medium
only capable of writing once. CD-RW type media
which are erasable and rewriteable are not acceptable.
Limiting the media types to CD-ROM and CD-R
media will ensure the longevity and integrity of the
data submitted. CD-R discs must be finalized so that
they are closed to further writing to the CD-R. The
files stored on the compact disc must contain only
ASCII characters. No non-ASCII characters or proprietary
file formats are permitted. A text viewer is recommended
for viewing ASCII files. While virtually
any word processor may be used to view an ASCII
file, care must be taken since a word processor will
often not distinguish ASCII and non-ASCII files
when displayed. For example, a word processor normally
does not display hidden proprietary non-ASCII
characters used for formatting when viewing a non-
ASCII word processor file.
 
Compact disc(s) filed on the date that the application
was accorded a filing date are to be treated as part
of the originally filed disclosure even if the requisite
“incorporation by reference” statement (see 37 CFR
1.77(b)(5)) is omitted. Similarly, if a preliminary
amendment that accompanies the application when it
is filed in the Office is identified in the oath or declaration,
and the preliminary amendment includes compact
disc(s), the compact disc(s) will be treated as part
of the original disclosure. The compact disc(s) is considered
part of the original disclosure by virtue of its
inclusion with the application on the date the application
is accorded a filing date. The incorporation by
reference statement of the material on the compact
disc is required to be part of the specification to allow
the Office the option of separately printing the material
on compact disc. The examiner should require
applicant(s) to insert this statement if it is omitted or
the examiner may insert the statement by examiner’s
amendment at the time of allowance.
 
37 CFR 1.52(e)(3)(ii) requires that each compact
disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case
within an unsealed padded and protective mailing
envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on
paper in accordance with 37 CFR 1.52(a). The transmittal
letter must list for each compact disc the  
machine format (e.g., IBM-PC, Macintosh), the operating
system compatibility (e.g., MS-DOS, MS-Windows,
Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on
the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes,
and dates of creation, plus any other special information
that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret
the information on the compact disc. Compact
discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to
the applicant.
 
All compact discs submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e)
must be submitted in duplicate labeled as “copy 1”
and “copy 2” respectively. If more than one compact
disc is required to hold all of the information, each
compact disc must be submitted in duplicate to form
two sets of discs: one set labeled “copy 1” and a sec


VII.BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS


37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.
(b)Photographs.—
(1)Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies
of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design
patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility
and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the
only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention.
For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis
gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern),
auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained),
histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals,
plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline
structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental
effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application
admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a
drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of
sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible
in the printed patent.






Photographs or photomicrographs (not photolithographs
or other reproductions of photographs made by
using screens) printed on sensitized paper are acceptable
as final drawings, in lieu of India ink drawings,
to illustrate inventions which are incapable of being
accurately or adequately depicted by India ink drawings,
e.g., electrophoresis gels, blots, (e.g., immunological,
western, Southern, and northern),
autoradiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained),
histological tissue cross sections (stained and
unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin
layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures,
metallurgical microstructures, textile fabrics, grain
structures and ornamental effects. The photographs or
photomicrographs must show the invention more
clearly than they can be done by India ink drawings
and otherwise comply with the rules concerning such
drawings.
Black and white photographs submitted in lieu of
ink drawings must comply with 37 CFR 1.84(b).
There is no requirement for a petition or petition fee,
and only one set of photographs is required. See 1213
O.G. 108 (Aug. 4, 1998) and 1211 O.G. 34 (June 9,
1998) and 37 CFR 1.84(b)(1).


Such photographs to be acceptable must be made
on photographic paper having the following characteristics
which are generally recognized in the photographic
trade: double weight paper with a surface
described as smooth with a white tint. Note that photographs
filed on or after October 1, 2001 may no
longer be mounted on Bristol Board. See 37 CFR
1.84(e) and 1246 O.G. 106 (May 22, 2001). If several
photographs are used to make one sheet of drawings,
the photographs must be contained (i.e., developed)
on a single sheet.


See MPEP § 1503.02 for discussion of photographs
ond set labeled “copy 2.” Both disc copies should initially
used in design patent applications.
be routed to the Office of Initial Patent
Examination (OIPE). The compact discs will be
checked by OIPE for viruses, readability, the presence
of non-ASCII files, and compliance with the file and
disc labeling requirements. OIPE will retain one copy
of the discs and place the other copy in a holder fastened
into the application file jacket. For Image File
Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual sections
2.2 and 3.6. In the event that there is not a complete
set of files on both copies of the originally filed discs,
OIPE will retain the originally filed discs and send a
notice to the applicant to submit an additional complete
copy. For provisional applications, OIPE will
provide applicant notification and, where appropriate,
require correction for virus infected compact discs,
unreadable compact discs (or unreadable files
thereon), and missing duplicate discs. An amendment
to the material on a compact disc must be done by
submitting a replacement compact disc with the
amended file(s). The amendment should include a
corresponding amendment to the description of the
compact disc and the files contained on the compact
disc in the paper portion of the specification. A
replacement compact disc containing the amended
files must contain all of the files of the original compact
disc that were not amended. This will insure that
the Office, printer, and public can quickly access all
of the current files in an application or patent by referencing
only the latest set of compact discs.


Photographs may be treated as artifacts and maintained
Compact discs should be stored in the compact disc
in an artifact folder when the patent application
holder provided in each application file. The compact
is an IFW application since the photographs may
discs, especially the non-label side, should not be
not be able to be accurately reproduced by scanning.
scratched, marked or otherwise altered or deformed.
Compact discs and application files containing compact
discs should not be stored in areas exposed to  
heat and humidity that might damage the discs.


If a compact disc becomes damaged or lost from
the file wrapper, OIPE will make a duplicate replacement
copy of the disc from the copy retained in OIPE.
At time of allowance, if a replacement disc is
required, the application file and replacement request
should be forwarded to OIPE to provide the replacement
disc.


Examiners may view the files on the application
compact disc using virtually any text reader or the MS
Word word processor software installed on their
workstation. Special text viewing software will be
provided on examiner workstations in Technology
Centers that receive ASCII files that are not readily
readable using the MS Word word processor software.


 
====608.05(a)Deposit of Computer Program Listings [R-5]====
 
 
VIII.COLOR DRAWINGS OR COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS
 
 
37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.
 
(a)Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting
drawings in utility and design patent applications:
 
 
 
(2)Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary
as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject
matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent
application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration.
The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all
details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the
printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international
applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy
thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The
Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications
and statutory invention registrations only after granting a
petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings
are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:
 
(i)The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);
 
(ii)Three (3) sets of color drawings;
 
(iii)An amendment to the specification to insert
(unless the specification contains or has been previously amended
to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the
brief description of the drawings:
 
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by
the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
 
(b)Photographs.
 
 
 
(2)Color photographs. Color photographs will be
accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions
for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs
have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.
 
 
 
 
Limited use of color drawings in utility patent
applications is provided for in 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and
(b)(2). Unless a petition is filed and granted, color
drawings or color photographs will not be accepted in
a utility or design patent application. The examiner
must object to the color drawings or color photographs
as being improper and require applicant either
to cancel the drawings or to provide substitute black
and white drawings.
 
Under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2), the applicant
must file a petition with fee requesting acceptance of
the color drawings or color photographs. Three sets of
color drawings or color photographs must also be submitted
(37 CFR1.84(a)(2)(ii)). The petition is
decided by a Supervisory Patent Examiner. See
MPEP § 1002.02(d).
 
If the application is an IFW application, the color
photographs are maintained in an artifact folder.
 
Where color drawings or color photographs are
filed in a continuing application, applicant must
renew the petition under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2)
even though a similar petition was filed in the prior
application. Until the renewed petition is granted, the
examiner must object to the color drawings or color
photographs as being improper.
 
In light of the substantial administrative and economic
burden associated with printing a utility patent
with color drawings or color photographs, the patent
copies which are printed at issuance of the patent will
depict the drawings in black and white only. However,
a set of color drawings or color photographs will be
attached to the Letters Patent. Moreover, copies of the
patent with color drawings or color photographs
attached thereto will be provided by the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office upon special request and payment
of the fee necessary to recover the actual costs
associated therewith.
 
Accordingly, the petition must also be accompanied
by a proposed amendment to insert the following language
as the first paragraph in the portion of the specification
containing a brief description of the
drawings:
 
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided
by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upon request and
payment of the necessary fee.
 
If color drawings or color photographs have been
filed, but the required petition has not, form paragraph
6.24.01 may be used to notify applicant that a petition
is needed.
 
 
 
¶ 6.24.01 Color Photographs and Color Drawings,
Petition Required
 
Color photographs and color drawings are not accepted unless
a petition filed under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) is granted. Any such petition
must be accompanied by the appropriate fee set forth in 37
CFR 1.17(h), three sets of color drawings or color photographs, as
appropriate, and, unless already present, an amendment to include
the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description
of the drawings section of the specification:
 
 
 
 
 
 
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by
the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
 
Color photographs will be accepted if the conditions for
accepting color drawings and black and white photographs have
been satisfied. See 37CFR 1.84(b)(2).
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.This form paragraph should be used only if the application
contains color photographs or color drawings as the drawings
required by 37 CFR 1.81.
 
2.Do not use this form paragraph for black and white photographs.
Black and white photographs are permitted pursuant to 37
CFR 1.84(b).
 
 
 
It is anticipated that such a petition will be granted
only when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has
determined that a color drawing or color photograph
is the only practical medium by which to disclose in a
printed utility patent the subject matter to be patented.
 
It is emphasized that a decision to grant the petition
should not be regarded as an indication that color
drawings or color photographs are necessary to comply
with a statutory requirement. In this latter respect,
clearly it is desirable to file any desired color drawings
or color photographs as part of the original application
papers in order to avoid issues concerning
statutory defects (e.g., lack of enablement under 35
U.S.C. 112 or new matter under 35 U.S.C. 132).
 
IX.DRAWING SYMBOLS
 
37 CFR 1.84(n) indicates that graphic drawing
symbols and other labeled representations may be
used for conventional elements where appropriate,
subject to approval by the Office. Also, suitable legends
may be used, or may be required, in proper
cases. For examples of suitable symbols and legends,
see the “Guide for the Preparation of Patent Drawings”
available from the USPTO web site at
www.uspto.gov.
 
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
is a private non-profit organization whose numerous
publications include some that pertain to graphical
symbols. Such publications, for examples, Graphic
Symbols for Fluid Power Diagrams, IEEE Standard
Graphic Symbols for Logic Functions, Graphic Symbols
for Electrical and Electronics Diagrams, are considered
to be generally acceptable in patent drawings.
ANSI headquarters are at 1819 L Street, NW, Suite
600, Washington, DC 20036, with offices at 25 West
43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. The organization’s
Internet address is www.ansi.org. Although ANSI
documents and other published sources may be used
as guides during the selection of graphic symbols for
patent drawings, the Office will not “approve” any
published collection of symbols as a group because
their use and clarity must be decided on a case-by-
case basis. Overly specific symbols should be
avoided. Symbols with unclear meanings should be
labeled for clarification.
 
The following symbols should be used to indicate
various materials where the material is an important
feature of the invention. The use of conventional features
is very helpful in making prior art searches.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shadeing examples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shadeing examples
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
608.02(a)New Drawing — When Replacement
is Required Before
Examination [R-2]
 
See MPEP § 608.02 for the procedure to follow
when drawings have not been filed, but a drawing will
aid in the understanding of the invention. See MPEP
§
 
601.01(f) for the procedure to follow when applications
appear to be missing sheets of drawings. Drawings
in utility and plant applications  will be
reviewed by the Office of Initial Patent Examination
(OIPE) for compliance with certain requirements of
37 CFR 1.84. OIPE will send a Notice to File Corrected
Application Papers if the drawings are not
acceptable for purposes of publication. The notice
will give applicant a time period of 2 months from the
mailing date of the notice to file acceptable drawings.
This time period for reply is extendable under 37 CFR
1.136(a). OIPE will not release applications to the
Technology Centers until acceptable drawings are
filed in the applications.
 
If at the time of the initial assignment of an application
to an examiner’s docket, or if at the time the
application is taken up for action, the supervisory
patent examiner believes the  drawings to be of such
a condition as to not permit reasonable examination of
the application, applicant should be required to immediately
submit corrected drawings. However, if the
drawings do permit reasonable examination and the
supervisory patent examiner believes the drawings are
of such a character as to render the application defective
under 35 U.S.C. 112, examination should begin
immediately with a requirement for corrected drawings
and a rejection of the claims as not being in compliance
with 35
U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, being
made.
 
If the drawings have been indicated by the applicant
as informal, but no objection has been made to
the drawings by OIPE (drawings considered acceptable
by OIPE), the examiner should not require
replacement of the “informal” drawings with new
drawings. If the examiner does make objections to the
drawings, the examiner should require correction in
reply to the Office action and not permit the objection
to be held in abeyance. See MPEP § 608.02(b), §
608.02(d) - § 608.02(h) and § 608.02(p) for further
information on specific grounds for finding drawings
informalities.
 
UNTIMELY FILED DRAWINGS
 
If a drawing is not timely received in reply to a
notice from the Office or a letter from the examiner
who requires a drawing, the application becomes
abandoned for failure to reply.
 
For the handling of additional, duplicate, or substitute
drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(h).
 
608.02(b)Informal Drawings [R-3]
 
37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.
 
(a)A utility or plant application will not be placed on the
files for examination until objections to the drawings have been
corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application
publication will not include drawings filed after the application
has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is
otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a
request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not
be
considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to
final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application
meets the requirements of §
 
1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for
reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the
drawing may be admitted for examination.
 
(b)The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction.
If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must
be submitted within the time set by the Office.
 
(c)If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing
does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed,
the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period
of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within
which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance
with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable
under § 1.136 (a) or § 1.136 (b).
 
In instances where the drawing is such that the
prosecution can be carried on without the corrections,
applicant is informed of the reasons why the drawing
is objected to on Form PTO-948 or in an examiner’s
action, and that the drawing is admitted for examination
purposes only (see MPEP § 707.07(a)). To be
fully responsive, an amendment must include corrected
drawings. See 37 CFR 1.85(c) and 37 CFR
1.121(d). The objection to the drawings will not be
held in abeyance.
 
I.INFORMAL DRAWINGS
 
The Office no longer considers drawings as formal
or informal. Drawings are either acceptable or not
acceptable. Drawings will be accepted by the Office
of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) if the drawings
 
 
 
 
 
 
are readable and reproducible for publication purposes.
See MPEP § 507.
 
Examiners should review the drawings for disclosure
of the claimed invention and for proper use of
reference numerals. Unless applicant is otherwise
notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in
abeyance. A request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fideattempt to advance the application to final action (37
CFR 1.135(c)). Drawing corrections should be made
promptly before allowance of the application in order
to avoid delays in issuance of the application as a
patent or a reduction to any term adjustment. See 37
CFR 1.704(c)(10).
 
II.NOTIFYING APPLICANT
 
If the original drawings are not acceptable, a 2-part
form, PTO-948, may be used to indicate what the
objections are and that new corrected drawings are
required. In either case, the drawings will be accepted
as satisfying the requirements of 37 CFR 1.51. The
examiners are directed to advise the applicants by
way of form PTO-948 (see MPEP § 707.07(a)) in the
first Office action of the reasons why the drawings are
not acceptable. If the examiner discovers a defect in
the content of the drawing, one or more of the form
paragraphs reproduced below may be used to notify
applicant.
 
¶ 6.21 New Drawings, Competent Draftsperson
 
New corrected drawings are required in this application
because [1]. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent
patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected
drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid
abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected
drawings will not be held in abeyance.
 
 
 
¶ 6.22 Drawings Objected To
 
The drawings are objected to because [1]. Corrected drawing
sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply
to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any
amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures
appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if
only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of
an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a
drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be
removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the
remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes
made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings
for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary
to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing
sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be
labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New
Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not
accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and
informed of any required corrective action in the next Office
action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, insert the reason for the objection, for example,
--the drawings do not show every feature of the invention specified
in the claims-- or --the unlabeled rectangular box(es) shown
in the drawings should be provided with descriptive text labels--.
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
¶ 6.26 Informal Drawings Do Not Permit Examination
 
The informal drawings are not of sufficient quality to permit
examination. Accordingly, replacement drawing sheets in compliance
with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to this Office
action. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement
Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to
obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not
accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and
informed of any required corrective action in the next Office
action.
 
Applicant is given a TWO MONTH time period to submit new
drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.81. Extensions of time
may be obtained under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). Failure
to timely submit replacement drawing sheets will result in ABANDONMENT
of the application.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.Use of this form paragraph should be extremely rare and limited
to those instances where no examination can be performed
due to the poor quality of the drawings resulting in a lack of
understanding of the claimed subject matter.
 
2.Use a PTOL-90 or PTO-90C form as a cover sheet for this
communication.
 
¶ 6.27 Requirement for Marked-up Copy of Drawing
Corrections
 
In addition to Replacement Sheets containing the corrected
drawing figure(s), applicant is required to submit a marked-up
copy of each Replacement Sheet including annotations indicating
the changes made to the previous version. The marked-up copy
must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented
in the amendment or remarks section that explains the
change(s) to the drawings. See 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1). Failure to
 
 
 
 
 
 
timely submit the corrected drawing and marked-up copy will
result in the abandonment of the application.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.When this form paragraph is used by the examiner, the applicant
must provide a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure,
including annotations indicating the changes made in the
drawing replacement sheets. See 37 CFR 1.121(d)(2).
 
2.Applicants should be encouraged to submit corrected drawings
before allowance in order to avoid having any term adjustment
reduced pursuant to 37 CFR 1.704(c)(10).
 
 
 
III.HANDLING OF REPLACEMENT DRAWINGS
 
 
In those situations where an application is filed
with unacceptable drawings, applicants will be notified
by OIPE to file new acceptable drawings complying
with 37 CFR 1.84 and 1.121(d). If the requirement
for corrected drawings appears on the notice of
allowability (PTOL-37), the drawings must be filed
within three months of the date of mailing of the
notice of allowability. Also, each sheet of the drawing
should include the application number and the art unit
in the upper center margin (37 CFR 1.84(c)) and
labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet.” In the
past, some drawings have been misdirected because
the art unit indicated on the filing receipt was used
rather than that indicated on the notice forms.
 
In utility applications, the examination will normally
be conducted using the originally presented
drawings. The sufficiency of disclosure, as concerns
the subject matter claimed, will be made by the examiner
utilizing the original drawings. IT IS APPLICANT’S
RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE THAT NO
NEW MATTER IS ADDED when submitting
replacement drawings after allowance since they will
not normally be reviewed by an examiner. Of course,
if the examiner notices new matter in the replacement
drawings, appropriate action to have the new matter
deleted should be undertaken.
 
608.02(c)Drawing Print Kept in File
Wrapper [R-2]
 
The drawing prints must always be kept on top of
the papers on the right side of the file wrapper under
any bibliographic data sheet , if the application is
maintained in paper. If the application is maintained
in an image file wrapper (IFW) and the drawings are
photographs or in color, the original photographs or
color drawings may be maintained in an artifact
folder. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual.
 
Applications may be sent to issue or to the Files
Repository without the original drawing, if any, if the
drawing cannot be located. For an application sent to
issue with missing drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(z).
For abandoned applications sent to the Files Repository,
a notation should be made on the Contents portion
of the file wrapper that the drawings were
missing.
 
Upon initial processing, the original drawings are
placed in the center portion of the application file
wrapper under the specification , if the application is
maintained in paper, and the executed oath or declaration
by the Scanning Division.
 
608.02(d)Complete Illustration in Drawings
[R-3]
 
37 CFR 1.83. Content of drawing.
 
(a)The drawing in a nonprovisional application must
show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However,
conventional features disclosed in the description and
claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a
proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the
drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled
representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables
and sequence listings that are included in the specification are,
except for applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371, not permitted to
be included in the drawings.
 
(b)When the invention consists of an improvement on an
old machine the drawing must when possible exhibit, in one or
more views, the improved portion itself, disconnected from the
old structure, and also in another view, so much only of the old
structure as will suffice to show the connection of the invention
therewith.
 
(c)Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do
not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this
section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration
within a time period of not less than two months from the date of
the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the
requirements of § 1.81(d).
 
 
 
 
 
 
Any structural detail that is of sufficient importance
to be described should be shown in the drawing. (Ex
parte Good, 1911 C.D. 43, 164 O.G. 739 (Comm’r
Pat. 1911).)
 
Form paragraph 6.22.01, 6.22.04, or 6.36, where
appropriate, may be used to require illustration.
 
 
 
¶ 6.22.01 Drawings Objected To, Details Not Shown
 
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because
they fail to show [1] as described in the specification. Any structural
detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed
invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP §
608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR
1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment
of the application. Any amended replacement drawing
sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate
prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being
amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing
should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be
canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the
replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures
must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief
description of the several views of the drawings for consistency.
Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the
renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective
action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings
will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, identify the structural details not shown in the
drawings.
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
¶ 6.22.04 Drawings Objected to, Incomplete
 
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(b) because
they are incomplete. 37 CFR 1.83(b) reads as follows:
 
When the invention consists of an improvement on an old
machine the drawing must when possible exhibit, in one or
more views, the improved portion itself, disconnected from
the old structure, and also in another view, so much only of
the old structure as will suffice to show the connection of
the invention therewith.
 
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d)
are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of
the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should
include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version
of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure
or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as
“amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate
figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where
necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate
changes made to the brief description of the several views
of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets
may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures.
Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an
application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement
Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the
changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be
notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next
Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in
abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.Supply a full explanation, if it is not readily apparent how the
drawings are incomplete.
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
 
 
¶ 6.36 Drawings Do Not Show Claimed Subject Matter
 
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings
must show every feature of the invention specified in the
claims. Therefore, the [1] must be shown or the feature(s) canceled
from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
 
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d)
are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of
the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should
include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version
of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure
or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as
“amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate
figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where
necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate
changes made to the brief description of the several views
of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets
may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures.
Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an
application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement
Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the
changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be
notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next
 
 
 
 
 
 
Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in
abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
In bracket 1, insert the features that must be shown.
 
See also MPEP § 608.02.
 
608.02(e)Examiner Determines Completeness
and Consistency of
Drawings [R-3]
 
The examiner should see to it that the figures are
correctly described in the brief description of the several
views of the drawing section of the specification,
that the reference characters are properly applied, that
no single reference character is used for two different
parts or for a given part and a modification of such
part, and that there are no superfluous illustrations.
 
One or more of the following form paragraphs may
be used to require correction.
 
 
 
¶ 6.22.01 Drawings Objected To, Details Not Shown
 
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because
they fail to show [1] as described in the specification. Any structural
detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed
invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP §
608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR
1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment
of the application. Any amended replacement drawing
sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate
prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being
amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing
should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be
canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the
replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures
must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief
description of the several views of the drawings for consistency.
Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the
renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective
action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings
will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, identify the structural details not shown in the
drawings.
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
¶ 6.22.03 Drawings Objected to, Different Parts Referred
to by Same Number
 
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR
1.84(p)(4) because reference character “[1]” has been used to designate
both [2] and [3]. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance
with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to
avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement
drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the
immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is
being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date
of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either
“Replacement Sheet ” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR
1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the
applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective
action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will
not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, identify the number which refers to the different
parts.
 
2.In brackets 2 and 3, identify the parts which are referred to
by the same number.
 
3.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
4.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
¶ 6.22.06 Drawings Objected to, Reference Numbers Not
in Drawings
 
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR
1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference
sign(s) mentioned in the description: [1]. Corrected drawing
sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply
to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any
amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures
appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if
only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any required
corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the
drawings will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, specify the reference characters which are not
found in the drawings, including the page and line number where
they first occur in the specification.
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.This form paragraph may be modified to require or allow the
applicant to delete the reference character(s) from the description
instead of adding them to the drawing(s).
 
3.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
4.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
 
 
¶ 6.22.07 Drawings Objected to, Reference Numbers Not
in Specification
 
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR
1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(
s) not mentioned in the description: [1]. Corrected drawing
sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the
specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in
compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the
Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any
amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures
appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if
only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d) If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective
action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings
will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, specify the reference characters which are not
found in the specification, including the figure in which they
occur.
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
608.02(f)Modifications in Drawings[R-3]
 
Modifications may not be shown in broken lines on
figures which show in solid lines another form of the
invention. Ex parte Badger, 1901 C.D. 195, 97 O.G.
1596 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).
 
All modifications described must be illustrated, or
the text canceled. (Ex parte Peck, 1901 C.D. 136, 96
O.G. 2409 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).) This requirement
does not apply to a mere reference to minor variations
nor to well-known and conventional parts.
 
Form paragraph 6.22.05 may be used to require
correction.
 
 
 
¶ 6.22.05 Drawings Objected to, Modifications in Same
Figure
 
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84(h)(5)
because Figure [1] show(s) modified forms of construction in the
same view. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR
1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment
of the application. Any amended replacement drawing
sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate
prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being
amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing
should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be
canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the
replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures
must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief
description of the several views of the drawings for consistency.
Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the
renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective
action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings
will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, insert the appropriate Figure number(s).
 
2.Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action,
objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not
be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings
in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to
advance the application to final action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
 
3.This form paragraph may be followed by form paragraph
6.27 to require a marked up copy of the amended drawing figure(
s) including annotations indicating the changes made in the
corrected drawings.
 
 
 
608.02(g)Illustration of Prior Art [R-3]
 
Figures showing the prior art are usually unnecessary
and should be canceled. Ex parte Elliott, 1904
C.D. 103, 109 O.G. 1337 (Comm’r Pat. 1904). However,
where needed to understand applicant’s invention,
they may be retained if designated by a legend
such as “Prior Art.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
If the prior art figure is not labeled, form paragraph
6.36.01 may be used.
 
 
 
¶ 6.36.01 Illustration of “Prior Art”
 
Figure [1] should be designated by a legend such as --Prior
Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP §
608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR
1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment
of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be
labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR
1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If
the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will
be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the
next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held
in abeyance.
 
 
 
608.02(h)Replacement Drawings [R-3]
 
When an amendment is filed stating that replacement
sheets of drawings are filed with the amendment
and such drawings have not been transmitted to the
Technology Center (TC), the technical support staff in
the TC should attempt to locate the missing drawings.
In the next communication of the examiner, the applicant
is notified if the drawings have been received and
whether or not the replacement drawings have been
entered in the application. If the replacement drawings
are not entered, the examiner should give the
applicant a concise and complete explanation as to
why the drawings were not entered.
 
Replacement drawings, together with the file wrapper,
may be routed through the TC Draftsperson if the
examiner would like the draftsperson’s assistance in
identifying errors in the drawings. For Image File
Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual. The
draftsperson will note any defects of the drawings on
a PTO-948.
 
The examiner should not overlook such factors as
new matter, the necessity for the replacement sheets
and consistency with other sheets. The technical support
staff will routinely enter all replacement sheets in
the contents of the application. For IFW processing,
see IFW Manual. If the examiner decides that the
sheets should not be entered, the examiner should provide
the applicant with the complete, explicit reasoning
for the denial of entry. The entries made by the
technical support staff will be marked “(N.E.).”
 
Form paragraph 6.37 may be used to acknowledge
replacement drawing sheets.
 
 
 
¶ 6.37 Acknowledgment of Replacement Drawing Sheets
 
The drawings were received on [1]. These drawings are [2].
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 2, insert either --acceptable-- or --not acceptable--.
 
2.If not acceptable because of noncompliance with 37 CFR
1.121(d), an explanation must be provided. Form PTOL-324 may
be used instead of this form paragraph to provide the explanation.
 
3.If not acceptable because of informalities noted on PTO-948,
use form paragraph 6.43.
 
 
 
Alternatively, PTOL-326 Office Action Summary
includes a block for acknowledgment of replacement
drawings.
 
For return of drawing, see MPEP § 608.02(y).
 
608.02(i)Transfer of Drawings From
Prior Applications
 
Transfer of drawings from a first pending application
to another will be made only upon the granting of
a petition filed under 37 CFR 1.182 which must set
forth a hardship situation requiring such transfer of
drawings.
 
608.02(m)Drawing Prints [R-3]
 
Preparation and distribution of drawing prints is
discussed in MPEP § 508.
 
Prints are made of acceptable drawings of an application
maintained in paper. These prints are kept on
top of the papers on the right side of the file wrapper
under any bibliographic data sheet. See MPEP §
719.01(b). No drawing prints are made for an image
file wrapper (IFW) application.
 
The original drawing, of course, should not be
marked up by the examiner. Where, as in an electrical
wiring application, it is desirable to identify the various
circuits by different colors, or in any more or less
complex application, it is advantageous to apply legends,
arrows, or other indicia, the drawing prints may
be used and retained unofficially in the file since the
drawing prints are no longer needed for a record of
the drawings as originally filed. If the application is
maintained in paper, the drawing prints, as colored by
the examiner, may be retained in the paper application
 
 
 
 
 
 
file. If the application is an IFW application, the
drawing prints may be retained by the examiner.
 
Prints remain in the paper application file at all
times except as provided in MPEP § 608.02(c).
 
 
 
608.02(n)Duplicate Prints in Patentability
Report Applications
 
In patentability report cases having drawings, the
examiner to whom the application is assigned should
normally obtain a duplicate set of the interference
prints of the drawing for filing in the Technology Center
(TC) to which the application is referred.
 
When an application that has had patentability
report prosecution is passed for issue or becomes
abandoned, notification of this fact is given by the TC
having jurisdiction of the case to each TC that submitted
a patentability report. The examiner of each such
reporting TC notes the date of allowance or abandonment
on his or her duplicate set of prints. At such time
as these prints become of no value to the reporting
TC, they may be destroyed.
 
For patentability reports, see MPEP § 705 to
§
 
705.01(f).
 
608.02(o)Notations Entered on Drawing
[R-2]
 
 
 
Drawings are no longer endorsed with an application
number or receipt date. A draftsperson’s
“stamp” to indicate approval is no longer required on
patent drawings, and these stamps are no longer used
by draftspersons. If the drawings in an allowed application
are not indicated as having been disapproved or
canceled, the most-recently filed drawings will be
used for printing the patent.
 
608.02(p)Correction of Drawings [R-3]
 
37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in
application.
 
 
 
(d)Drawings: One or more application drawings shall
be amended in the following manner: Any changes to an application
drawing must be in compliance with § 1.84 and must be submitted
on a replacement sheet of drawings which shall be an
attachment to the amendment document and, in the top margin,
labeled “Replacement Sheet”. Any replacement sheet of drawings
shall include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior
version of the sheet, even if only one figure is amended. Any new
sheet of drawings containing an additional figure must be labeled
in the top margin as “New Sheet”. All changes to the drawings
shall be explained, in detail, in either the drawing amendment or
remarks section of the amendment paper.
 
(1)A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure,
including annotations indicating the changes made, may be
included. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated
Sheet” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks
section that explains the change to the drawings.
 
(2)A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure,
including annotations indicating the changes made, must be provided
when required by the examiner.
 
 
 
37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.
 
(a)A utility or plant application will not be placed on the
files for examination until objections to the drawings have been
corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application
publication will not include drawings filed after the application
has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is
otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings
in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a
request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not
be
considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to
final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application
meets the requirements of §
 
1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for
reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the
drawing may be admitted for examination.
 
(b)The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction.
If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must
be submitted within the time set by the Office.
 
(c)If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing
does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed,
the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period
of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within
which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance
with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable
under § 1.136(a) or § 1.136(b).
 
See also MPEP §
 
608.02(b). For correction at
allowance and issue, see MPEP § 608.02(w) and
MPEP § 1302.05.
 
A canceled figure may be reinstated. An amendment
should be made to the specification adding the
brief description of the view if a canceled figure is
reinstated.
 
The following form paragraphs may be used to
notify applicants of drawing corrections.
 
¶ 6.39 USPTO No Longer Makes Drawing Changes
 
The United States Patent and Trademark Office no longer
makes drawing changes. See 1017 O.G. 4. It is applicant’s responsibility
to ensure that the drawings are corrected. Corrections must
be made in accordance with the instructions below.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Examiner Note:
 
This form paragraph is to be used whenever the applicant has
filed a request for the Office to make drawing changes. Form
paragraph 6.40 must follow.
 
 
 
¶ 6.40 Information on How To Effect Drawing Changes
 
INFORMATION ON HOW TO EFFECT DRAWING
CHANGES
 
Replacement Drawing Sheets
 
Drawing changes must be made by presenting replacement
sheets which incorporate the desired changes and which comply
with 37 CFR 1.84. An explanation of the changes made must be
presented either in the drawing amendments section, or remarks,
section of the amendment paper. Each drawing sheet submitted
after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top
margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to
37 CFR 1.121(d). A replacement sheet must include all of the figures
appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if
only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of
the amended drawing(s) must not be labeled as “amended.” If the
changes to the drawing figure(s) are not accepted by the examiner,
applicant will be notified of any required corrective action in the
next Office action. No further drawing submission will be
required, unless applicant is notified.
 
Identifying indicia, if provided, should include the title of the
invention, inventor’s name, and application number, or docket
number (if any) if an application number has not been assigned to
the application. If this information is provided, it must be placed
on the front of each sheet and within the top margin.
 
Annotated Drawing Sheets
 
A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including
annotations indicating the changes made, may be submitted or
required by the examiner. The annotated drawing sheets must be
clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented in the
amendment or remarks section that explains the change(s) to the
drawings.
 
Timing of Corrections
 
Applicant is required to submit acceptable corrected drawings
within the time period set in the Office action. See 37 CFR
1.85(a). Failure to take corrective action within the set period will
result in ABANDONMENT of the application.
 
If corrected drawings are required in a Notice of Allowability
(PTOL-37), the new drawings MUST be filed within the THREE
MONTH shortened statutory period set for reply in the “Notice of
Allowability.” Extensions of time may NOT be obtained under the
provisions of 37 CFR 1.136 for filing the corrected drawings after
the mailing of a Notice of Allowability.
 
 
 
¶ 6.41 Reminder That USPTO No Longer Makes Drawing
Changes
 
Applicant is reminded that the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office no longer makes drawing changes and that it is applicant’s
responsibility to ensure that the drawings are corrected in accordance
with the instructions set forth in the paper mailed on [1].
 
Examiner Note:
 
This form paragraph is to be used when the applicant has been
previously provided with information on how to effect drawing
changes (i.e., either by way of form paragraph 6.40 or a PTO-948
has been previously sent).
 
¶ 6.42 Reminder That Applicant Must Make Drawing
Changes
 
Applicant is reminded that in order to avoid an abandonment of
this application, the drawings must be corrected in accordance
with the instructions set forth in the paper mailed on [1].
 
Examiner Note:
 
This form paragraph is to be used when allowing the application
and when applicant has previously been provided with information
on how to effect drawing changes (i.e., by way of form
paragraph 6.40 or a PTO-948 has been previously sent).
 
¶ 6.43 Drawings Contain Informalities, Application
Allowed
 
The drawings filed on[1] are acceptable subject to correction of
the informalities indicated on the attached “Notice of Draftsperson’s
Patent Drawing Review,” PTO-948. In order to avoid abandonment
of this application, correction is required in reply to the
Office action. The correction will not be held in abeyance.
 
Examiner Note:
 
Use this form paragraph when allowing the application, particularly
at time of first action issue. Form paragraph 6.40 or 6.41must follow.
 
¶ 6.47 Examiner’s Amendment Involving Drawing
Changes
 
The following changes to the drawings have been approved by
the examiner and agreed upon by applicant: [1]. In order to avoid
abandonment of the application, applicant must make these agreed
upon drawing changes.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, insert the agreed upon drawing changes.
 
2.Form paragraphs 6.39 and 6.40 should follow, as appropriate.
 
608.02(q)Conditions Precedent toAmendment of Drawing
 
See MPEP § 507 for changes to the patent drawings
for purposes of a patent application publication.
 
If applicant wishes to amend the original drawings,
at his or her own initiative, applicant is encouraged to
submit new drawings as soon as possible, and preferably
before allowance of the application.
 
 
 
 
 
 
608.02(t)Cancelation of Figures [R-2]
 
If a drawing figure is canceled, a replacement
sheet of drawings must be submitted without the figure
(see 37 CFR 1.121(d)). If the canceled drawing
figure was the only drawing on the sheet, then only a
marked-up copy of the drawing sheet including an
annotation showing that the drawing has been cancelled
is required. The marked-up (annotated) copy
must be clearly labeled as 'Annotated Sheet' and must
be presented in the amendment or remarks section of
the amendment document which explains the changes
to the drawings (see 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1)). The brief
description of the drawings should also be amended to
reflect this change.
 
608.02(v)Drawing Changes Which Require
Annotated Sheets [R-2]
 
When changes are to be made in the drawing itself,
other than mere changes in reference characters, designations
of figures, or inking over lines pale and
rough, a marked-up copy of the drawing should
be filed with a replacement drawing. The marked-up
copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet.”
See 37 CFR 1.84(c) and 1.121(d). Ordinarily, broken
lines may be changed to full without a sketch.
 
Annotated sheets filed by an applicant and used for
correction of the drawing will not be returned. All
such annotated sheets must be in ink or permanent
prints.
 
608.02(w)Drawing Changes Which May
Be Made Without Applicant’s
Annotated Sheets [R-2]
 
Where an application is ready for issue except for a
slight defect in the drawing not involving change in
structure, the examiner will prepare a letter to the
applicant indicating the change to be made and
include a marked-up copy of the drawing
showing the addition or alteration to be made. The
marked-up copy of the drawing should be attached to
the letter to the applicant and a copy placed in the
application file.
 
The correction must be made at applicant’s
expense.
 
As a guide to the examiner, the following corrections
are illustrative of those that may be made by
an annotated sheet:
 
(A)Adding two or three reference characters or
exponents.
 
(B)Changing one or two numerals or figure ordinals.
Garrett v. Cox, 233 F.2d 343, 346, 110 USPQ
52, 54
(CCPA 1956).
 
(C)Removing superfluous matter.
 
(D)Adding or reversing directional arrows.
 
(E)Changing Roman Numerals to Arabic
Numerals to agree with specification.
 
(F)Adding section lines or brackets, where easily
executed.
 
(G)Changing lead lines.
 
(H)Correcting misspelled legends.
 
608.02(x) Drawing Corrections or
Changes Accepted Unless Notified
Otherwise [R-2]
 
Drawing corrections or changes will be entered
at the time they are presented, unless applicant is notified
to the contrary by the examiner in the action following
the amended drawing submission.
 
CORRECTION OR CHANGE NOT ACCEPTED
 
 
Where the corrected or changed drawing is not
accepted, for example, because the submitted corrections
or changes are erroneous, or involve new
matter or  do not include all necessary corrections,
the applicant will be notified and informed of any
required corrective action in the next Office action.
The examiner should explicitly and clearly set forth
all the reasons for not approving the corrections to the
drawings in the next communication to the applicant.
See MPEP § 608.02(p) for suggested form paragraphs
that may be used by examiners to notify applicants of
drawing corrections.
 
 
 
 
 
 
608.02(y)Return of Drawing [R-2]
 
Drawings will not be returned to the applicant.
 
608.02(z)Allowable Applications Needing
Drawing Corrections or
Corrected Drawings [R-3]
 
If an application is being allowed, and corrected
drawings have not been filed, form PTOL-37 provides
an appropriate check box for requiring corrected
drawings.
 
Allowable applications with drawings that were
indicated by the applicant to be informal should be
turned in for counting and forwarding to the Publishing
Division without the drawings having been corrected.
Examiners should not require new drawings
merely because the applicant indicated that the drawings
submitted on filing were informal. If at allowance,
the examiner determines that correction is
required, the drawings requiring correction should be
placed as the top papers in the center fold of the file
wrapper, if the application is maintained in paper. For
Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual.
A proposed drawing correction, for example a
drawing sheet with corrections marked in pencil,
should be stapled to the right outside flap of the file
wrapper over the area having the search information.
Care should be taken to make certain that the corrections
have been approved by the examiner. Such
approval should be made by the examiner prior to
counting the allowance of the application by writing
“Approved,” the examiner’s initials or full name, and
the date, on the front page of the proposed drawing
corrections. In IFW applications, generally, the most
recently filed drawings will be used for printing,
unless they have been indicated as “Not Entered.”
 
Extensions of time to provide acceptable drawings
after the mailing of a notice of allowability are no
longer permitted. If the Office of Publications
receives drawings that cannot be scanned or are otherwise
unacceptable for publication, the Office of Publication
will mail a requirement for corrected drawings,
giving applicant a shortened statutory period of two
months (with no extensions of time permitted) to
reply. The drawings will ordinarily not be returned to
the examiner for corrections.
 
I.APPLICATIONS HAVING LOST DRAWINGS
 
 
A replacement drawing should be obtained from
the Office of Initial Patent Examination’s records of
the application as originally filed. If the reproduced
drawings are not acceptable for publishing, applicant
should be required to submit corrected drawings.
 
The Notice of Allowability is verified and printed
using PALM, and the Notice is mailed to the applicant.
 
 
The application is then forwarded to Licensing and
Review or the Publishing Division, as appropriate,
using the PALM transaction code after the application
has been revised for issue.
 
II.UTILITY PATENT APPLICATIONS RECEIVING
FORMAL DRAWINGS AFTER
THE NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY
 
Where replacement drawings are received in utility
patent applications examined with informal drawings
and the Notice of Allowability was mailed prior to the
receipt of the replacement drawings, the technical
support staff should forward the replacement drawings
to the Publishing Division. Submission to the
examiner is not necessary unless an amendment
accompanies the drawings which changes the specification,
such as where the description of figures is
added or canceled.
 
III.BORROWING FILES FROM PUBLISHING
DIVISION
 
Allowed files requiring drawing corrections are
sent to the Publishing Division. At times, examiners
have a
need to borrow these applications. When borrowing
applications, examining corps personnel must
submit a request to the Office of Patent Publications
Customer Service Center.
 
IV.37 CFR 1.312 AMENDMENTS
 
For information on handling amendments to drawings
filed under 37 CFR 1.312, see MPEP § 714.16.
 
 
 
 
 
 
608.03Models, Exhibits, Specimens[R-3]
 
35 U.S.C. 114. Models, specimens.
 
The Director may require the applicant to furnish a model of
convenient size to exhibit advantageously the several parts of his
invention.
 
When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the
Director may require the applicant to furnish specimens or ingredients
for the purpose of inspection or experiment.
 
37 CFR 1.91. Models or exhibits not generally admitted aspart of application or patent.
 
(a)A model or exhibit will not be admitted as part of the
record of an application unless it:
 
(1)Substantially conforms to the requirements of §
 
1.52or §
 
1.84;
 
(2)Is specifically required by the Office; or
 
(3)Is filed with a petition under this section including:
 
(i)The fee set forth in §
 
1.17(h); and
 
(ii)An explanation of why entry of the model or
exhibit in the file record is necessary to demonstrate patentability.
 
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this
section, a model, working model, or other physical exhibit may be
required by the Office if deemed necessary for any purpose in
examination of the application.
 
(c)Unless the model or exhibit substantially conforms to the
requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84 under paragraph (a)(1) of this
section, it must be accompanied by photographs that show multiple
views of the material features of the model or exhibit and that
substantially conform to the requirements of § 1.84.
 
Models or exhibits are generally not admitted as
part of an application or patent unless the requirements
of 37 CFR 1.91 are satisfied.
 
With the exception of cases involving perpetual
motion, a model is not ordinarily required by the
Office to demonstrate the operability of a device. If
operability of a device is questioned, the applicant
must establish it to the satisfaction of the examiner,
but he or she may choose his or her own way of so
doing.
 
 
 
Models or exhibits that are required by the Office
or filed with a petition under 37 CFR 1.91(a)(3) must
be accompanied by photographs that (A) show multiple
views of the material features of the model or
exhibit, and (B) substantially conform to the requirements
of 37 CFR 1.84. See 37 CFR 1.91(c). Material
features are considered to be those features which represent
that portion(s) of the model or exhibit forming
the basis for which the model or exhibit has been submitted.
Where a video or DVD or similar item is submitted
as a model or exhibit, applicant must submit
photographs of what is depicted in the video or DVD
(the content of the material such as a still image single
frame of a movie) and not a photograph of a video
cassette, DVD disc or compact disc.
 
37 CFR 1.93. Specimens.
 
When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the
applicant may be required to furnish specimens of the composition,
or of its ingredients or intermediates, for the purpose of
inspection or experiment.
 
See MPEP Chapter 2400 regarding treatment of
biotechnology deposits.
 
608.03(a)Handling of Models, Exhibits,
and Specimens [R-3]
 
All models and exhibits received in the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office should be taken to the Technology
Center (TC) assigned the related application for
examination. The receipt of all models and exhibits
which are to be entered into the application file record
must be properly recorded on the “Contents” portion
of the application file wrapper or, if the application is
an Image File Wrapper (IFW) application, on an artifact
sheet. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual section
3.6.
 
A label indicating the application number, filing
date, and attorney’s name and address should be
attached to the model or exhibit so that it is clearly
identified and easily returned. The Office may
return the model, exhibit, or specimen, at any time
once it is no longer necessary for the conduct of business
before the Office and return of the model or
exhibit is appropriate. See 37
CFR 1.94.
 
If the model or exhibit cannot be conveniently
stored within the application file wrapper or in an artifact
folder, it should not be accepted.
 
Models and exhibits may be presented for demonstration
purposes during an interview. The models and
exhibits should be taken away by applicant or his/her
attorney or agent at the conclusion of the interview
since models or exhibits are generally not permitted to
be admitted as part of the application or patent unless
the requirements of 37
CFR 1.91 are satisfied. See
MPEP § 713.08. A full description of what was demonstrated
or exhibited during the interview must be
made of record. See 37 CFR 1.133. Any model or
exhibit that is left with the examiner at the conclusion
 
 
 
 
 
 
of the interview, which is not made part of the application
or patent, may be disposed of at the discretion
of the Office.
 
37 CFR 1.94. Return of models, exhibits or specimens.
 
 
 
(a)Models, exhibits, or specimens may be returned to the
applicant if no longer necessary for the conduct of business before
the Office. When applicant is notified that a model, exhibit, or
specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business
before the Office and will be returned, applicant must arrange for
the return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at the applicant’s
expense. The Office will dispose of perishables without notice to
applicant unless applicant notifies the Office upon submission of
the model, exhibit or specimen that a return is desired and makes
arrangements for its return promptly upon notification by the
Office that the model, exhibit or specimen is no longer necessary
for the conduct of business before the Office.
 
(b)Applicant is responsible for retaining the actual model,
exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable life of any patent resulting
from the application. The provisions of this paragraph do not
apply to a model or exhibit that substantially conforms to the
requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84, where the model or exhibit has
been described by photographs that substantially conform to §
1.84, or where the model, exhibit or specimen is perishable.
 
(c)Where applicant is notified, pursuant to paragraph (a) of
this section, of the need to arrange for return of a model, exhibit or
specimen, applicant must arrange for the return within the period
set in such notice, to avoid disposal of the model, exhibit or specimen
by the Office. Extensions of time are available under § 1.136,
except in the case of perishables. Failure to establish that the
return of the item has been arranged for within the period set or
failure to have the item removed from Office storage within a reasonable
amount of time notwithstanding any arrangement for
return, will permit the Office to dispose of the model, exhibit or
specimen.
 
When applicant is notified that a model,
exhibit, or specimen is no longer necessary for the
conduct of business before the Office and will be
returned, applicant must make arrangements for the
return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at applicant’s
expense. The Office may return the model,
exhibit, or specimen at any time once it is no longer
necessary for the conduct of business and need not
wait until the close of prosecution or later. Where the
model, exhibit, or specimen is a perishable, the Office
will be presumed to have permission to dispose of the
item without notice to applicant, unless applicant notifies
the Office upon submission of the item that a
return is desired and arrangements are promptly made
for the item’s return upon notification by the Office.
 
For models, exhibits, or specimens that are
returned, applicant is responsible for retaining the
actual model, exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable
life of any patent resulting from the application except
where: (A) the model or exhibit substantially conforms
to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 or 1.84; (B)
the model or exhibit has been described by photographs
that substantially conform to 37 CFR 1.84; or
(C) the model, exhibit, or specimen is perishable.
Applicant may be called upon to resubmit such
returned model, exhibit, or specimen under appropriate
circumstances, such as where a continuing application
is filed.
 
The notification to applicant that a model, exhibit,
or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of
business before the Office will set a time period
within which applicant must make arrangements for a
return of a model, exhibit, or specimen. The time
period is normally one month from the mailing date of
the notification, unless the item is perishable, in
which case the time period will be shorter. Extensions
of time are available under 37 CFR 1.136, except in
the case of perishables. Failure by applicant to establish
that arrangements for the return of a model,
exhibit, or specimen have been made within the time
period set in the notice will result in the disposal of
the model, exhibit, or specimen by the Office.
 
Form paragraph 6.48 may be used to notify applicant
that the model, exhibit, or specimen is no longer
necessary for the conduct of business before the
Office and that applicant must make arrangement for
the return of the model, exhibit, or specimen.
 
 
 
¶ 6.48 Model, Exhibit, or Specimen - Applicant Must
Make Arrangements for Return
 
The [1] is no longer necessary for the conduct of business
before the Office. Applicant must arrange for the return of the
model, exhibit or specimen at the applicant's expense in accordance
with 37 CFR 1.94(a).
 
Applicant is given ONE MONTH or THIRTY DAYS, whichever
is longer, from the mailing date of this letter to make arrangements
for return of the above-identified model, exhibit, or
specimen to avoid its disposal in accordance with 37 CFR 1.94(c).
Extensions of time are available under 37 CFR 1.136, except in
the case of perishables.
 
Applicant is responsible for retaining the actual model, exhibit,
or specimen for the enforceable life of any patent resulting from
the application unless one of the exceptions set forth in 37 CFR
1.94(b) applies.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, identify the model, exhibit, or specimen that is
no longer needed by the Office.
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.The Office will dispose of perishables without notice to
Applicant unless applicant notifies the Office upon submission of
the model, exhibit or specimen that a return is desired and makes
arrangements for its return promptly upon notification by the
Office that the model, exhibit or specimen is no longer necessary
for the conduct of business before the Office.
 
For plant specimens, see MPEP § 1607 and 37 CFR
1.166.
 
37 CFR 1.95. Copies of exhibits.
 
Copies of models or other physical exhibits will not ordinarily
be furnished by the Office, and any model or exhibit in an application
or patent shall not be taken from the Office except in the custody
of an employee of the Office specially authorized by the
Director.
 
608.04New Matter
 
37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in
applications.
 
 
 
(f)No new matter. No amendment may introduce new matter
into the disclosure of an application.
 
 
 
In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not
only on the specification and drawing as filed but also
on the original claims if their content justifies it. See
MPEP §
 
608.01(l).
 
While amendments to the specification and claims
involving new matter are ordinarily entered, such
matter is required to be canceled from the descriptive
portion of the specification, and the claims affected
are rejected under 35
U.S.C. 112, first paragraph.
 
When new matter is introduced into the specification,
the amendment should be objected to under 35
U.S.C. 132 (35 U.S.C. 251 if a reissue application)
and a requirement made to cancel the new matter. The
subject matter which is considered to be new matter
must be clearly identified by the examiner. If the new
matter has been entered into the claims or affects the
scope of the claims, the claims affected should be
rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, because
the new matter is not described in the application as
originally filed.
 
A “new matter” amendment of the drawing is ordinarily
not entered; neither is an additional or substitute
sheet containing “new matter” even though
provisionally entered by the TC technical support
staff. See MPEP § 608.02(h).
 
The examiner’s holding of new matter may be petitionable
or appealable. See MPEP § 608.04(c).
 
For new matter in reissue application, see MPEP
§
 
1411.02. For new matter in substitute specification,
see MPEP § 608.01(q).
 
Note: No amendment is permitted in a provisional
application after it receives a filing date.
 
608.04(a)Matter Not in Original Specification,
Claims, or Drawings
 
Matter not in the original specification, claims, or
drawings is usually new matter. Depending on circumstances
such as the adequacy of the original disclosure,
the addition of inherent characteristics such
as chemical or physical properties, a new structural
formula or a new use may be new matter. See Ex parte
Vander Wal, 109 USPQ 119, 1956 C.D. 11, 705 O.G. 5
(Bd. App. 1955) (physical properties), Ex parte Fox,
128 USPQ 157, 1960 C.D. 28, 761 O.G. 906 (Bd.
App. 1957) (new formula) and Ex parte Ayers, 108
USPQ 444 (Bd. App. 1955) (new use). For rejection
of claim involving new matter, see MPEP
§
 
706.03(o).
 
For completeness of disclosure, see MPEP §
608.01(p). For trademarks and tradenames, see
MPEP § 608.01(v).
 
608.04(b)New Matter by PreliminaryAmendment [R-3]
 
A preliminary amendment present on the filing
date of the application (e.g., filed along with the filing
of the application) is considered a part of the original
disclosure. See MPEP § 714.01(e) and § 602. A preliminary
amendment filed after the filing date of the
application is not part of the original disclosure of
the
application. See MPEP § 706.03(o). For applications
filed on or after September 21, 2004, the Office
will automatically treat any preliminary amendment
under 37 CFR 1.115(a)(1) that is present on the
filing
date of the application as part of the original
disclosure. If a preliminary amendment is present on
the filing date of
an application, and the oath or declaration
under
37
CFR 1.63 does not also refer to the
preliminary amendment, the normal operating procedure
is
to
not
screen the preliminary amendment to
determine whether
it contains subject matter not otherwise
included in the specification or drawings of the
 
 
 
 
 
 
application as filed (i.e., subject matter that is “new
matter” relative to the specification and drawings of
the application). As a result, it is applicant’s obligation
to review the preliminary amendment to ensure
that it does not contain subject matter not otherwise
included in the specification or drawings of the application
as filed. If the preliminary amendment contains
subject matter not otherwise included in the specification
and drawings of the application, applicant must
provide a supplemental oath or declaration under 37
CFR 1.67 referring to such preliminary amendment.
The failure to submit a supplemental oath or declaration
under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to a preliminary
amendment that contains subject matter not otherwise
included in the specification or drawings of the application
as filed removes safeguards that are implied in
the oath or declaration requirements that the inventor
review and understand the contents of the application,
and acknowledge the duty to disclose to the Office all
information known to be material to patentability as
defined in 37 CFR 1.56.
 
Applicants can avoid the need to file an oath or declaration
referring to any preliminary amendment by
incorporating any desired amendments into the text of
the specification including a new set of claims when
filing the application instead of filing a preliminary
amendment, even where the application is a continuation
or divisional application of a prior-filed application.
Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged
to avoid submitting any preliminary amendments so
as to minimize the burden on the Office in processing
preliminary amendments and reduce delays in processing
the application.
 
During examination, if an examiner determines that
a preliminary amendment that is present on the filing
date of the application includes subject matter not otherwise
supported by the originally filed specification
and drawings, and the oath or declaration does not
refer to the preliminary amendment, the examiner
may require the applicant to file a supplemental oath
or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to the preliminary
amendment. In response to the requirement,
applicant must submit (1) an oath or declaration that
refers to the preliminary amendment, (2) an amendment
that cancels the subject matter not supported by
the originally filed specification and drawings, or (3)
a request for reconsideration.
 
For applications filed prior to September 21, 2004,
a preliminary amendment that was present on the filing
date of an application may be considered a part of
the original disclosure if it was referred to in a first
filed oath or declaration in compliance with 37 CFR
1.63. If the preliminary amendment was not referred
to in the oath or declaration, applicant will be required
to submit a supplemental oath or declaration under 37
CFR 1.67 referring to both the application and the
preliminary amendment filed with the original application.
A surcharge under 37 CFR 1.16(f) will also be
required unless it has been previously paid.
 
608.04(c)Review of Examiner’s Holding
of New Matter
 
Where the new matter is confined to amendments
to the specification, review of the examiner’s requirement
for cancelation is by way of petition. But where
the alleged new matter is introduced into or affects the
claims, thus necessitating their rejection on this
ground, the question becomes an appealable one, and
should not be considered on petition even though that
new matter has been introduced into the specification
also. 37 CFR 1.181 and 37 CFR 1.191 afford the
explanation of this seemingly inconsistent practice as
affecting new matter in the specification.
 
608.05Sequence Listing Table, or Computer
Program Listing Appendix
Submitted on a Compact Disc[R-5]
 
37 CFR 1.52. Language, paper, writing, margins, compact
disc specifications.
 
 
 
(e)Electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent
United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the
file of a patent application or reexamination proceeding.
 
(1)The following documents may be submitted to the
Office on a compact disc in compliance with this paragraph:
 
(i)A computer program listing (see §
1.96);
 
(ii)A “Sequence Listing” (submitted under §
1.821(c)); or
 
(iii)Any individual table (see § 1.58) if the table is
more than 50 pages in length, or if the total number of pages of all
of the tables in an application exceeds 100 pages in length, where
a table page is a page printed on paper in conformance with paragraph
(b) of this section and § 1.58(c).
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2)A compact disc as used in this part means a Compact
Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Compact Disc-Recordable
(CD-R) in compliance with this paragraph. A CD-ROM is a
“read-only” medium on which the data is pressed into the disc so
that it cannot be changed or erased. A CD-R is a “write once”
medium on which once the data is recorded, it is permanent and
cannot be changed or erased.
 
(3)(i) Each compact disc must conform to the International
Standards Organization (ISO) 9660 standard, and the contents
of each compact disc must be in compliance with the
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).
CD-R discs must be finalized so that they are closed to further
writing to the CD-R.
 
(ii)Each compact disc must be enclosed in a hard
compact disc case within an unsealed padded and protective mailing
envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on paper in
accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. The transmittal letter
must list for each compact disc the machine format (e.g., IBM-
PC, Macintosh), the operating system compatibility (e.g., MS-
DOS, MS-Windows, Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on
the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes, and dates
of creation, plus any other special information that is necessary to
identify, maintain, and interpret (e.g., tables in landscape orientation
should be identified as landscape orientation or be identified
when inquired about) the information on the compact disc. Compact
discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to the applicant.
 
 
(4)Any compact disc must be submitted in
duplicate
unless it contains only the “Sequence Listing” in computer readable
form required by §
 
1.821(e). The compact disc and duplicate
copy must be labeled “Copy 1” and “Copy 2,” respectively. The
transmittal letter which accompanies the compact disc must
include a statement that the two compact discs are identical. In the
event that the two compact discs are not identical, the Office will
use the compact disc labeled “Copy 1” for further processing. Any
amendment to the information on a compact disc must be by way
of a replacement compact disc in compliance with this paragraph
containing the substitute information, and must be accompanied
by a statement that the replacement compact disc contains no new
matter. The compact disc and copy must be labeled “COPY 1
REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY” (with the month, day and
year of creation indicated), and “COPY 2 REPLACEMENT MM/
DD/YYYY,” respectively.
 
 
 
(5)The specification must contain an incorporation-by-
reference of the material on the compact disc in a separate paragraph
(§ 1.77(b)(5)), identifying each compact disc by the names
of the files contained on each of the compact discs, their date of
creation and their sizes in bytes. The Office may require applicant
to amend the specification to include in the paper portion any part
of the specification previously submitted on compact disc.
 
(6)A compact disc must also be labeled with the following
information:
 
(i)The name of each inventor (if known);
 
(ii)Title of the invention;
 
(iii)The docket number, or application number if
known, used by the person filing the application to identify the
application; and
 
(iv)A creation date of the compact disc.
 
(v)If multiple compact discs are submitted, the label
shall indicate their order (e.g. “1 of X”).
 
(vi)An indication that the disk is “Copy 1” or “Copy
2” of the submission. See paragraph (b)(4) of this section.
 
(7)If a file is unreadable on both copies of the disc, the
unreadable file will be treated as not having been submitted. A file
is unreadable if, for example, it is of a format that does not comply
with the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section, it is corrupted
by a computer virus, or it is written onto a defective compact
disc.
 
(f)(1) Any sequence listing in an electronic medium in compliance
with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program
listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§
1.52(e) and 1.96, will be excluded when determining the application
size fee required by § 1.16(s) or § 1.492(j). For purposes of
determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or §
1.492(j), for an application the specification and drawings of
which, excluding any sequence listing in compliance with §
1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic
medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, are submitted
in whole or in part on an electronic medium other than the
Office electronic filing system, each three kilobytes of content
submitted on an electronic medium shall be counted as a sheet of
paper.
 
(2)Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the
paper size equivalent of the specification and drawings of an
application submitted via the Office electronic filing system will
be considered to be the number of sheets of paper present in the
specification and drawings of the application when entered into
the Office file wrapper after being rendered by the Office electronic
filing system for purposes of computing the application size
fee required by § 1.16(s). Any sequence listing in compliance with
§ 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing in compliance
with § 1.96, submitted via the Office electronic filing system
will be excluded when determining the application size fee
required by § 1.16(s) if the listing is submitted in ACSII text as
part of an associated file.
 
37 CFR 1.77. Arrangement of application elements.
 
(a)The elements of the application, if applicable, should
appear in the following order:
 
(1)Utility application transmittal form.
 
(2)Fee transmittal form.
 
(3)Application data sheet (see § 1.76).
 
(4)Specification.
 
(5)Drawings.
 
(6)Executed oath or declaration.
 
(b)The specification should include the following sections
in order:
 
(1)Title of the invention, which may be accompanied by
an introductory portion stating the name, citizenship, and residence
of the applicant (unless included in the application data
sheet).
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2)Cross-reference to related applications (unless
included in the application data sheet).
 
(3)Statement regarding federally sponsored research or
development.
 
(4)The names of the parties to a joint research agreement.
 
 
(5)Reference to a “Sequence Listing,” a table, or a computer
program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and
an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc
(see § 1.52(e)(5)). The total number of compact discs including
duplicates and the files on each compact disc shall be specified.
 
(6)Background of the invention.
 
(7)Brief summary of the invention.
 
(8)Brief description of the several views of the drawing.
 
(9)Detailed description of the invention.
 
(10) A claim or claims.
 
(11) Abstract of the disclosure.
 
(12) “Sequence Listing,” if on paper (see §§
1.821through 1.825).
 
(c)The text of the specification sections defined in paragraphs
(b)(1) through (b)(12) of this section, if applicable, should
be preceded by a section heading in uppercase and without underlining
or bold type.
 
Special procedures for the presentation of large
tables, computer program listings and certain biosequences
on compact discs are set forth in 37 CFR
1.52(e). Use of compact discs is desirable in view of
the lengthy data listings being submitted as part of the
disclosure in some patent applications. Such listings
are often several hundred pages or more in length. By
filing and publishing such data listings on compact
disc rather than on paper, substantial cost savings can
result to the applicants, the public, and the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.
 
BACKGROUND
 
A compact disc submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e)
must either be a CD-ROM or a CD-R. A CD-ROM is
made by a process of pressing the disc from a master
template; the data cannot be erased or rewritten. A
CD-R is a compact disc that has a recording medium
only capable of writing once. CD-RW type media
which are erasable and rewriteable are not acceptable.
Limiting the media types to CD-ROM and CD-R
media will ensure the longevity and integrity of the
data submitted. CD-R discs must be finalized so that
they are closed to further writing to the CD-R. The
files stored on the compact disc must contain only
ASCII characters. No non-ASCII characters or proprietary
file formats are permitted. A text viewer is recommended
for viewing ASCII files. While virtually
any word processor may be used to view an ASCII
file, care must be taken since a word processor will
often not distinguish ASCII and non-ASCII files
when displayed. For example, a word processor normally
does not display hidden proprietary non-ASCII
characters used for formatting when viewing a non-
ASCII word processor file.
 
Compact disc(s) filed on the date that the application
was accorded a filing date are to be treated as part
of the originally filed disclosure even if the requisite
“incorporation by reference” statement (see 37 CFR
1.77(b)(5)) is omitted. Similarly, if a preliminary
amendment that accompanies the application when it
is filed in the Office is identified in the oath or declaration,
and the preliminary amendment includes compact
disc(s), the compact disc(s) will be treated as part
of the original disclosure. The compact disc(s) is considered
part of the original disclosure by virtue of its
inclusion with the application on the date the application
is accorded a filing date. The incorporation by
reference statement of the material on the compact
disc is required to be part of the specification to allow
the Office the option of separately printing the material
on compact disc. The examiner should require
applicant(s) to insert this statement if it is omitted or
the examiner may insert the statement by examiner’s
amendment at the time of allowance.
 
37 CFR 1.52(e)(3)(ii) requires that each compact
disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case
within an unsealed padded and protective mailing
envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on
paper in accordance with 37 CFR 1.52(a). The transmittal
letter must list for each compact disc the
machine format (e.g., IBM-PC, Macintosh), the operating
system compatibility (e.g., MS-DOS, MS-Windows,
Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on
the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes,
and dates of creation, plus any other special information
that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret
the information on the compact disc. Compact
discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to
the applicant.
 
All compact discs submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e)
must be submitted in duplicate labeled as “copy 1”
and “copy 2” respectively. If more than one compact
disc is required to hold all of the information, each
compact disc must be submitted in duplicate to form
two sets of discs: one set labeled “copy 1” and a sec
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ond set labeled “copy 2.” Both disc copies should initially
be routed to the Office of Initial Patent
Examination (OIPE). The compact discs will be
checked by OIPE for viruses, readability, the presence
of non-ASCII files, and compliance with the file and
disc labeling requirements. OIPE will retain one copy
of the discs and place the other copy in a holder fastened
into the application file jacket. For Image File
Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual sections
2.2 and 3.6. In the event that there is not a complete
set of files on both copies of the originally filed discs,
OIPE will retain the originally filed discs and send a
notice to the applicant to submit an additional complete
copy. For provisional applications, OIPE will
provide applicant notification and, where appropriate,
require correction for virus infected compact discs,
unreadable compact discs (or unreadable files
thereon), and missing duplicate discs. An amendment
to the material on a compact disc must be done by
submitting a replacement compact disc with the
amended file(s). The amendment should include a
corresponding amendment to the description of the
compact disc and the files contained on the compact
disc in the paper portion of the specification. A
replacement compact disc containing the amended
files must contain all of the files of the original compact
disc that were not amended. This will insure that
the Office, printer, and public can quickly access all
of the current files in an application or patent by referencing
only the latest set of compact discs.
 
Compact discs should be stored in the compact disc
holder provided in each application file. The compact
discs, especially the non-label side, should not be
scratched, marked or otherwise altered or deformed.
Compact discs and application files containing compact
discs should not be stored in areas exposed to
heat and humidity that might damage the discs.
 
If a compact disc becomes damaged or lost from
the file wrapper, OIPE will make a duplicate replacement
copy of the disc from the copy retained in OIPE.
At time of allowance, if a replacement disc is
required, the application file and replacement request
should be forwarded to OIPE to provide the replacement
disc.
 
Examiners may view the files on the application
compact disc using virtually any text reader or the MS
Word word processor software installed on their
workstation. Special text viewing software will be
provided on examiner workstations in Technology
Centers that receive ASCII files that are not readily
readable using the MS Word word processor software.
 
The following form paragraphs may be used to
notify applicant of corrections needed with respect to
compact disc submissions.
 
¶ 6.60.01 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (No Statement
that CDs are Identical)
 
This application is objected to under 37 CFR 1.52(e)(4)
because it does not contain a statement in the transmittal letter that
the two compact discs are identical. Correction is required.
 
¶ 6.60.02 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (No Listing in
Transmittal Letter)
 
This application is objected to because it contains a data file
on CD-ROM/CD-R, however, the transmittal letter does not list
for each compact disc, the machine format, the operating system
compatibility, a list of files contained on the compact disc including
their names, sizes in bytes, and dates of creation, plus any
other special information that is necessary to identify, maintain,
and interpret the information on the compact disc as required by
37 CFR 1.52(e)(3). A statement listing the required information is
required.
 
¶ 6.61.01 Specification Lacking List of Compact Disc(s)
and /or Associated Files
 
Portions of this application are contained on compact disc(s).
When portions of an application are contained on a compact disc,
the paper portion of the specification must identify the compact
disc(s) and list the files including name, file size, and creation date
on each of the compact discs. See 37 CFR 1.52(e). Compact disc
labeled[1] is not identified in the paper portion of the specification
with a listing of all of the files contained on the disc. Applicant is
required to amend the specification to identify each disc and the
files contained on each disc including the file name, file size, and
file creation date.
 
Examiner Note:
 
In bracket 1, insert the name on the label of the compact disc.
 
¶ 6.61.02 Specification Lacking An Incorporation By
Reference Statement for the Compact Disc
 
This application contains compact disc(s) as part of the originally
filed subject matter, but does not contain an incorporation by
reference statement for the compact discs. See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(4).
Applicant(s) are required to insert in the specification an incorporation-
by-reference of the material on the compact disc(s).
 
¶ 6.62 Data File on CD-ROM/CD-R Not in ASCII File
Format
 
This application contains a data file on CD-ROM/CD-R that
is not in an ASCII file format. See 37 CFR 1.52(e). File [1] is not
in an ASCII format. Applicant is required to resubmit file(s) in
ASCII format. No new matter may be introduced in presenting the
file(s) in ASCII format.
 
Examiner Note:
 
 
 
 
 
 
1.This form paragraph must be used to indicate whenever a
data file (table, computer program listing or Sequence Listing) is
submitted in a non-ASCII file format. The file may be in a file format
that is proprietary, e.g., a Microsoft Word, Excel or Word Perfect
file format; and/or the file may contain non-ASCII characters.
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the name of the file and whether the file is
a non-text proprietary file format and/or contains non-ASCII characters.
 
 
The following form paragraphs should be used to
respond to amendments which include amended or
substituted compact discs.
 
¶ 6.70.01 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (Amendment
Does Not Include Statement that CDs are Identical)
 
The amendment filed [1] is objected to under 37 CFR
1.52(e)(4) because it does not contain a statement in the transmittal
letter that the two compact discs are identical. Correction is
required.
 
¶ 6.70.02 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (No Listing in
Transmittal Letter Submitted With Amendment)
 
The amendment filed [1] contains data on compact disc(s).
Compact disc labeled [2] is not identified in the transmittal letter
and/or the transmittal letter does not list for each compact disc, the
machine format, the operating system compatibility, a list of files
contained on the compact disc including their names, sizes in
bytes, and dates of creation, plus any other special information
that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret the information
on the compact disc as required by 37 CFR 1.52(e)(3). A
statement listing the required information is required.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.Use this form paragraph when the transmittal letter does not
include a listing of the files and required information.
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the date of the amendment.
 
3.In bracket 2, insert the name on the label of the compact disc.
 
¶ 6.71.01 Specification Lacking List of Compact Disc(s)
and/or Associated Files (Amendment Filed With Compact
Disc(s))
 
The amendment filed [1] contains data on compact disc(s).
Compact disc labeled [2] is not identified in the paper portion of
the specification with a listing of all of the files contained on the
disc. Applicant is required to amend the specification to identify
each disc and the files contained on each disc including the file
name, file size, and file creation date. See 37 CFR 1.52(e).
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.In bracket 1, insert the date of the amendment.
 
2.In bracket 2, insert the name on the label of the compact disc.
 
¶ 6.71.02 Specification Lacking An Incorporation By
Reference Statement for the Compact Disc (Amendment
Filed With Compact Disc)
 
The amendment filed [1] amends or adds a compact disc(s).
See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(4) and 1.52(e)(5). Applicant is required to
update or insert an incorporation-by-reference of the material on
the compact disc(s) in the specification.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.Use this form paragraph when the CD-ROM/CD-R is filed
with an amendment, but the required incorporation-by-reference
statement is neither amended nor added to the specification.
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the date of the amendment.
 
¶ 6.72.01 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (CDs Not
Identical)
 
The amendment filed [1] is objected to under 37 CFR
1.52(e)(4) because the two compact discs are not identical. Correction
is required.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.Use this form paragraph when the two compact discs are not
identical.
 
2.See also form paragraph 6.70.01 where the transmittal letter
does not include a statement that the two compact discs are identical.
 
 
¶ 6.72.02 Data File, Submitted With Amendment, on CD-
ROM/CD-R Not in ASCII File Format
 
The amendment filed [1] contains a data file on CD-ROM/CD-
R that is not in an ASCII file format. File [2] is not in an ASCII
format. Applicant is required to resubmit file(s) in ASCII format
as required by 37 CFR 1.52(e)(3). No new matter may be introduced
in presenting the file(s) in ASCII format.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.This form paragraph must be used whenever a data file
(table, computer program listing or Sequence Listing) is submitted
in a non-ASCII file format. The file may be in a file format
that is proprietary, e.g., a Microsoft Word, Excel or Word Perfect
file format; and/or the file contains non-ASCII characters.
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the date of the amendment.
 
3.In bracket 2, insert the name of the file and whether the file is
a non-text proprietary file format and/or contains non-ASCII characters.
 
 
¶ 6.72.03 CD-ROM/CD-R Are Not Readable
 
The amendment filed [1] contains a data file on CD-ROM/CD-
R that is unreadable. Applicant is required to resubmit the file(s)
in International Standards Organization (ISO) 9660 standard and
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
format as required by 37 CFR 1.52(e)(3). No new matter may be
introduced in presenting the file in ISO 9660 and ASCII format.
 
¶ 6.72.04 CD-ROM/CD-R Contains Viruses
 
The amendment filed [1] is objected to because the compact
disc contains at least one virus. Correction is required.
 
¶ 6.72.05 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (Missing Files
On Amended Compact Disc)
 
The amendment to the application filed [1] is objected to
because the newly submitted compact disc(s) do not contain all of
the unamended data file(s) together with the amended data file(s)
that were on the CD-ROM/CD-R. Since amendments to a com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
pact disc can only be made by providing a replacement compact
disc, the replacement disc must include all of the files, both
amended and unamended, to be a complete replacement.
 
Examiner Note:
 
Use this form paragraph when a replacement compact disc is
submitted that fails to include all of the files on the original compact
disc(s) that have not been cancelled by amendment.
 
608.05(a)Deposit of Computer Program  
Listings [R-5]


37 CFR 1.96. Submission of computer program listings.
37 CFR 1.96. Submission of computer program listings.
Line 7,563: Line 5,339:
as ASCII files on compact discs (in compliance  
as ASCII files on compact discs (in compliance  
with 37 CFR 1.96(c)).
with 37 CFR 1.96(c)).
Form paragraphs 6.64.01 through 6.64.03 may be
used to notify the applicant of this requirement.
¶ 6.64.01 Computer Program Listing Appendix on
Compact Disc Requirement
The description portion of this application contains a computer
program listing consisting of more than three hundred (300) lines.
In accordance with 37 CFR 1.96(c), a computer program listing of
more than three hundred lines must be submitted as a computer
program listing appendix on compact disc conforming to the standards
set forth in 37 CFR 1.96(c)(2) and must be appropriately
referenced in the specification (see 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5)). Accordingly,
applicant is required to cancel the computer program listing
appearing in the specification on pages [1], file a computer program
listing appendix on compact disc in compliance with 37
CFR 1.96(c), and insert an appropriate reference to the newly
added computer program listing appendix on compact disc at the
beginning of the specification.
Examiner Note:
1. This form paragraph must be used whenever a computer
program listing consisting of more than three hundred lines is
included as part of the descriptive portion of the specification if
the computer program listing was filed on or after September 8,
2000. See MPEP § 608.05(a).
2.In bracket 1, insert the range of page numbers of the specification
which include the computer program listing.
¶ 6.64.02 Computer Program Listing as Printout Within
the Specification (More Than 60 Lines And Not More Than
Three Hundred Lines)
This application contains a computer program listing of over
sixty (60) lines and less than three hundred and one (301) lines
within the written specification. In accordance with 37 CFR
1.96(b), a computer program listing contained on over sixty (60)
lines and less than three hundred-one (301) lines must, if submitted
as part of the specification, be positioned at the end of the
specification and before the claims. Accordingly, applicant is
required to cancel the computer program listing and either incorporate
such listing in a compact disc in compliance with 37 CFR
1.96, or insert the computer program listing after the detailed
description of the invention but before the claims, in the form of
direct printouts from a computer’s printer with dark solid black
letters not less than 0.21 cm. high, on white, unshaded and unlined
paper.
Examiner Note:
This form paragraph must be used whenever a computer program
listing consisting of a paper printout of more than 60 lines
and no more than three hundred lines is included as part of the
descriptive portion of the specification and the computer program
listing was filed on or after September 8, 2000. See MPEP §
608.05(a).
¶ 6.64.03 Computer Program Listing of More Than Three
Hundred Lines
This application contains a computer program listing of more
than three hundred (300) lines. In accordance with 37 CFR
1.96(c), a computer program listing contained on more than three
hundred (300) lines must be submitted as a computer program listing
appendix on compact disc conforming to the standards set
forth in 37 CFR 1.96(c)(2) and must be appropriately referenced
in the specification (see 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5)). Accordingly, applicant
is required to cancel the current computer program listing,
file a computer program listing appendix on compact disc in compliance
with 37 CFR 1.96(c), and insert an appropriate reference
to the newly added computer program listing appendix on compact
disc at the beginning of the specification.
Examiner Note:
This form paragraph must be used whenever a computer program
listing consisting of a paper printout of more than three hundred
lines is filed on or after September 8, 2000.


A computer program listing of more than three hundred  
A computer program listing of more than three hundred  
Line 7,649: Line 5,344:
publication, patent, or Statutory Invention Registration.  
publication, patent, or Statutory Invention Registration.  
See 37 CFR 1.96(c).
See 37 CFR 1.96(c).




Line 8,031: Line 5,722:
1.58(b) with respect to tables.
1.58(b) with respect to tables.


¶ 6.63.01 CD-ROM/CD-R Requirements (Table Listing in
====608.05(c)Compact Disc Submissions of Biosequences====
Specification)
 
The description portion of this application contains a table
consisting of less than fifty one (51) pages only on a CD-ROM or
CD-R. In accordance with 37 CFR 1.52(e), only a table of at least
fifty one (51) pages may be submitted on a CD-ROM or CD-R.
Accordingly, applicant is required to cancel the references to the
CD-ROM/CD-R table appearing in the specification on pages[1],
file a paper version of the table in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52and change all appropriate references to the former CD-ROM/
CD-R table to the newly added paper version of the table in the
remainder of the specification.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.This form paragraph must be used whenever a table on a CD-
ROM or CD-R consisting of less than fifty one (51) pages as part
of the descriptive portion of the specification is filed on or after
September 8, 2000. See MPEP § 608.05(b).
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the range of page numbers of the specification
which reference the table.
 
¶ 6.63.02 Table on CD-ROM/CD-R Column/Row
Relationship Not Maintained
 
This application contains a table on CD-ROM/CD-R. Tables
presented on CD-ROM/CD-R in compliance with 37 CFR 1.58must maintain the spacial orientation of the cell entries. The table
submitted does not maintain the data within each table cell in its
proper row/column alignment. The data is misaligned in the table
as follows: [1]. Applicant is required to submit a replacement
compact disc with the table data properly aligned.
 
Examiner Note:
 
1.This form paragraph must be used whenever the data in a
table cannot be accurately read because the data in the table cells
do not maintain their row and column alignments.
 
2.In bracket 1, insert the area of the table that does not maintain
the row and column alignments.
 
608.05(c)Compact Disc Submissions of  
Biosequences


Filing of biosequence information on compact disc  
Filing of biosequence information on compact disc  
is now permitted in lieu of filing on paper. See MPEP  
is now permitted in lieu of filing on paper. See MPEP  
§ 2420 and § 2422.03.
§ 2420 and § 2422.03.

Latest revision as of 22:52, May 31, 2020

← MPEP 607 ↑ MPEP 600 MPEP 609 →


608 Disclosure[edit | edit source]

In return for a patent, the inventor gives as consideration a complete revelation or disclosure of the invention for which protection is sought. All amendments or claims must find descriptive basis in the original disclosure, or they involve new matter. Applicant may rely for disclosure upon the specification with original claims and drawings, as filed. See also 37 CFR 1.121(f) and MPEP § 608.04.

If during the course of examination of a patent application, an examiner notes the use of language that could be deemed offensive to any race, religion, sex, ethnic group, or nationality, he or she should object to the use of the language as failing to comply with the Rules of Practice. 37 CFR 1.3 proscribes the presentation of papers which are lacking in decorum and courtesy.

608.01 Specification[edit | edit source]

35 U.S.C. 22. Printing of papers filed.

The Director may require papers filed in the Patent and Trademark Office to be printed, typewritten, or on an electronic medium.


37 CFR 1.71. Detailed description and specification of the invention.

(a)The specification must include a written description of the invention or discovery and of the manner and process of making and using the same, and is required to be in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention or discovery appertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same.

(b)The specification must set forth the precise invention for which a patent is solicited, in such manner as to distinguish it from other inventions and from what is old. It must describe completely a specific embodiment of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter or improvement invented, and must explain the mode of operation or principle whenever applicable. The best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention must be set forth.

(c)In the case of an improvement, the specification must particularly point out the part or parts of the process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter to which the improvement relates, and the description should be confined to the specific improvement and to such parts as necessarily cooperate with it or as may be necessary to a complete understanding or description of it.

(d)A copyright or mask work notice may be placed in a design or utility patent application adjacent to copyright and mask work material contained therein. The notice may appear at any appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure. For notices in drawings, see § 1.84(s). The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example, “©1983 John Doe”(17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language set forth in paragraph (e) of this section is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.

(e)The authorization shall read as follows:

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.

(f)The specification must commence on a separate sheet. Each sheet including part of the specification may not include other parts of the application or other information. The claim(s), abstract and sequence listing (if any) should not be included on a sheet including any other part of the application.

(g)

(1) The specification may disclose or be amended to disclose the names of the parties to a joint research agreement (35 U.S.C. 103(c)(2)(C)).

(2)An amendment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section must be accompanied by the processing fee set forth § 1.17(i) if not filed within one of the following time periods:

(i)Within three months of the filing date of a national application;

(ii)Within three months of the date of entry of the national stage as set forth in § 1.491 in an international application;


(iii)Before the mailing of a first Office action on the merits; or

(iv)Before the mailing of a first Office action after the filing of a request for continued examination under § 1.114.

(3)If an amendment under paragraph (g)(1) of this section is filed after the date the issue fee is paid, the patent as issued may not necessarily include the names of the parties to the joint research agreement. If the patent as issued does not include the names of the parties to the joint research agreement, the patent must be corrected to include the names of the parties to the joint research agreement by a certificate of correction under 35 U.S.C. 255 and § 1.323 for the amendment to be effective.


The specification is a written description of the invention and of the manner and process of making and using the same. The specification must be in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention pertains to make and use the same. See 35 U.S.C. 112 and 37 CFR 1.71. If a newly filed application obviously fails to disclose an invention with the clarity required by 35 U.S.C. 112, revision of the application should be required. See MPEP § 702.01. The written description must not include information that is not related to applicant’s invention, e.g., prospective disclaimers regarding comments made by examiners. If such information is included in the written description, the examiner will object to the specification and require applicant to take appropriate action, e.g., cancel the information. The specification must commence on a separate sheet. Each sheet including part of the specification may not include other parts of the application or other information. The claim(s), abstract and sequence listing (if any) should not be included on a sheet including any other part of the application (37 CFR 1.71(f)). That is, the claim(s), abstract and sequence listings (if any) should each begin on a new page since each of these sections (specification, abstract, claims, sequence listings) of the disclosure are separately indexed in the Image File Wrapper (IFW). There should be no overlap on a single page of more than one section of the disclosure.

The specification does not require a date.

Certain cross references to other related applications may be made. References to foreign applications or to applications identified only by the attorney’s docket number should be required to be canceled. U.S. applications identified only by the attorney’s docket number may be amended to properly identify the earlier application(s). See 37 CFR 1.78.

As the specification is never returned to applicant under any circumstances, the applicant should retain an accurate copy thereof. In amending the specification, the attorney or the applicant must comply with 37 CFR 1.121 (see MPEP § 714).

Examiners should not object to the specification and/or claims in patent applications merely because applicants are using British English spellings (e.g., colour) rather than American English spellings. It is not necessary to replace the British English spellings with the equivalent American English spellings in the U.S. patent applications. Note that 37 CFR 1.52(b)(1)(ii) only requires the application to be in the English language. There is no additional requirement that the English must be American English.

I.PAPER REQUIREMENTS

37 CFR 1.52. Language, paper, writing, margins, compact disc specifications.

(a)Papers that are to become a part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application or a reexamination proceeding.

(1)All papers, other than drawings, that are submitted on paper or by facsimile transmission, and are to become a part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application or reexamination proceeding, must be on sheets of paper that are the same size, not permanently bound together, and:

(i)Flexible, strong, smooth, non-shiny, durable, and white;

(ii)Either 21.0 cm by 29.7 cm (DIN size A4) or 21.6 cm by 27.9 cm (8 1/2 by 11 inches), with each sheet including a top margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch), a left side margin of at least 2.5 cm (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch), and a bottom margin of at least 2.0 cm (3/4 inch);

(iii)Written on only one side in portrait orientation;

(iv)Plainly and legibly written either by a typewriter or machine printer in permanent dark ink or its equivalent; and

(v)Presented in a form having sufficient clarity and contrast between the paper and the writing thereon to permit the direct reproduction of readily legible copies in any number by use of photographic, electrostatic, photo-offset, and microfilming processes and electronic capture by use of digital imaging and optical character recognition.

(2)All papers that are submitted on paper or by facsimile transmission and are to become a part of the permanent records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office should have no holes in the sheets as submitted.

(3)The provisions of this paragraph and paragraph (b) of this section do not apply to the pre-printed information on paper forms provided by the Office, or to the copy of the patent submitted on paper in double column format as the specification in a reissue application or request for reexamination.

(4)See § 1.58 for chemical and mathematical formulae and tables, and § 1.84 for drawings.

(5)Papers that are submitted electronically to the Office must be formatted and transmitted in compliance with the Office’s electronic filing system requirements.

(b)The application (specification, including the claims, drawings, and oath or declaration) or reexamination proceeding and any amendments or corrections to the application or reexamination proceeding.

(1)The application or proceeding and any amendments or corrections to the application (including any translation submitted pursuant to paragraph (d) of this section) or proceeding, except as provided for in § 1.69 and paragraph (d) of this section, must:

(i)Comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; and

(ii)Be in the English language or be accompanied by a translation of the application and a translation of any corrections or amendments into the English language together with a statement that the translation is accurate.

(2)The specification (including the abstract and claims) for other than reissue applications and reexamination proceedings, and any amendments for applications (including reissue applications) and reexamination proceedings to the specification, except as provided for in §§ 1.821 through 1.825, must have:

(i)Lines that are 1 1/2 or double spaced;

(ii)Text written in a nonscript type font (e.g., Arial, Times Roman, or Courier, preferably a font size of 12) lettering style having capital letters which should be at least 0.3175 cm. (0.125 inch) high, but may be no smaller than 0.21 cm. (0.08 inch) high (e.g., a font size of 6); and

(iii)Only a single column of text.

(3)The claim or claims must commence on a separate physical sheet or electronic page (§ 1.75(h)).

(4)The abstract must commence on a separate physical sheet or electronic page or be submitted as the first page of the patent in a reissue application or reexamination proceeding (§ 1.72(b)).

(5)Other than in a reissue application or reexamination proceeding, the pages of the specification including claims and abstract must be numbered consecutively, starting with 1, the numbers being centrally located above or preferably below, the text.

(6)Other than in a reissue application or reexamination proceeding, the paragraphs of the specification, other than in the claims or abstract, may be numbered at the time the application is filed, and should be individually and consecutively numbered using Arabic numerals, so as to unambiguously identify each paragraph. The number should consist of at least four numerals enclosed in square brackets, including leading zeros (e.g., [0001]). The numbers and enclosing brackets should appear to the right of the left margin as the first item in each paragraph, before the first word of the paragraph, and should be highlighted in bold. A gap, equivalent to approximately four spaces, should follow the number. Nontext elements (e.g., tables, mathematical or chemical formulae, chemical structures, and sequence data) are considered part of the numbered paragraph around or above the elements, and should not be independently numbered. If a nontext element extends to the left margin, it should not be numbered as a separate and independent paragraph. A list is also treated as part of the paragraph around or above the list, and should not be independently numbered. Paragraph or section headers (titles), whether abutting the left margin or centered on the page, are not considered paragraphs and should not be numbered.

(c)

(1) Any interlineation, erasure, cancellation or other alteration of the application papers filed must be made before the signing of any accompanying oath or declaration pursuant to § 1.63referring to those application papers and should be dated and initialed or signed by the applicant on the same sheet of paper. Application papers containing alterations made after the signing of an oath or declaration referring to those application papers must be supported by a supplemental oath or declaration under § 1.67. In either situation, a substitute specification (§ 1.125) is required if the application papers do not comply with paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(2)After the signing of the oath or declaration referring to the application papers, amendments may only be made in the manner provided by § 1.121.

(3)Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph, if an oath or declaration is a copy of the oath or declaration from a prior application, the application for which such copy is submitted may contain alterations that do not introduce matter that would have been new matter in the prior application.

(d)A nonprovisional or provisional application may be in a language other than English.

(1)Nonprovisional application. If a nonprovisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English language translation of the non-English language application, a statement that the translation is accurate, and the processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i) are required. If these items are not filed with the application, applicant will be notified and given a period of time within which they must be filed in order to avoid abandonment.

(2)Provisional application. If a provisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English language translation of the non-English language provisional application will not be required in the provisional application. See § 1.78(a) for the requirements for claiming the benefit of such provisional application in a nonprovisional application.

(e)Electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application or reexamination proceeding.

(1)The following documents may be submitted to the Office on a compact disc in compliance with this paragraph:

(i)A computer program listing (see § 1.96);

(ii)A “Sequence Listing” (submitted under § 1.821(c)); or

(iii)Any individual table (see § 1.58) if the table is more than 50 pages in length, or if the total number of pages of all of the tables in an application exceeds 100 pages in length, where a table page is a page printed on paper in conformance with paragraph (b) of this section and § 1.58(c).

(2)A compact disc as used in this part means a Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) in compliance with this paragraph. A CD-ROM is a “read-only” medium on which the data is pressed into the disc so that it cannot be changed or erased. A CD-R is a “write once” medium on which once the data is recorded, it is permanent and cannot be changed or erased.

(3)

(i) Each compact disc must conform to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9660 standard, and the contents of each compact disc must be in compliance with the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). CD-R discs must be finalized so that they are closed to further writing to the CD-R.

(ii)Each compact disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case within an unsealed padded and protective mailing envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on paper in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. The transmittal letter must list for each compact disc the machine format (e.g., IBM- PC, Macintosh), the operating system compatibility (e.g., MS- DOS, MS-Windows, Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes, and dates of creation, plus any other special information that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret (e.g., tables in landscape orientation should be identified as landscape orientation or be identified when inquired about) the information on the compact disc. Compact discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to the applicant.

(4)Any compact disc must be submitted in duplicate unless it contains only the “Sequence Listing” in computer readable form required by § 1.821(e). The compact disc and duplicate copy must be labeled “Copy 1” and “Copy 2,” respectively. The transmittal letter which accompanies the compact disc must include a statement that the two compact discs are identical. In the event that the two compact discs are not identical, the Office will use the compact disc labeled “Copy 1” for further processing. Any amendment to the information on a compact disc must be by way of a replacement compact disc in compliance with this paragraph containing the substitute information, and must be accompanied by a statement that the replacement compact disc contains no new matter. The compact disc and copy must be labeled “COPY 1 REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY” (with the month, day and year of creation indicated), and “COPY 2 REPLACEMENT MM/ DD/YYYY,” respectively.

(5)The specification must contain an incorporation-by- reference of the material on the compact disc in a separate paragraph (§ 1.77(b)(5)), identifying each compact disc by the names of the files contained on each of the compact discs, their date of creation and their sizes in bytes. The Office may require applicant to amend the specification to include in the paper portion any part of the specification previously submitted on compact disc.

(6)A compact disc must also be labeled with the following information:

(i)The name of each inventor (if known);

(ii)Title of the invention;

(iii)The docket number, or application number if known, used by the person filing the application to identify the application; and

(iv)A creation date of the compact disc.

(v)If multiple compact discs are submitted, the label shall indicate their order (e.g. “1 of X”).

(vi)An indication that the disk is “Copy 1” or “Copy 2” of the submission. See paragraph (b)(4) of this section.

(7)If a file is unreadable on both copies of the disc, the unreadable file will be treated as not having been submitted. A file is unreadable if, for example, it is of a format that does not comply with the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section, it is corrupted by a computer virus, or it is written onto a defective compact disc.

(f)

(1) Any sequence listing in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or § 1.492(j). For purposes of determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or § 1.492(j), for an application the specification and drawings of which, excluding any sequence listing in compliance with § 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, are submitted in whole or in part on an electronic medium other than the Office electronic filing system, each three kilobytes of content submitted on an electronic medium shall be counted as a sheet of paper.

(2)Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the paper size equivalent of the specification and drawings of an application submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be considered to be seventy-five percent of the number of sheets of paper present in the specification and drawings of the application when entered into the Office file wrapper after being rendered by the Office electronic filing system for purposes of determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s). Any sequence listing in compliance with § 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing in compliance with § 1.96, submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) if the listing is submitted in ASCII text as part of an associated file.


37 CFR 1.58. Chemical and mathematical formulae and tables.

(a)The specification, including the claims, may contain chemical and mathematical formulae, but shall not contain drawings or flow diagrams. The description portion of the specification may contain tables, but the same tables may only be included in both the drawings and description portion of the specification if the application was filed under 35 U.S.C. 371. Claims may contain tables either if necessary to conform to 35 U.S.C. 112 or if otherwise found to be desirable.

(b)Tables that are submitted in electronic form (§§ 1.96(c) and 1.821(c)) must maintain the spatial relationships (e.g., alignment of columns and rows) of the table elements when displayed so as to visually preserve the relational information they convey. Chemical and mathematical formulae must be encoded to maintain the proper positioning of their characters when displayed in order to preserve their intended meaning.

(c)Chemical and mathematical formulae and tables must be presented in compliance with § 1.52(a) and (b), except that chemical and mathematical formulae or tables may be placed in a landscape orientation if they cannot be presented satisfactorily in a portrait orientation. Typewritten characters used in such formulae and tables must be chosen from a block (nonscript) type font or lettering style having capital letters which should be at least 0.422 cm. (0.166 inch) high (e.g., preferably Arial, Times Roman, or Courier with a font size of 12), but may be no smaller than 0.21 cm. (0.08 inch) high (e.g., a font size of 6). A space at least 0.64 cm. (1/4 inch) high should be provided between complex formulae and tables and the text. Tables should have the lines and columns of data closely spaced to conserve space, consistent with a high degree of legibility.


The pages of the specification including claims and abstract must be numbered consecutively, starting with 1, the numbers being centrally located above or preferably, below, the text. The lines of the specification, and any amendments to the specification, must be 1 1/2 or double spaced. The text must be written in a nonscript type font (e.g., Arial, Times Roman, or Courier, preferably a font size of 12) lettering style having capital letters which should be at least 0.3175 cm. (0.125 inch) high, but may be no smaller than 0.21 cm. (0.08 inch) high (e.g., a font size of 6) (37 CFR 1.52(b)(2)(ii)). The text may not be written solely in capital letters.

All application papers (specification, including claims, abstract, any drawings, oath or declaration, and other papers), and also papers subsequently filed, must have each page plainly written on only one side of a sheet of paper. The specification must commence on a separate sheet. Each sheet including part of the specification may not include other parts of the application or other information. The claim(s), abstract and sequence listing (if any) should not be included on a sheet including any other part of the application (37 CFR 1.71(f)). The claim or claims must commence on a separate sheet or electronic page and any sheet including a claim or portion of a claim may not contain any other parts of the application or other material (37 CFR 1.75(h)). The abstract must commence on a separate sheet and any sheet including an abstract or portion of an abstract may not contain any other parts of the application or other material (37 CFR 1.72(b)).

All application papers that are submitted on paper or by facsimile transmission which are to become a part of the permanent record of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must be on sheets of paper which are the same size (for example, an amendment should not have two different sizes of paper, but the specification can have one size of paper and the drawings a different size) and are either 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4) or 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inches). See 37 CFR 1.52(a)(1) and 37 CFR 1.84(f). Application papers submitted by the Office Electronic Filing System (EFS) must conform with the user instructions for EFS. Each sheet, other than the drawings, must include a top margin of at least 2.0 cm. (3/4 inch), a left side margin of at least 2.5 cm. (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 2.0 cm. (3/4 inch), and a bottom margin of at least 2.0 cm. (3/4 inch). No holes should be made in the sheets as submitted.

Applicants must make every effort to file patent applications in a form that is clear and reproducible. If the papers are not of the required quality, substitute typewritten or mechanically printed papers of suitable quality will be required. See 37 CFR 1.125 for filing substitute typewritten or mechanically printed papers constituting a substitute specification required by the Office. See also MPEP § 608.01(q). All papers which are to become a part of the permanent records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office must be legibly written either by a typewriter or mechanical printer in permanent dark ink or its equivalent in portrait orientation on flexible, strong, smooth, nonshiny, durable, and white paper. Typed, mimeographed, xeroprinted, multigraphed or nonsmearing carbon copy forms of reproduction are acceptable.

Where an application is filed with papers that do not comply with 37 CFR 1.52, the Office of Initial Patent Examination will mail a “Notice to File Corrected Application Papers” indicating the deficiency and setting a time period within which the applicant must correct the deficiencies to avoid abandonment. The failure to submit application papers in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52 does not effect the grant of a filing date, and original application papers that do not comply with 37 CFR 1.52 will be retained in the application file as the original disclosure of the invention. The USPTO will not return papers simply because they do not comply with 37 CFR 1.52.

Legibility includes ability to be photocopied and photomicrographed so that suitable reprints can be made and ability to be electronically reproduced by use of digital imaging and optical character recognition. This requires a high contrast, with black lines and a white background. Gray lines and/or a gray background sharply reduce photo reproduction quality. Legibility of some application papers may become impaired due to abrasion or aging of the printed material during examination and ordinary handling of the file. It may be necessary to require that legible and permanent copies be furnished at later stages after filing, particularly when preparing for issue.

Some of the patent application papers received by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are copies of the original, ribbon copy. These are acceptable if, in the opinion of the Office, they are legible and permanent.

The paper used must have a surface such that amendments may be written thereon in ink. So-called “Easily Erasable” paper having a special coating so that erasures can be made more easily may not provide a “permanent” copy, 37 CFR 1.52(a)(1)(iv). If a light pressure of an ordinary (pencil) eraser removes the imprint, the examiner should, as soon as this becomes evident, notify applicant by use of Form paragraph 6.32 that it will be necessary for applicant to order a copy of the specification and claims to be made by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at the applicant’s expense for incorporation in the file. It is not necessary to return this copy to applicant for signature. Since application papers are now maintained in an Image File Wrapper, the type of paper is unlikely to be an issue so long as the Office was able to scan and reproduce the papers that were filed.

II.ALTERATION OF APPLICATION PAPERS

37 CFR 1.52(c) relating to interlineations and other alterations is strictly enforced. See In re Swanberg, 129 USPQ 364 (Comm’r Pat. 1960). See also MPEP § 605.04(a).

III.CERTIFIED COPIES OF AN APPLICATION- AS-FILED

If an application-as-filed does not meet the sheet size/margin and quality requirements of 37 CFR 1.52and 1.84(f) and (g), certified copies of such application may be illegible and/or ineffective as priority documents. When an applicant requests that the USPTO provide a certified copy of an application-as- filed and pays the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(b)(1), the USPTO will make a copy of the application-as- filed from the records in the IFW database (or the microfilm database). If papers submitted in the application- as-filed are not legible, certified copies of the application as originally filed will not be legible.

The USPTO performs exception processing when scanning application papers that do not comply with the sheet size/margin and quality requirements. If papers submitted in the application-as-filed (including any transmittal letter or cover sheet) do not meet the sheet size requirement of 37 CFR 1.52 and 1.84(f) (e.g., the papers are legal size (8 1/2 by 14 inches)), the USPTO must reduce such papers to be able to image-scan the entire application and record it in the IFW database. In addition, if papers submitted in the application-as-filed do not meet the quality requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 (e.g., the papers are shiny or non-white), the USPTO will attempt to enhance such papers before scanning to make the resulting electronic record in the IFW database more readable. However, if exception processing is required to make the IFW copy, certified copies of the application as originally filed may not be legible.

If application papers are filed that do not meet sheet size/margin and quality requirements, the USPTO will require the applicant to file substitute papers that do comply with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 and 1.84(e), (f) and (g). The substitute papers submitted in reply to the above-mentioned requirement will provide the USPTO with an image- and OCR-scannable copy of the application for printing the application as a patent publication or patent. However, the USPTO will not treat application papers submitted after the filing date of an application as the original disclosure of the application for making a certified copy of the application-as-filed or any other purpose. That is, even if an applicant subsequently files substitute application papers that comply with 37 CFR 1.52 and then requests that the USPTO provide a certified copy of an application-as-filed, paying the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(b)(1), the USPTO will still make a copy of the application-as-filed rather than a copy of the subsequently filed substitute papers.

IV.USE OF METRIC SYSTEM OF MEASUREMENTS IN PATENT APPLICATIONS

In order to minimize the necessity in the future for converting dimensions given in the English system of measurements to the metric system of measurements when using printed patents as research and prior art search documents, all patent applicants should use the metric (S.I.) units followed by the equivalent English units when describing their inventions in the specifications of patent applications.

The initials S.I. stand for “Le Système International d’ Unités,” the French name for the International System of Units, a modernized metric system adopted in 1960 by the International General Conference of Weights and Measures based on precise unit measurements made possible by modern technology.

V.FILING OF NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE APPLICATIONS

37 CFR 1.52. Language, Paper, Writing, Margins, Compact Disc Specifications.
.          .          .

(d)A nonprovisional or provisional application may be in a language other than English.

(1)Nonprovisional application. If a nonprovisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English language translation of the non-English language application, a statement that the translation is accurate, and the processing fee set forth in § 1.17(i) are required. If these items are not filed with the application, applicant will be notified and given a period of time within which they must be filed in order to avoid abandonment.

(2)Provisional application. If a provisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English language translation of the non-English language provisional application will not be required in the provisional application. See § 1.78(a) for the requirements for claiming the benefit of such provisional application in a nonprovisional application.

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will accord a filing date to an application meeting the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 111(a), or a provisional application in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 111(b), even though some or all of the application papers, including the written description and the claims, is in a language other than English and hence does not comply with 37 CFR 1.52.

If a nonprovisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English translation of the non-English language papers, a statement that the translation is accurate, the fees set forth in 37 CFR 1.16, the oath or declaration and fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(i) should either accompany the nonprovisional application papers or be filed in the Office within the time set by the Office. If a provisional application is filed in a language other than English, an English translation of the non-English language provisional application and a statement that the translation is accurate must be submitted if benefit of the provisional application is claimed in a later-filed nonprovisional application (see 37 CFR 1.78(a)(5)). If the translation and statement were not previously filed in the provisional application, applicant will be notified in the nonprovisional application that claims the benefit of the provisional application and be given a period of time within which to file the translation and statement in the provisional application. Applicants may file the translation and statement in the provisional application even if the provisional application has become abandoned. A timely reply to such notice must include the filing in the nonprovisional application of either a confirmation that the translation and statement were filed in the provisional application, or an amendment or Supplemental Application Data Sheet withdrawing the benefit claim. Failure to take one of the above actions will result in the abandonment of the nonprovisional application.

A subsequently filed English translation must contain the complete identifying data for the application in order to permit prompt association with the papers initially filed. Accordingly, it is strongly recommended that the original application papers be accompanied by a cover letter and a self-addressed return postcard, each containing the following identifying data in English: (a) applicant’s name(s); (b) title of invention; (c) number of pages of specification, claims, and sheets of drawings; (d) whether an oath or declaration was filed and (e) amount and manner of paying the fees set forth in 37 CFR 1.16.

The translation must be a literal translation and must be accompanied by a statement that the translation is accurate. The translation must also be accompanied by a signed request from the applicant, his or her attorney or agent, asking that the English translation be used as the copy for examination purposes in the Office. If the English translation does not conform to idiomatic English and United States practice, it should be accompanied by a preliminary amendment making the necessary changes without the introduction of new matter prohibited by 35 U.S.C. 132. If such an application is published as a patent application publication, the document that is published is the translation. See 37 CFR 1.215(a) and MPEP § 1121regarding the content of the application publication. In the event that the English translation and the statement are not timely filed in the nonprovisional application, the nonprovisional application will be regarded as abandoned.

It should be recognized that this practice is intended for emergency situations to prevent loss of valuable rights and should not be routinely used for filing applications. There are at least two reasons why this should not be used on a routine basis. First, there are obvious dangers to applicant and the public if he or she fails to obtain a correct literal translation. Second, the filing of a large number of applications under the procedure will create significant administrative burdens on the Office.

VI.ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE SPECIFICATION

Graphical illustrations, diagrammatic views, flowcharts, and diagrams in the descriptive portion of the specification do not come within the purview of 37 CFR 1.58(a), which permits tables, chemical and mathematical formulas in the specification in lieu of formal drawings. The examiner should object to such descriptive illustrations in the specification and request drawings in accordance with 37 CFR 1.81when an application contains graphs, drawings, or flow charts in the specification.

The specification, including any claims, may contain chemical formulas and mathematical equations, but must not contain drawings or flow diagrams. The description portion of the specification may contain tables, but the same tables must not be included in both the drawings as a figure and in the description portion of the specification. Applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371 are excluded from the prohibition from having the same tables in both the description portion of the specification and drawings. Claims may contain tables either if necessary to conform to 35 U.S.C. 112 or if otherwise found to be desirable. See MPEP § 2173.05(s). When such a patent is printed, however, the table will not be included as part of the claim, and instead the claim will contain a reference to the table number.

See MPEP § 601.01(d) for treatment of applications filed without all pages of the specification.

VII.HYPERLINKS AND OTHER FORMS OF BROWSER-EXECUTABLE CODE IN THE SPECIFICATION

Examiners must review patent applications to make certain that hyperlinks and other forms of browser-executable code, especially commercial site URLs, are not included in a patent application. 37 CFR 1.57(d) states that an incorporation by reference by hyperlink or other form of browser executable code is not permitted. Examples of a hyperlink or a browser-executable code are a URL placed between these symbols “ ” and http:// followed by a URL address. When a patent application with embedded hyperlinks and/or other forms of browser-executable code issues as a patent (or is published as a patent application publication) and the patent document is placed on the USPTO web page, when the patent document is retrieved and viewed via a web browser, the URL is interpreted as a valid HTML code and it becomes a live web link. When a user clicks on the link with a mouse, the user will be transferred to another web page identified by the URL, if it exists, which could be a commercial web site. USPTO policy does not permit the USPTO to link to any commercial sites since the USPTO exercises no control over the organization, views or accuracy of the information contained on these outside sites.

If hyperlinks and/or other forms of browser-executable code are embedded in the text of the patent application, examiners should object to the specification and indicate to applicants that the embedded hyperlinks and/or other forms of browser-executable code are impermissible and require deletion. This requirement does not apply to electronic documents listed on forms PTO-892 and PTO/SB/08 where the electronic document is identified by reference to a URL.

The attempt to incorporate subject matter into the patent application by reference to a hyperlink and/or other forms of browser-executable code is considered to be an improper incorporation by reference. See 37 CFR 1.57(d) and MPEP § 608.01(p), paragraph I regarding incorporation by reference. Where the hyperlinks and/or other forms of browser-executable codes themselves rather than the contents of the site to which the hyperlinks are directed are part of applicant’s invention and it is necessary to have them included in the patent application in order to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, and applicant does not intend to have these hyperlinks be active links, examiners should not object to these hyperlinks. The Office will disable these hyperlinks when preparing the text to be loaded onto the USPTO web database.

Note that nucleotide and/or amino acid sequence data placed between the symbols “ ” are not considered to be hyperlinks and/or browser-executable code and therefore should not be objected to as being an improper incorporation by reference (see 37 CFR 1.821 – 1.825).

608.01(a) Arrangement of Application[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.77. Arrangement of application elements.

(a)The elements of the application, if applicable, should appear in the following order:

(1)Utility application transmittal form.

(2)Fee transmittal form.

(3)Application data sheet (see § 1.76).

(4)Specification.

(5)Drawings.

(6)Executed oath or declaration.

(b)The specification should include the following sections in order:

(1)Title of the invention, which may be accompanied by an introductory portion stating the name, citizenship, and residence of the applicant (unless included in the application data sheet).

(2)Cross-reference to related applications (unless included in the application data sheet).

(3)Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development.

(4)The names of the parties to a joint research agreement.

(5)Reference to a “Sequence Listing,” a table, or a computer program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc (see § 1.52(e)(5)). The total number of compact discs including duplicates and the files on each compact disc shall be specified.

(6)Background of the invention.

(7)Brief summary of the invention.

(8)Brief description of the several views of the drawing.

(9)Detailed description of the invention.

(10)A claim or claims.

(11)Abstract of the disclosure.

(12)“Sequence Listing,” if on paper (see §§ 1.821 through 1.825).

(c)The text of the specification sections defined in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(12) of this section, if applicable, should be preceded by a section heading in uppercase and without underlining or bold type.


For design patent specification, see MPEP § 1503.01.

For plant patent specification, see MPEP § 1605.

For reissue patent specification, see MPEP § 1411.

The following order of arrangement of specification elements is preferable in framing the nonprovisional specification and each of the lettered items should appear in upper case, without underlining or bold type, as section headings. If no text follows the section heading, the phrase “Not Applicable” should follow the section heading. It is recommended that provisional applications follow the same general format, although claims are not required. If an application data sheet (37 CFR 1.76) is used, data supplied in the application data sheet need not be provided elsewhere in the application except that the citizenship of each inventor must be provided in the oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.63 even if this information is provided in the application data sheet. If there is a discrepancy between the information submitted in an application data sheet and the information submitted elsewhere in the application, the application data sheet will control except for the naming of the inventors and the citizenship of the inventors. See 37 CFR 1.76(d) and MPEP § 601.05.

(A)Title of the Invention.

(B)Cross-References to Related Applications.

(C)Statement Regarding Federally Sponsored Research or Development.

(D)The names of the parties to a joint research agreement.

(E)Reference to a “Sequence Listing,” a table, or a computer program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc (See 37 CFR 1.52(e)(5)). The total number of compact discs including duplicates and the files on each compact disc must be specified.

(F)Background of the Invention.

(1)Field of the Invention.

(2)Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.

(G)Brief Summary of the Invention.

(H)Brief Description of the Several Views of the Drawings.

(I)Detailed Description of the Invention.

(J)Claim or Claims.

(K)Abstract of the Disclosure.

(L)"Sequence Listing," if on paper (See 37 CFR 1.821-1.825).

608.01(b) Abstract of the Disclosure[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.72. Title and abstract.
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(b)A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading "Abstract" or "Abstract of the Disclosure." The sheet or sheets presenting the abstract may not include other parts of the application or other material. The abstract in an application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111 may not exceed 150 words in length. The purpose of the abstract is to enable the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure.


The Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) will review all applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) for compliance with 37 CFR 1.72 and will require an abstract, if one has not been filed.

Upon passing the application to issue, the examiner should make certain that the abstract is an adequate and clear statement of the contents of the disclosure and generally in line with the guidelines. If the application is otherwise in condition for allowance except that the abstract does not comply with the guidelines, the examiner generally should make any necessary revisions by a formal examiner’s amendment after obtaining applicant’s authorization (see MPEP § 1302.04) rather than issuing an Ex parte Quayle action requiring applicant to make the necessary revisions.

Under current practice, in all instances where the application contains an abstract when sent to issue, the abstract will be printed on the patent.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF PATENT ABSTRACTS

A.Background

The Rules of Practice in Patent Cases require that each application for patent include an abstract of the disclosure, 37 CFR 1.72(b).

The content of a patent abstract should be such as to enable the reader thereof, regardless of his or her degree of familiarity with patent documents, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection of the nature and gist of the technical disclosure and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains.

B.Content

A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains.

If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure.

If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement.

In certain patents, particularly those for compounds and compositions, wherein the process for making and/or the use thereof are not obvious, the abstract should set forth a process for making and/or a use thereof.

If the new technical disclosure involves modifications or alternatives, the abstract should mention by way of example the preferred modification or alternative.

The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.

Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps. Extensive mechanical and design details of apparatus should not be given.

With regard particularly to chemical patents, for compounds or compositions, the general nature of the compound or composition should be given as well as the use thereof, e.g., "The compounds are of the class of alkyl benzene sulfonyl ureas, useful as oral anti- diabetics." Exemplification of a species could be illustrative of members of the class. For processes, the type reaction, reagents and process conditions should be stated, generally illustrated by a single example unless variations are necessary.

C. Language and Format

The abstract must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading "Abstract" or "Abstract of the Disclosure." The sheet or sheets presenting the abstract may not include other parts of the application or other material.

The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words. The abstract should not exceed 15 lines of text. The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title.

608.01(c) Background of the Invention[edit | edit source]

The Background of the Invention ordinarily comprises two parts:

(1) Field of the Invention: A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains. This statement may include a paraphrasing of the applicable U.S. patent classification definitions. The statement should be directed to the subject matter of the claimed invention.

(2) Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98: A paragraph(s) describing to the extent practical the state of the prior art or other information disclosed known to the applicant, including references to specific prior art or other information where appropriate. Where applicable, the problems involved in the prior art or other information disclosed which are solved by the applicant’s invention should be indicated. See also MPEP § 608.01(a), § 608.01(p) and § 707.05(b).

608.01(d) Brief Summary of Invention[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.73. Summary of the invention.

A brief summary of the invention indicating its nature and substance, which may include a statement of the object of the invention, should precede the detailed description. Such summary should, when set forth, be commensurate with the invention as claimed and any object recited should be that of the invention as claimed.


Since the purpose of the brief summary of invention is to apprise the public, and more especially those interested in the particular art to which the invention relates, of the nature of the invention, the summary should be directed to the specific invention being claimed, in contradistinction to mere generalities which would be equally applicable to numerous preceding patents. That is, the subject matter of the invention should be described in one or more clear, concise sentences or paragraphs.

608.01(e) Reservation Clauses Not Permitted[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.79. Reservation clauses not permitted.

A reservation for a future application of subject matter disclosed but not claimed in a pending application will not be permitted in the pending application, but an application disclosing unclaimed subject matter may contain a reference to a later filed application of the same applicant or owned by a common assignee disclosing and claiming that subject matter.


608.01(f) Brief Description of Drawings[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.74. Reference to drawings.

When there are drawings, there shall be a brief description of the several views of the drawings and the detailed description of the invention shall refer to the different views by specifying the numbers of the figures, and to the different parts by use of reference letters or numerals (preferably the latter).


If the specification describes a figure which is not present in the drawings, the application will be treated as an application filed without all figures of drawings in accordance with MPEP § 601.01(g), unless the application lacks any drawings, in which case the application will be treated as an application filed without drawings in accordance with MPEP § 601.01(f).

37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.

(a)Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting drawings in utility and design patent applications.

(1)Black ink. Black and white drawings are normally required. India ink, or its equivalent that secures solid black lines, must be used for drawings; or

(2)Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration. The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications and statutory invention registrations only after granting a petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:

(i)The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);

(ii)Three (3) sets of color drawings;

(iii)An amendment to the specification to insert (unless the specification contains or has been previously amended to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description of the drawings:

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

(b)Photographs.—

(1)Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible in the printed patent.

(2)Color photographs. Color photographs will be accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.

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608.01(g) Detailed Description of Invention[edit | edit source]

A detailed description of the invention and drawings follows the general statement of invention and brief description of the drawings. This detailed description, required by 37 CFR 1.71, MPEP § 608.01, must be in such particularity as to enable any person skilled in the pertinent art or science to make and use the invention without involving extensive experimentation. An applicant is ordinarily permitted to use his or her own terminology, as long as it can be understood. Necessary grammatical corrections, however, should be required by the examiner, but it must be remembered that an examination is not made for the purpose of securing grammatical perfection.

The reference characters must be properly applied, no single reference character being used for two different parts or for a given part and a modification of such part. In the latter case, the reference character, applied to the given part, with a prime affixed may advantageously be applied to the modification. Every feature specified in the claims must be illustrated, but there should be no superfluous illustrations.

The description is a dictionary for the claims and should provide clear support or antecedent basis for all terms used in the claims. See 37 CFR 1.75, MPEP § 608.01(i), § 608.01(o), and § 1302.01.

For completeness, see MPEP § 608.01(p).

608.01(h) Mode of Operation of Invention[edit | edit source]

The best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his or her invention must be set forth in the description. See 35 U.S.C. 112. There is no statutory requirement for the disclosure of a specific example. A patent specification is not intended nor required to be a production specification.

The absence of a specific working example is not necessarily evidence that the best mode has not been disclosed, nor is the presence of one evidence that it has.

If the best mode contemplated by the inventor at the time of filing the application is not disclosed, such defect cannot be cured by submitting an amendment seeking to put into the specification something required to be there when the application was originally filed. Any proposed amendment of this type should be treated as new matter.

Patents have been held invalid in cases where the patentee did not disclose the best mode known to him or her.

For completeness, see MPEP § 608.01(p) and § 2165 to § 2165.04.

608.01(i) Claims[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.75. Claims

(a) The specification must conclude with a claim particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention or discovery.

(b) More than one claim may be presented provided they differ substantially from each other and are not unduly multiplied.

(c) One or more claims may be presented in dependent form, referring back to and further limiting another claim or claims in the same application. Any dependent claim which refers to more than one other claim ("multiple dependent claim") shall refer to such other claims in the alternative only. A multiple dependent claim shall not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent claim. For fee calculation purposes under § 1.16, a multiple dependent claim will be considered to be that number of claims to which direct reference is made therein. For fee calculation purposes also, any claim depending from a multiple dependent claim will be considered to be that number of claims to which direct reference is made in that multiple dependent claim. In addition to the other filing fees, any original application which is filed with, or is amended to include, multiple dependent claims must have paid therein the fee set forth in § 1.16(j). Claims in dependent form shall be construed to include all the limitations of the claim incorporated by reference into the dependent claim. A multiple dependent claim shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of each of the particular claims in relation to which it is being considered.

(d)

(1) The claim or claims must conform to the invention as set forth in the remainder of the specification and the terms and phrases used in the claims must find clear support or antecedent basis in the description so that the meaning of the terms in the claims may be ascertainable by reference to the description (See § 1.58(a).)

(2) See §§ 1.141 to 1.146 as to claiming different inventions in one application.

(e) Where the nature of the case admits, as in the case of an improvement, any independent claim should contain in the following order:

(1) A preamble comprising a general description of all the elements or steps of the claimed combination which are conventional or known,

(2) A phrase such as “wherein the improvement comprises,” and

(3) Those elements, steps, and/or relationships which constitute that portion of the claimed combination which the applicant considers as the new or improved portion.

(f) If there are several claims, they shall be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals.

(g) The least restrictive claim should be presented as claim number 1, and all dependent claims should be grouped together with the claim or claims to which they refer to the extent practicable.

(h) The claim or claims must commence on a separate physical sheet or electronic page. Any sheet including a claim or portion of a claim may not contain any other parts of the application or other material.

(i) Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation.


For numbering of claims, see MPEP § 608.01(j).

For form of claims, see MPEP § 608.01(m).

For dependent claims, see MPEP § 608.01(n).

For examination of claims, see MPEP § 706.

For claims in excess of fee, see MPEP § 714.10.

608.01(j) Numbering of Claims[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.126. Numbering of claims.

The original numbering of the claims must be preserved throughout the prosecution. When claims are canceled the remaining claims must not be renumbered. When claims are added, they must be numbered by the applicant consecutively beginning with the number next following the highest numbered claim previously presented (whether entered or not). When the application is ready for allowance, the examiner, if necessary, will renumber the claims consecutively in the order in which they appear or in such order as may have been requested by applicant.


In a single claim case, the claim is not numbered.

608.01(k) Statutory Requirement of Claims[edit | edit source]

35 U.S.C. 112 requires that the applicant shall particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which he or she regards as his or her invention. The portion of the application in which he or she does this forms the claim or claims. This is an important part of the application, as it is the definition of that for which protection is granted.

608.01(l) Original Claims[edit | edit source]

In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not only on the description and drawing as filed but also on the original claims if their content justifies it.

Where subject matter not shown in the drawing or described in the description is claimed in the application as filed, and such original claim itself constitutes a clear disclosure of this subject matter, then the claim should be treated on its merits, and requirement made to amend the drawing and description to show this subject matter. The claim should not be attacked either by objection or rejection because this subject matter is lacking in the drawing and description. It is the drawing and description that are defective, not the claim.

It is, of course, to be understood that this disclosure in the claim must be sufficiently specific and detailed to support the necessary amendment of the drawing and description.

608.01(m) Form of Claims[edit | edit source]

The claim or claims must commence on a separate physical sheet or electronic page and should appear after the detailed description of the invention. Any sheet including a claim or portion of a claim may not contain any other parts of the application or other material. While there is no set statutory form for claims, the present Office practice is to insist that each claim must be the object of a sentence starting with "I (or we) claim," "The invention claimed is" (or the equivalent). If, at the time of allowance, the quoted terminology is not present, it is inserted by the Office of Patent Publication. Each claim begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. Periods may not be used elsewhere in the claims except for abbreviations. Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation, 37 CFR 1.75(i).

Claims should preferably be arranged in order of scope so that the first claim presented is the least restrictive. All dependent claims should be grouped together with the claim or claims to which they refer to the extent practicable. Where separate species are claimed, the claims of like species should be grouped together where possible. Similarly, product and process claims should be separately grouped. Such arrangements are for the purpose of facilitating classification and examination.

Amendments to the claims must be in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(c).

608.01(n) Dependent Claims[edit | edit source]

I.MULTIPLE DEPENDENT CLAIMS

37 CFR 1.75. Claim(s).
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(c)One or more claims may be presented in dependent form, referring back to and further limiting another claim or claims in the same application. Any dependent claim which refers to more than one other claim ("multiple dependent claim") shall refer to such other claims in the alternative only. A multiple dependent claim shall not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent claim. For fee calculation purposes under § 1.16, a multiple dependent claim will be considered to be that number of claims to which direct reference is made therein. For fee calculation purposes also, any claim depending from a multiple dependent claim will be considered to be that number of claims to which direct reference is made in that multiple dependent claim. In addition to the other filing fees, any original application which is filed with, or is amended to include, multiple dependent claims must have paid therein the fee set forth in § 1.16(j). Claims in dependent form shall be construed to include all the limitations of the claim incorporated by reference into the dependent claim. A multiple dependent claim shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of each of the particular claims in relation to which it is being considered.

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Generally, a multiple dependent claim is a dependent claim which refers back in the alternative to more than one preceding independent or dependent claim.

Cumulative claiming (e.g., "A machine according to claims 3 and 4, further comprising ---") is not permitted. A multiple dependent claim may refer in the alternative to only one set of claims. A claim such as "A device as in claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, made by a process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8" is improper. 35 U.S.C. 112 allows reference to only a particular claim.

A multiple dependent claim may not serve as a basis for any other multiple dependent claim, either directly or indirectly.

Assume each claim example given below is from a different application.

A. Acceptable Multiple Dependent Claim Wording

Claim 5. A gadget according to claims 3 or 4, further comprising ---

Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of the preceding claims, in which ---

Claim 5. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, in which ---

Claim 3. A gadget as in either claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising ---

Claim 4. A gadget as in claim 2 or 3, further comprising ---

Claim 16. A gadget as in claims 1, 7, 12, or 15, further comprising ---

Claim 5. A gadget as in any of the preceding claims, in which ---

Claim 8. A gadget as in one of claims 4-7, in which ---

Claim 5. A gadget as in any preceding claim, in which ---

Claim 10. A gadget as in any of claims 1-3 or 7-9, in which ---

Claim 11. A gadget as in any one of claims 1, 2, or 7-10 inclusive, in which ---

B.Unacceptable Multiple Dependent Claim Wording

1.Claim Does Not Refer Back in the Alternative Only

Claim 5. A gadget according to claim 3 and 4, further comprising ---

Claim 9. A gadget according to claims 1-3, in which ---

Claim 9. A gadget as in claims 1 or 2 and 7 or 8, which ---

Claim 6. A gadget as in the preceding claims in which ---

Claim 6. A gadget as in claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and/or 5, in which ---

Claim 10. A gadget as in claims 1-3 or 7-9, in which ---

2.Claim Does Not Refer to a Preceding Claim

Claim 3. A gadget as in any of the following claims, in which ---

Claim 5. A gadget as in either claim 6 or claim 8, in which ---

3.Reference to Two Sets of Claims to Different Features

Claim 9. A gadget as in claim 1 or 4 made by the process of claims 5, 6, 7, or 8, in which ---

4.Reference Back to Another Multiple Dependent Claim

Claim 8. A gadget as in claim 5 (claim 5 is a multiple dependent claim) or claim 7, in which ---

35 U.S.C. 112 indicates that the limitations or elements of each claim incorporated by reference into a multiple dependent claim must be considered separately. Thus, a multiple dependent claim, as such, does not contain all the limitations of all the alternative claims to which it refers, but rather contains in any one embodiment only those limitations of the particular claim referred to for the embodiment under consideration. Hence, a multiple dependent claim must be considered in the same manner as a plurality of single dependent claims.

C.Restriction Practice

For restriction purposes, each embodiment of a multiple dependent claim is considered in the same manner as a single dependent claim. Therefore, restriction may be required between the embodiments of a multiple dependent claim. Also, some embodiments of a multiple dependent claim may be held withdrawn while other embodiments are considered on their merits.

D.Handling of Multiple Dependent Claims by the Examiner

The following procedures are to be followed by examiners when faced with claims which refer to numerically succeeding claims:

If any series of dependent claims contains a claim with an improper reference to a numerically following claim which cannot be understood, the claim referring to a following claim should normally be objected to and not treated on the merits.

However, in situations where a claim refers to a numerically following claim and the dependency is clear, both as presented and as it will be renumbered at issue, all claims should be examined on the merits and no objection as to form need be made. In such cases, the examiner will renumber the claims into proper order at the time the application is allowed.

E.Fees for Multiple Dependent Claims

1. Calculation of Fees

(a)Proper Multiple Dependent Claim

A multiple dependent claim is considered to be that number of dependent claims to which it refers. Any proper claim depending directly or indirectly from a multiple dependent claim is also considered as the number of dependent claims as referred to in the multiple dependent claim from which it depends.

(b)Improper Multiple Dependent Claim

If none of the multiple dependent claims is proper, the multiple dependent claim fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(j) will not be required.

The fee for any improper multiple dependent claim, whether it is defective for either not being in the alternative form or for being directly or indirectly dependent on a prior multiple dependent claim, will only be one, since only an objection to the form of such a claim will normally be made. This procedure also greatly simplifies the calculation of fees. Any claim depending from an improper multiple dependent claim will also be considered to be improper and be counted as one dependent claim.

(c)Fee calculation example

Claim No.   Ind. Dep.
1. Independent 1  
2. Dependent on claim 1   1
3. Dependent on claim 2   1
4. Dependent on claim 2 or 3   2
5. Dependent on claim 4   2
6. Dependent on claim 5   2
7. Dependent on claim 4, 5, or 6   1
8. Dependent on claim 7   1
9. Independent 1  
10. Dependent on claim 1 or 9   2
11. Dependent on claim 1 and 9   1


i) Comments On Fee Calculation Example

Claim 1 — This is an independent claim; therefore, a numeral "1" is placed opposite claim number 1 in the "Ind." column.

Claim 2 — Since this is a claim dependent on a single independent claim, a numeral "1" is placed opposite claim number 2 of the "Dep." column.

Claim 3 — Claim 3 is also a single dependent claim, so a numeral "1" is placed in the "Dep." column.

Claim 4 — Claim 4 is a proper multiple dependent claim. It refers directly to two claims in the alternative, namely, claim 2 or 3. Therefore, a numeral "2" to indicate direct reference to two claims is placed in the "Dep." column opposite claim number 4.

Claim 5 — This claim is a singularly dependent claim depending from a multiple dependent claim. For fee calculation purposes, such a claim is counted as being that number of claims to which direct reference is made in the multiple dependent claim from which it depends. In this case, the multiple dependent claim number 4 it depends from counts as 2 claims; therefore, claim 5 also counts as 2 claims. Accordingly, a numeral "2" is placed opposite claim number 5 in the "Dep." column.

Claim 6 — Claim 6 depends indirectly from a multiple dependent claim 4. Since claim 4 counts as 2 claims, claim 6 also counts as 2 dependent claims. Consequently, a numeral "2" is placed in the "Dep." column after claim 6.

Claim 7 — This claim is a multiple dependent claim since it refers to claims 4, 5, or 6. However, as can be seen by looking at the "2" in the "Dep." column opposite claim 4, claim 7 depends from a multiple dependent claim. This practice is improper under 35 U.S.C.112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c). Following the procedure for calculating fees for improper multiple dependent claims, a numeral "1" is placed in the "Dep." column.

Claim 8 — Claim 8 is improper since it depends from an improper claim. If the base claim is in error, this error cannot be corrected by adding additional claims depending therefrom. Therefore, a numeral "1" is placed in the "Dep." column.

Claim 9 — Here again we have an independent claim which is always indicated with a numeral "1" in the "Ind." column opposite the claim number.

Claim 10 — This claim refers to two independent claims in the alternative. A numeral "2" is, therefore, placed in the "Dep." column opposite claim 10.

Claim 11 — Claim 11 is a dependent claim which refers to two claims in the conjunctive ("1" and "9") rather than in the alternative ("1" or "9"). This form is improper under 35 U.S.C. 112 and 37 CFR 1.75(c). Accordingly, since claim 11 is improper, a number "1" is placed in the "Dep." column opposite Claim 11.

ii) Calculation of Fee in Fee Example

After the number of "Ind." and "Dep." claims are noted, each column is added. In this example, there are 2 independent claims and 13 dependent claims or a total of 15 claims.

II. TREATMENT OF IMPROPER DEPENDENT CLAIMS

Any claim which is in dependent form but which is so worded that it, in fact is not, as, for example, it does not include every limitation of the claim on which it depends, will be required to be canceled as not being a proper dependent claim; and cancelation of any further claim depending on such a dependent claim will be similarly required.

The applicant may thereupon amend the claims to place them in proper dependent form, or may redraft them as independent claims, upon payment of any necessary additional fee.

Note, that although 37 CFR 1.75(c) requires the dependent claim to further limit a preceding claim, this rule does not apply to product-by-process claims.

III.INFRINGEMENT TEST

The test as to whether a claim is a proper dependent claim is that it shall include every limitation of the claim from which it depends (35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph) or in other words that it shall not conceivably be infringed by anything which would not also infringe the basic claim.

A dependent claim does not lack compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph, simply because there is a question as to (1) the significance of the further limitation added by the dependent claim, or (2) whether the further limitation in fact changes the scope of the dependent claim from that of the claim from which it depends. The test for a proper dependent claim under the fourth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112 is whether the dependent claim includes every limitation of the claim from which it depends. The test is not one of whether the claims differ in scope.

Thus, for example, if claim 1 recites the combination of elements A, B, C, and D, a claim reciting the structure of claim 1 in which D was omitted or replaced by E would not be a proper dependent claim, even though it placed further limitations on the remaining elements or added still other elements.

Examiners are reminded that a dependent claim is directed to a combination including everything recited in the base claim and what is recited in the dependent claim. It is this combination that must be compared with the prior art, exactly as if it were presented as one independent claim.

The fact that the independent and dependent claims are in different statutory classes does not, in itself, render the latter improper. Thus, if claim 1 recites a specific product, a claim for the method of making the product of claim 1 in a particular manner would be a proper dependent claim since it could not be infringed without infringing claim 1. Similarly, if claim 1 recites a method of making a product, a claim for a product made by the method of claim 1 could be a proper dependent claim. On the other hand, if claim 1 recites a method of making a specified product, a claim to the product set forth in claim 1 would not be a proper dependent claim since it is conceivable that the product claim can be infringed without infringing the base method claim if the product can be made by a method other than that recited in the base method claim.

IV.CLAIM FORM AND ARRANGEMENT

A singular dependent claim 2 could read as follows:

2. The product of claim 1 in which . . . .

A series of singular dependent claims is permissible in which a dependent claim refers to a preceding claim which, in turn, refers to another preceding claim.

A claim which depends from a dependent claim should not be separated therefrom by any claim which does not also depend from said "dependent claim." It should be kept in mind that a dependent claim may refer back to any preceding independent claim.

V.REJECTION AND OBJECTION

If the base claim has been canceled, a claim which is directly or indirectly dependent thereon should be rejected as incomplete. If the base claim is rejected, the dependent claim should be objected to rather than rejected, if it is otherwise allowable.

608.01(o) Basis for Claim Terminology in Description[edit | edit source]

The meaning of every term used in any of the claims should be apparent from the descriptive portion of the specification with clear disclosure as to its import; and in mechanical cases, it should be identified in the descriptive portion of the specification by reference to the drawing, designating the part or parts therein to which the term applies. A term used in the claims may be given a special meaning in the description. See MPEP § 2111.01 and § 2173.05(a).

Usually the terminology of the original claims follows the nomenclature of the specification, but sometimes in amending the claims or in adding new claims, new terms are introduced that do not appear in the specification. The use of a confusing variety of terms for the same thing should not be permitted.

New claims and amendments to the claims already in the application should be scrutinized not only for new matter but also for new terminology. While an applicant is not limited to the nomenclature used in the application as filed, he or she should make appropriate amendment of the specification whenever this nomenclature is departed from by amendment of the claims so as to have clear support or antecedent basis in the specification for the new terms appearing in the claims. This is necessary in order to insure certainty in construing the claims in the light of the specification. See 37 CFR 1.75, MPEP § 608.01(i) and § 1302.01.

608.01(p) Completeness[edit | edit source]

A disclosure in an application, to be complete, must contain such description and details as to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention pertains to make and use the invention as of its filing date.

While the prior art setting may be mentioned in general terms, the essential novelty, the essence of the invention, must be described in such details, including proportions and techniques, where necessary, as to enable those persons skilled in the art to make and utilize the invention.

Specific operative embodiments or examples of the invention must be set forth. Examples and description should be of sufficient scope as to justify the scope of the claims. Markush claims must be provided with support in the disclosure for each member of the Markush group. Where the constitution and formula of a chemical compound is stated only as a probability or speculation, the disclosure is not sufficient to support claims identifying the compound by such composition or formula.

A complete disclosure should include a statement of utility. This usually presents no problem in mechanical cases. In chemical cases, varying degrees of specificity are required.

A disclosure involving a new chemical compound or composition must teach persons skilled in the art how to make the compound or composition. Incomplete teachings may not be completed by reference to subsequently filed applications.

I.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

37 CFR 1.57. Incorporation by reference.

(a)Subject to the conditions and requirements of this paragraph, if all or a portion of the specification or drawing(s) is inadvertently omitted from an application, but the application contains a claim under § 1.55 for priority of a prior-filed foreign application, or a claim under § 1.78 for the benefit of a prior-filed provisional, nonprovisional, or international application, that was present on the filing date of the application, and the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) is completely contained in the prior-filed application, the claim under § 1.55 or § 1.78 shall also be considered an incorporation by reference of the prior-filed application as to the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s).

(1) The application must be amended to include the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) within any time period set by the Office, but in no case later than the close of prosecution as defined by § 1.114 (b), or abandonment of the application, whichever occurs earlier. The applicant is also required to:

(i) Supply a copy of the prior-filed application, except where the prior-filed application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111;

(ii) Supply an English language translation of any prior-filed application that is in a language other than English; and

(iii)Identify where the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawings can be found in the prior-filed application.

(2)Any amendment to an international application pursuant to this paragraph shall be effective only as to the United States, and shall have no effect on the international filing date of the application. In addition, no request to add the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawings in an international application designating the United States will be acted upon by the Office prior to the entry and commencement of the national stage (§ 1.491) or the filing of an application under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) which claims benefit of the international application.

(3)If an application is not otherwise entitled to a filing date under § 1.53(b), the amendment must be by way of a petition pursuant to this paragraph accompanied by the fee set forth in § 1.17(f).

(b)Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, an incorporation by reference must be set forth in the specification and must:

(1)Express a clear intent to incorporate by reference by using the root words “incorporat(e)” and “reference” (e.g., “incorporate by reference”); and

(2)Clearly identify the referenced patent, application, or publication.

(c)“Essential material” may be incorporated by reference, but only by way of an incorporation by reference to a U.S. patent or U.S. patent application publication, which patent or patent application publication does not itself incorporate such essential material by reference. “Essential material” is material that is necessary to:

(1)Provide a written description of the claimed invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention as required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112;

(2)Describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention as required by the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112; or

(3)Describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond to a claimed means or step for performing a specified function as required by the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112.

(d)Other material (“Nonessential material”) may be incorporated by reference to U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, foreign patents, foreign published applications, prior and concurrently filed commonly owned U.S. applications, or non- patent publications. An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or other form of browser executable code is not permitted.

(e)The examiner may require the applicant to supply a copy of the material incorporated by reference. If the Office requires the applicant to supply a copy of material incorporated by reference, the material must be accompanied by a statement that the copy supplied consists of the same material incorporated by reference in the referencing application.

(f)Any insertion of material incorporated by reference into the specification or drawings of an application must be by way of an amendment to the specification or drawings. Such an amendment must be accompanied by a statement that the material being inserted is the material previously incorporated by reference and that the amendment contains no new matter.

(g)An incorporation of material by reference that does not comply with paragraphs (b), (c), or (d) of this section is not effective to incorporate such material unless corrected within any time period set by the Office, but in no case later than the close of prosecution as defined by § 1.114(b), or abandonment of the application, whichever occurs earlier. In addition:

(1)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(1) of this section is permitted only if the application as file d clearly conveys an intent to incorporate the material by reference. A mere reference to material does not convey an intent to incorporate the material by reference.

(2)A correction to comply with paragraph (b)(2) of this section is only permitted for material that was sufficiently described to uniquely identify the document.


The Director has considerable discretion in determining what may or may not be incorporated by reference in a patent application. Effective October 21, 2004, the Office codified in 37 CFR 1.57(b) – (g) existing practice with respect to explicit incorporations by reference with a few changes to reflect the eighteen-month publication of applications. In addition, 37 CFR 1.57(a) was added to provide a safeguard for applicants when a page(s) of the specification, or a portion thereof, or a sheet(s) of the drawing(s), or a portion thereof, is inadvertently omitted from an application, such as through a clerical error. 37 CFR 1.57(a) applies to applications filed on or after September 21, 2004. 37 CFR 1.57(a) permits inadvertently omitted material to be added to the application by way of a later filed amendment if the inadvertently omitted portion of the specification or drawing(s) is completely contained in a prior-filed application (for which priority/benefit is claimed) even though there is no explicit incorporation by reference of the prior-filed application. See MPEP § 201.17 for discussion regarding 37 CFR 1.57(a).

The incorporation by reference practice with respect to applications which issue as U.S. patents provides the public with a patent disclosure which minimizes the public’s burden to search for and obtain copies of documents incorporated by reference which may not be readily available. Through the Office’s incorporation by reference policy, the Office ensures that reasonably complete disclosures are published as U.S. patents. The following is the manner in which the Director has elected to exercise that discretion. Section A provides the guidance for incorporation by reference in applications which are to issue as U.S. patents. Section B provides guidance for incorporation by reference in benefit applications; i.e., those domestic (35 U.S.C. 120) or foreign (35 U.S.C. 119(a)) applications relied on to establish an earlier effective filing date. See MPEP § 2181 for the impact of incorporation by reference on the determination of whether applicant has complied with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph when 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph is invoked.

A.Review of Applications Which Are To Issue as Patents.

An application as filed must be complete in itself in order to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112. Material nevertheless may be incorporated by reference, Ex parte Schwarze, 151 USPQ 426 (Bd. App. 1966). An application for a patent when filed may incorporate “essential material” by reference to (1) a U.S. patent, or (2) a U.S. patent application publication, which patent or patent application publication does not itself incorporate such essential material by reference. See 37 CFR 1.57(c). Prior to October 21, 2004, Office policy also permitted incorporation by reference to a pending U.S. application.

“Essential material” is defined in 37 CFR 1.57(c) as that which is necessary to (1) provide a written description of the claimed invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the invention as required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, (2) describe the claimed invention in terms that particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention as required by the second paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112, or (3) describe the structure, material, or acts that correspond to a claimed means or step for performing a specified function as required by the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112. In any application that is to issue as a U.S. patent, essential material may only be incorporated by reference to a U.S. patent or patent application publication. The practice of permitting incorporation by reference of material from unpublished applications in which the issue fee was paid was discontinued by rule on October 21, 2004.

Other material (“nonessential subject matter”) may be incorporated by reference to (1) patents or applications published by the United States or foreign countries or regional patent offices, (2) prior and concurrently filed, commonly owned U.S. applications, or (3) non-patent publications . Nonessential subject matter is subject matter referred to for purposes of indicating the background of the invention or illustrating the state of the art.

An incorporation by reference by hyperlink or other form of browser executable code is not permitted. See 37 CFR 1.57(d) and MPEP § 608.01.

Mere reference to another application, patent, or publication is not an incorporation of anything therein into the application containing such reference for the purpose of the disclosure required by 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph. In re de Seversky, 474 F.2d 671, 177 USPQ 144 (CCPA 1973). 37 CFR 1.57(b)(1) limits a proper incorporation by reference (except as provided in 37 CFR 1.57(a)) to instances only where the perfecting words “incorporated by reference” or the root of the words “incorporate” (e.g., incorporating, incorporated) and “reference” (e.g., referencing) appear. The requirement for specific root words will bring greater clarity to the record and provide a bright line test as to where something is being referred to is an incorporation by reference. The Office intends to treat references to documents that do not meet this “bright line” test as noncompliant incorporations by reference and may require correction pursuant to 37 CFR 1.57(g). If a reference to a document does not clearly indicate an intended incorporation by reference, examination will proceed as if no incorporation by reference statement has been made and the Office will not expend resources trying to determine if an incorporation by reference was intended. In addition to other requirements for an application, the referencing application must include an identification of the referenced patent, application, or publication. See 37 CFR 1.57(b)(2) Particular attention should be directed to specific portions of the referenced document where the subject matter being incorporated may be found. Guidelines for situations where applicant is permitted to fill in a number for Application No. __________ left blank in the application as filed can be found in In re Fouche, 439 F.2d 1237, 169 USPQ 429 (CCPA 1971) (Abandoned applications less than 20 years old can be incorporated by reference to the same extent as copending applications; both types are open to the public upon the referencing application issuing as a patent. See 37 CFR 1.14(a)(i)(iv) and (vi) and MPEP § 103).

1.Complete Disclosure Filed

If an application is filed with a complete disclosure, essential material may be canceled by amendment and may be substituted by reference to a U.S. patent or a U.S. patent application publication. The amendment must be accompanied by a statement signed by the applicant, or a practitioner representing the applicant, stating that the material canceled from the application is the same material that has been incorporated by reference and no new matter has been included (see 37 CFR 1.57(f). The same procedure is available for nonessential material.

If an application as filed incorporates material by reference , a copy of the incorporated by reference material may be required to be submitted to the Office even if the material is properly incorporated by reference. The examiner may require a copy of the incorporated material to review and to understand what is being incorporated or to put the description of the material in its proper context. Another instance where a copy of the incorporated material may be required is where the material is being inserted by amendment into the body of the application to replace an improper incorporation by reference statement so that the Office can determine that the material being added by amendment in lieu of the incorporation is the same material as was attempted to be incorporated. If the Office requires the applicant to supply a copy of the material incorporated by reference, the material must be accompanied by a statement that the copy supplied consists of the same material incorporated by reference in the referencing application. See 37 CFR 1.57(e).

2.Improper Incorporation

37 CFR 1.57(f) addresses corrections of incorporation by reference by inserting the material previously incorporated by reference. A noncompliant incorporation by reference statement may be corrected by an amendment. 37 CFR 1.57(f). However, the amendment must not include new matter. Incorporating by reference material that was not incorporated by reference on filing of an application may introduce new matter. An incorporation by reference of essential material to an unpublished U.S. patent application, a foreign application or patent, or to a publication is improper under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The improper incorporation by reference is not effective to incorporate the material unless corrected by the applicant (37 CFR 1.57(g)). Any underlying objection or rejection (e.g., under 35 U.S.C. 112) should be made by the examiner until applicant corrects the improper incorporation by reference by submitting an amendment to amend the specification or drawings to include the material incorporated by reference. A statement that the material being inserted is the material previously incorporated by reference and that the amendment contains no new matter is also required. 37 CFR 1.57(f). See also In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d 569, 179 USPQ 157 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d 579, 179 USPQ 163 (CCPA 1973); In re Hawkins, 486 F.2d 577, 179 USPQ 167 (CCPA 1973). Improper incorporation by reference statements and late corrections thereof require expenditure of unnecessary examination resources and slow the prosecution process. Applicants know (or should know) whether they want material incorporated by reference, and must timely correct any incorporation by reference errors. Correction must be done within the time period set forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g).

An incorporation by reference that does not comply with 37 CFR 1.57(b), (c), or (d) is not effective to incorporate such material unless corrected within any time period set by the Office (should the noncompliant incorporation by reference be first noticed by the Office and applicant informed thereof), but in no case later than the close of prosecution as defined by 37 CFR 1.114(b) (should applicant be the first to notice the noncompliant incorporation by reference and the Office informed thereof), or abandonment of the application, whichever occurs earlier. The phrase “or abandonment of the application” is included in 37 CFR 1.57(g) to address the situations where an application is abandoned prior to the close of prosecution, e.g., the situation where an application is abandoned after a non-final Office action.

37 CFR 1.57(g)(1) authorizes the correction of noncompliant incorporation by reference statements that do not use the root of the words “incorporate” and “reference” in the incorporation by reference statement. This correction cannot be made when the material was merely referred to and there was no clear specific intent to incorporate it by reference.

37 CFR 1.57(g)(2) states that a citation of a document can be corrected where the document is sufficiently described to uniquely identify the document. Correction of a citation for a document that cannot be identified as the incorporated document may be new matter and is not authorized by 37 CFR 1.57(g)(2). An example would be where applicant intended to incorporate a particular journal article but supplied the citation information for a completely unrelated book by a different author, and there is no other information to identify the correct journal article. Since it cannot be determined from the citation originally supplied what article was intended to be incorporated, it would be improper (e.g., new matter) to replace the original incorporation by reference with the intended incorporation by reference. A citation of a patent application by attorney docket number, inventor name, filing date and title of invention may sufficiently describe the document, but even then correction should be made to specify the application number.

A petition under 37 CFR 1.183 to suspend the time period requirement set forth in 37 CFR 1.57(g) will not be appropriate. After the application has been abandoned, applicant must file a petition to revive under 37 CFR 1.137 for the purpose of correcting the incorporation by reference. After the application has issued as a patent, applicant may correct the patent by filing a reissue application. Correcting an improper incorporation by reference with a certificate of correction is not an appropriate means of correction because it may alter the scope of the claims. The scope of the claims may be altered because 37 CFR 1.57(g) provides that an incorporation by reference that does not comply with paragraph (b), (c), or (d) is not an effective incorporation. For example, an equivalent means omitted from a patent disclosure by an ineffective incorporation by reference would be outside the scope of the patented claims. Hence, a correction of an incorporation by reference pursuant to 37 CFR 1.57may alter the scope of the claims by adding the omitted equivalent means. Changes involving the scope of the claims should be done via the reissue process. Additionally, the availability of the reissue process for corrections would make a successful showing required under 37 CFR 1.183 unlikely. The following examples show when an improper incorporation by reference is required to be corrected:

Example 1:

Upon review of the specification, the examiner noticed that the specification included an incorporation by reference statement incorporating essential material disclosed in a foreign patent. In a non- final Office action, the examiner required the applicant to amend the specification to include the essential material.

In reply to the non-final Office action, applicant must correct the improper incorporation by reference by filing an amendment to add the essential material disclosed in the foreign patent and a statement in compliance with 37 CFR1.57(f) within the time period for reply set forth in the non-final Office action.

Example 2:

Upon review of the specification, the examiner determined that the subject matter incorporated by reference from a foreign patent was “nonessential material” and therefore, did not object to the incorporation by reference. In reply to a non-final Office action, applicant filed an amendment to the claims to add a new limitation that was supported only by the foreign patent. The amendment filed by the applicant caused the examiner to re-determine that the incorporated subject matter was “essential material” under 37 CFR 1.57(c). The examiner rejected the claims that include the new limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, in a final Office action.

Since the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph was necessitated by the applicant’s amendment, the finality of the Office action is proper. If the applicant wishes to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph by filing an amendment under 37 CFR 1.57(f) to add the subject material disclosed in the foreign patent into the specification, applicant may file the amendment as an after final amendment in compliance with 37 CFR 1.116. Alternatively, applicant may file an RCE under 37 CFR 1.114 accompanied by the appropriate fee, and an amendment per 37 CFR 1.57(f) within the time period for reply set forth in the final Office action.

The filing date of any application wherein essential material is improperly incorporated by reference will not be affected by applicant’s correction where (A) there is a clear intent to incorporate by reference the intended material and the correction is to add the root words of “incorporate” and “reference,” (B) the incorporated document can be uniquely identified and the correction is to clarify the document’s identification, and (C) where the correction is to insert the material from the reference where incorporation is to an unpublished U.S. patent application, foreign application or patent, or to a publication.

Reliance on a commonly assigned , prior filed or concurrently filed copending application by a different inventor may ordinarily be made for the purpose of completing the disclosure provided the incorporated material is directed to nonessential material. See 37 CFR 1.57(d). See In re Fried, 329 F.2d 323, 141 USPQ 27 (CCPA 1964), and General Electric Co. v. Brenner, 407 F.2d 1258, 159 USPQ 335 (D.C. Cir. 1968).

Since a disclosure must be complete as of the filing date, subsequent publications or subsequently filed applications cannot be relied on to establish a constructive reduction to practice or an enabling disclosure as of the filing date. White Consol. Indus., Inc. v. Vega Servo-Control, Inc., 713 F.2d 788, 218 USPQ 961 (Fed. Cir. 1983); In re Scarbrough, 500 F.2d 560, 182 USPQ 298 (CCPA 1974); In re Glass, 492 F.2d 1228, 181 USPQ 31 (CCPA 1974).

B.Review of Applications Which Are Relied on To Establish an Earlier Effective Filing Date.

The limitations on the material which may be incorporated by reference in U.S. patent applications which are to issue as U.S. patents do not apply to applications relied on only to establish an earlier effective filing date under 35 U.S.C. 119 or 35 U.S.C. 120. Neither 35 U.S.C. 119(a) nor 35 U.S.C. 120 places any restrictions or limitations as to how the claimed invention must be disclosed in the earlier application to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph. Accordingly, an application is entitled to rely upon the filing date of an earlier application, even if the earlier application itself incorporates essential material by reference to another document. See Ex parte Maziere, 27 USPQ2d 1705, 1706-07 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1993).

The reason for incorporation by reference practice with respect to applications which are to issue as U.S. patents is to provide the public with a patent disclosure which minimizes the public’s burden to search for and obtain copies of documents incorporated by reference which may not be readily available. Through the Office’s incorporation by reference policy, the Office ensures that reasonably complete disclosures are published as U.S. patents. The same policy concern does not apply where the sole purpose for which an applicant relies on an earlier U.S. or foreign application is to establish an earlier filing date. Incorporation by reference in the earlier application of (1) patents or applications published by foreign countries or regional patent offices, (2) nonpatent publications, (3) a U.S. patent or application which itself incorporates “essential material” by reference, or (4) a foreign application, is not critical in the case of a “benefit” application.

When an applicant, or a patent owner in a reexamination or interference, claims the benefit of the filing date of an earlier application which incorporates material by reference, the applicant or patent owner may be required to supply copies of the material incorporated by reference. For example, an applicant may claim the benefit of the filing date of a foreign application which itself incorporates by reference another earlier filed foreign application. If necessary, due to an intervening reference, applicant should be required to supply a copy of the earlier filed foreign application, along with an English language translation. A review can then be made of the foreign application and all material incorporated by reference to determine whether the foreign application discloses the invention sought to be patented in the manner required by the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112 so that benefit may be accorded. In re Gosteli, 872 F.2d 1008, 10 USPQ2d 1614 (Fed. Cir. 1989).

As a safeguard against the omission of a portion of a prior application for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), or for which benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or 120, applicant may include a statement at the time of filing of the later application incorporating by reference the prior application. See MPEP § 201.06(c) and § 201.11 where domestic benefit is claimed. See MPEP § 201.13 where foreign priority is claimed. See MPEP § 201.17 regarding 37 CFR 1.57(a) for applications filed on or after September 21, 2004. The inclusion of such an incorporation by reference statement in the later-filed application will permit applicant to include subject matter from the prior application into the later- filed application without the subject matter being considered as new matter. For the incorporation by reference to be effective as a proper safeguard, the incorporation by reference statement must be filed at the time of filing of the later-filed application. An incorporation by reference statement added after an application’s filing date is not effective because no new matter can be added to an application after its filing date (see 35 U.S.C. 132(a).

II.SIMULATED OR PREDICTED TEST RESULTS OR PROPHETIC EXAMPLES

Simulated or predicted test results and prophetical examples (paper examples) are permitted in patent applications. Working examples correspond to work actually performed and may describe tests which have actually been conducted and results that were achieved. Paper examples describe the manner and process of making an embodiment of the invention which has not actually been conducted. Paper examples should not be represented as work actually done. No results should be represented as actual results unless they have actually been achieved. Paper examples should not be described using the past tense. Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. v. Promega Corp., 323 F.3d 1354, 1367, 66 USPQ2d 1385, 1394 (Fed. Cir. 2003).

For problems arising from the designation of materials by trademarks and trade names, see MPEP § 608.01(v).

608.01 (q)Substitute or Rewritten Specification[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.125. Substitute specification.

(a)If the number or nature of the amendments or the legibility of the application papers renders it difficult to consider the application, or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the Office may require the entire specification, including the claims, or any part thereof, be rewritten.

(b)Subject to § 1.312, a substitute specification, excluding the claims, may be filed at any point up to payment of the issue fee if it is accompanied by a statement that the substitute specification includes no new matter.

(c)A substitute specification submitted under this section must be submitted with markings showing all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification of record. The text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within double brackets if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. An accompanying clean version (without markings) must also be supplied. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered a change that must be shown pursuant to this paragraph.

(d)A substitute specification under this section is not permitted in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding.

The specification is sometimes in such faulty English that a new specification is necessary; in such instances, a new specification should be required.

Form paragraph 6.28 may be used where the specification is in faulty English.


¶ 6.28 Idiomatic English

A substitute specification in proper idiomatic English and in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(a) and (b) is required. The substitute specification filed must be accompanied by a statement that it contains no new matter.

37 CFR 1.125(a) applies to a substitute specification required by the Office. If the number or nature of the amendments or the legibility of the application papers renders it difficult to consider the application, or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, the Office may require the entire specification, including the claims, or any part thereof be rewritten.

Form paragraph 6.28.01 may be used where the examiner, for reasons other than faulty English, requires a substitute specification.


¶ 6.28.01 Substitute Specification Required by Examiner

A substitute specification [1] the claims is required pursuant to 37 CFR 1.125(a) because [2].

A substitute specification must not contain new matter. The substitute specification must be submitted with markings showing all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification of record. The text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by strikethrough except that double brackets placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five or fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within double brackets if strikethrough cannot be easily perceived. An accompanying clean version (without markings) and a statement




that the substitute specification contains no new matter must also be supplied. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered a change that must be shown.

Examiner Note:

1.In bracket 1, insert either --excluding-- or --including--.

2.In bracket 2, insert clear and concise examples of why a new specification is required.

3.A new specification is required if the number or nature of the amendments render it difficult to consider the application or to arrange the papers for printing or copying, 37 CFR 1.125.

4.See also form paragraph 13.01 for partial rewritten specification.



37 CFR 1.125(b) applies to a substitute specification voluntarily filed by the applicant. Subject to the provisions of 37 CFR 1.312, a substitute specification, excluding claims, may be voluntarily filed by the applicant at any point up to the payment of the issue fee provided it is accompanied by a statement that the substitute specification includes no new matter. The Office will accept a substitute specification voluntarily filed by the applicant if the requirements of 37 CFR 1.125(b) are satisfied.

37 CFR 1.125(c) requires a substitute specification filed under 37 CFR 1.125(a) or (b) be submitted in clean form without markings. A marked-up copy of the substitute specification showing all the changes relative to the immediate prior version of the specification of record must also be submitted. The text of any added subject matter must be shown by underlining the added text. The text of any deleted matter must be shown by strike-through except that double brackets placed before and after the deleted characters may be used to show deletion of five of fewer consecutive characters. The text of any deleted subject matter must be shown by being placed within double brackets if strike-through cannot be easily perceived. Numbering the paragraphs of the specification of record is not considered a change that must be shown under 37 CFR 1.125(c) The paragraphs of any substitute specification, other than the claims, should be individually numbered in Arabic numerals (for example [0001]) so that any amendment to the specification may be made by replacement paragraph in accordance with 37 CFR 1.121(b)(1).

A substitute specification filed under 37 CFR 1.125(b) must be accompanied by a statement indicating that no new matter was included. There is no obligation on the examiner to make a detailed comparison between the old and the new specifications for determining whether or not new matter has been added. If, however, an examiner becomes aware that new matter is present, objection thereto should be made.

The filing of a substitute specification rather than amending the original application has the advantage for applicants of eliminating the need to prepare an amendment of the specification. If word processing equipment is used by applicants, substitute specifications can be easily prepared. The Office receives the advantage of saving the time needed to enter amendments in the specification and a reduction in the number of printing errors. A substitute specification is not permitted in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding. 37 CFR 1.125(d).

A substitute specification which complies with 37 CFR 1.125 should normally be entered. The examiner should write “Enter” or “OK to Enter” and his or her initials in ink in the left margin of the first page of the substitute specification. A substitute specification which is denied entry should be so marked.

Form paragraph 6.28.02 may be used to notify applicant that a substitute specification submitted under 37 CFR 1.125(b) has not been entered. For Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual.


¶ 6.28.02 Substitute Specification Filed Under 37 CFR 1.125(b) and (c) Not Entered.

The substitute specification filed [1] has not been entered because it does not conform to 37 CFR 1.125(b) and (c) because: [2]

Examiner Note:

1.In bracket 2, insert statement of why the substitute specification is improper, for example:

-- the statement as to a lack of new matter under 37 CFR 1.125(b) is missing--,

-- a marked-up copy of the substitute specification has not been supplied (in addition to the clean copy)--;

-- a clean copy of the substitute specification has not been supplied (in addition to the marked-up copy)--; or,

-- the substitute specification has been filed:

- in a reissue application or in a reexamination proceeding, 37 CFR 1.125(d)-, or

- after payment of the issue fee-, or

- containing claims (to be amended)- --.

2.A substitute specification filed after final action or appeal is governed by 37 CFR 1.116. A substitute specification filed after the mailing of a notice of allowance is governed by 37 CFR 1.312.




See MPEP § 714.20 regarding entry of amendments which include an unacceptable substitute specification.


For new matter in amendment, see MPEP § 608.04.

For application prepared for issue, see MPEP §

1302.02.

608.01(r)Derogatory Remarks About[edit | edit source]

Prior Art in Specification

The applicant may refer to the general state of the art and the advance thereover made by his or her invention, but he or she is not permitted to make derogatory remarks concerning the inventions of others. Derogatory remarks are statements disparaging the products or processes of any particular person other than the applicant, or statements as to the merits or validity of applications or patents of another person. Mere comparisons with the prior art are not considered to be disparaging, per se.

608.01(s)Restoration of Canceled Matter[R-5][edit | edit source]

Canceled text in the specification can be reinstated only by a subsequent amendment presenting the previously canceled matter as a new insertion. 37 CFR 1.121(b)(4). A claim canceled by amendment (deleted in its entirety) may be reinstated only by a subsequent amendment presenting the claim as a new claim with a new claim number. 37 CFR 1.121(c)(5). See MPEP § 714.

608.01(t)Use in Subsequent Application[edit | edit source]

A reservation for a future application of subject matter disclosed but not claimed in a pending application will not be permitted in the pending application. 37 CFR 1.79; MPEP § 608.01(e).

No part of a specification can normally be transferred to another application. Drawings may be transferred to another application only upon the granting of a petition filed under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.182. See MPEP § 608.02(i).

608.01(u)Use of Formerly Filed Incomplete[edit | edit source]

Application [R-3]

Parts of an incomplete application which have been retained by the Office may be used as part of a complete application if the missing parts are later supplied. See MPEP § 506.

608.01(v)Trademarks and Names Used in Trade[edit | edit source]

The expressions “trademarks” and “names used in trade” as used below have the following meanings:

Trademark: a word, letter, symbol, or device adopted by one manufacturer or merchant and used to identify and distinguish his or her product from those of others. It is a proprietary word, letter, symbol, or device pointing distinctly to the product of one producer.

Names Used in Trade: a nonproprietary name by which an article or product is known and called among traders or workers in the art, although it may not be so known by the public, generally. Names used in trade do not point to the product of one producer, but they identify a single article or product irrespective of producer.

Names used in trade are permissible in patent applications if:

(A) Their meanings are established by an accompanying definition which is sufficiently precise and definite to be made a part of a claim, or

(B) In this country, their meanings are well- known and satisfactorily defined in the literature.

Condition (A) or (B) must be met at the time of filing of the complete application.

I. TRADEMARKS[edit | edit source]

The relationship between a trademark and the product it identifies is sometimes indefinite, uncertain, and arbitrary. The formula or characteristics of the product may change from time to time and yet it may continue to be sold under the same trademark. In patent specifications, every element or ingredient of the product should be set forth in positive, exact, intelligible language, so that there will be no uncertainty as to what is meant. Arbitrary trademarks which are liable to mean different things at the pleasure of manufacturers do not constitute such language. Ex Parte Kattwinkle, 12 USPQ 11 (Bd. App. 1931).

However, if the product to which the trademark refers is set forth in such language that its identity is clear, the examiners are authorized to permit the use of the trademark if it is distinguished from common descriptive nouns by capitalization. If the trademark has a fixed and definite meaning, it constitutes sufficient identification unless some physical or chemical characteristic of the article or material is involved in the invention. In that event, as also in those cases where the trademark has no fixed and definite meaning, identification by scientific or other explanatory language is necessary. In re Gebauer- Fuelnegg, 121 F.2d 505, 50 USPQ 125 (CCPA 1941).

The matter of sufficiency of disclosure must be decided on an individual case-by-case basis. In re Metcalfe, 410 F.2d 1378, 161 USPQ 789 (CCPA 1969).

Where the identification of a trademark is introduced by amendment, it must be restricted to the characteristics of the product known at the time the application was filed to avoid any question of new matter.

If proper identification of the product sold under a trademark, or a product referred to only by a name used in trade, is omitted from the specification and such identification is deemed necessary under the principles set forth above, the examiner should hold the disclosure insufficient and reject on the ground of insufficient disclosure any claims based on the identification of the product merely by trademark or by the name used in trade. If the product cannot be otherwise defined, an amendment defining the process of its manufacture may be permitted. Such amendments must be supported by satisfactory showings establishing that the specific nature or process of manufacture of the product as set forth in the amendment was known at the time of filing of the application.

Although the use of trademarks having definite meanings is permissible in patent applications, the proprietary nature of the marks should be respected. Trademarks should be identified by capitalizing each letter of the mark (in the case of word or letter marks) or otherwise indicating the description of the mark (in the case of marks in the form of a symbol or device or other nontextual form). Every effort should be made to prevent their use in any manner which might adversely affect their validity as trademarks.

Form paragraph 6.20 may be used.

The examiner should not permit the use of language such as “the product X (a descriptive name) commonly known as Y (trademark)” since such language does not bring out the fact that the latter is a trademark. Language such as “the product X (a descriptive name) sold under the trademark Y” is permissible.

The use of a trademark in the title of an application should be avoided as well as the use of a trademark coupled with the word “type”, e.g., “Band-Aid type bandage.”

In the event that the proprietary trademark is a “symbol or device” depicted in a drawing, either the brief description of the drawing or the detailed description of the drawing should specify that the “symbol or device” is a registered trademark of Company X.

The owner of a trademark may be identified in the specification.

Technology Center Directors should reply to all trademark misuse complaint letters and forward a copy to the editor of this manual. Where a letter demonstrates a trademark misuse in a patent application publication, the Office should, where the application is still pending, ensure that the trademark is replaced by appropriate generic terminology.

See Appendix I for a partial listing of trademarks and the particular goods to which they apply.

II. INCLUSION OF COPYRIGHT OR MASK WORK NOTICE IN PATENTS[edit | edit source]
37 CFR 1.71. Detailed description and specification of the invention
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(d) A copyright or mask work notice may be placed in a design or utility patent application adjacent to copyright and mask work material contained therein. The notice may appear at any appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure. For notices in drawings, see § 1.84(s). The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example, “©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language set forth in paragraph (e) of this section is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.

(e) The authorization shall read as follows:

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.


37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings

(s) Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or mask work notice may appear in the drawing, but must be placed within the sight of the drawing immediately below the figure representing the copyright or mask work material and be limited to letters having a print size of.32 cm. to.64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4 inches) high. The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example, “ ©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.


The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will permit the inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in a design or utility patent application, and thereby any patent issuing therefrom, which discloses material on which copyright or mask work protection has previously been established, under the following conditions:

(A) The copyright or mask work notice must be placed adjacent to the copyright or mask work material. Therefore, the notice may appear at any appropriate portion of the patent application disclosure, including the drawing. However, if appearing in the drawing, the notice must comply with 37 CFR 1.84(s). If placed on a drawing in conformance with these provisions, the notice will not be objected to as extraneous matter under 37 CFR 1.84.

(B) The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements required by law. For example, “©1983 John Doe”(17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited, and under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work respectively.

(C) Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the following authorization in 37 CFR 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification to be printed for the patent:

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to (copyright or mask work) protection. The (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all (copyright or mask work) rights whatsoever.

(D) Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice after a Notice of Allowance has been mailed will be permitted only if the criteria of 37 CFR 1.312 have been satisfied.

The inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice in a design or utility patent application, and thereby any patent issuing therefrom, under the conditions set forth above will serve to protect the rights of the author/inventor, as well as the public, and will serve to promote the mission and goals of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Therefore, the inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice which complies with these conditions will be permitted. However, any departure from these conditions may result in a refusal to permit the desired inclusion. If the authorization required under condition (C) above does not include the specific language “(t)he (copyright or mask work) owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records,...” the notice will be objected to as improper by the examiner of the application. If the examiner maintains the objection upon reconsideration, a petition may be filed in accordance with 37 CFR 1.181.

608.02 Drawing[edit | edit source]

35 U.S.C. 113. Drawings.

The applicant shall furnish a drawing where necessary for the understanding of the subject matter to be patented. When the nature of such subject matter admits of illustration by a drawing and the applicant has not furnished such a drawing, the Commissioner may require its submission within a time period of not less than two months from the sending of a notice thereof. Drawings submitted after the filing date of the application may not be used (i) to overcome any insufficiency of the specification due to lack of an enabling disclosure or otherwise inadequate disclosure therein, or (ii) to supplement the original disclosure thereof for the purpose of interpretation of the scope of any claim.


37 CFR 1.81. Drawings required in patent application.

(a) The applicant for a patent is required to furnish a drawing of his or her invention where necessary for the understanding of the subject matter sought to be patented; this drawing, or a high quality copy thereof, must be filed with the application. Since corrections are the responsibility of the applicant, the original drawing( s) should be retained by the applicant for any necessary future correction.

(b) Drawings may include illustrations which facilitate an understanding of the invention (for example, flow sheets in cases of processes, and diagrammatic views).

(c) Whenever the nature of the subject matter sought to be patented admits of illustration by a drawing without its being necessary for the understanding of the subject matter and the applicant has not furnished such a drawing, the examiner will require its submission within a time period of not less than two months from the date of the sending of a notice thereof.

(d) Drawings submitted after the filing date of the application may not be used to overcome any insufficiency of the specification due to lack of an enabling disclosure or otherwise inadequate disclosure therein, or to supplement the original disclosure thereof for the purpose of interpretation of the scope of any claim.


I. DRAWING REQUIREMENTS[edit | edit source]

The first sentence of 35 U.S.C 113 requires a drawing to be submitted upon filing where such drawing is necessary for the understanding of the invention. In this situation, the lack of a drawing renders the application incomplete and, as such, the application cannot be given a filing date until the drawing is received. The second sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113addresses the situation wherein a drawing is not necessary for the understanding of the invention, but the subject matter sought to be patented admits of illustration and no drawing was submitted on filing. The lack of a drawing in this situation does not render the application incomplete but rather is treated as an informality. The examiner should require such drawings in almost all such instances. Such drawings could be required during the initial processing of the application but do not have to be furnished at the time the application is filed. The applicant is given at least 2 months from the date of the letter requiring drawings to submit the drawing(s).

If the specification includes a sequence listing or a table, such a sequence listing or table is not permitted to be reprinted in the drawings. 37 CFR 1.83(a) and 1.58(a). If a sequence listing as shown in the drawings has more information than is contained in the specification, the sequence listing could be included in the specification and the drawings. Applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371 are excluded from the prohibition from having the same tables and sequence listings in both the description portion of the specification and drawings.

II.RECEIPT OF DRAWING AFTER THE FILING DATE[edit | edit source]

If the examiner discovers new matter in a substitute or additional drawing, the drawing should not be entered. The drawing should be objected to as containing new matter. A new drawing without such new matter may be required if the examiner determines that a drawing is needed under 37 CFR 1.81 or 37 CFR 1.83. The examiner’s decision would be reviewable by filing a petition under 37 CFR 1.181. The Technology Center (TC) Director would decide such a petition.

III. HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FIRST SENTENCE OF 35 U.S.C 113[edit | edit source]

The Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) will make the initial decision in all new applications as to whether a drawing is “necessary” under the first sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113. A drawing will be considered necessary under the first sentence of 35 U.S.C. 113 in all applications where the drawing is referred to in the specification and one or more figures have been omitted.

The determination under 35 U.S.C. 113 (first sentence) as to when a drawing is necessary will be handled in OIPE in accordance with the following procedure. OIPE will make the initial determination as to whether drawings are required for the understanding of the subject matter of the invention. When no drawings are included in the application as filed and drawings are required, the application is treated as incomplete and the applicant is so informed by OIPE. A filing date will not be granted and applicant will be notified to complete the application (37 CFR 1.53(e)). If a drawing is later furnished, a filing date may be granted as of the date of receipt of such drawing.

An OIPE formality examiner should not treat an application without drawings as incomplete if drawings are not required. A drawing is not required for a filing date under 35 U.S.C. 111 and 113 if the application contains:

(A) at least one process claim including the term “process” or “method” in its introductory phrase;

(B) at least one composition claim including the term “composition,” “compound,” “mixture” or “pharmaceutical” in its introductory phrase;

(C) at least one claim directed to a coated article or product or to an article or product made from a particular material or composition (i.e., an article of known and conventional character (e.g., a table), coated with or made of a particular composition (e.g., a specified polymer such as polyvinyl-chloride));

(D) at least one claim directed to a laminated article or product (i.e., a laminated article of known and conventional character (e.g., a table)); or

(E) at least one claim directed to an article, apparatus, or system where the sole distinguishing feature is the presence of a particular material (e.g., a hydraulic system using a particular hydraulic fluid, or a conventional packaged suture using a particular material).

For a more complete explanation about when a drawing is required, see MPEP § 601.01(f). For applications submitted without all of the drawings described in the specification, see MPEP § 601.01(g).

If an examiner determines that a filing date should not have been granted in an application because it does not contain drawings, the matter should be brought to the attention of the supervisory patent examiner (SPE) for review. If the SPE decides that drawings are required to understand the subject matter of the invention, the SPE should return the application to OIPE with a typed, signed, and dated memorandum requesting cancellation of the filing date and identifying the subject matter required to be illustrated.

IV. HANDLING OF DRAWING REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE SECOND SENTENCE OF 35 U.S.C 113 - ILLUSTRATION SUBSEQUENTLY REQUIRED[edit | edit source]

35 U.S.C.113 addresses the situation wherein a drawing is not necessary for the understanding of the invention, but the subject matter sought to be patented admits of illustration by a drawing and the applicant has not furnished a drawing. The lack of a drawing in this situation does not render the application incomplete but rather is treated as an informality. A filing date will be accorded with the original presentation of the papers, despite the absence of drawings. The acceptance of an application without a drawing does not preclude the examiner from requiring an illustration in the form of a drawing under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or 37 CFR 1.83(c). In requiring such a drawing, the examiner should clearly indicate that the requirement is made under 37 CFR 1.81(c) or 37 CFR 1.83(a) and be careful not to state that he or she is doing so “because it is necessary for the understanding of the invention,” as that might give rise to an erroneous impression as to the completeness of the application as filed. Examiners making such requirements are to specifically require, as a part of the applicant’s next reply, at least an ink sketch or permanent print of any drawing in reply to the requirement, even though no allowable subject matter is yet indicated. This will afford the examiner an early opportunity to determine the sufficiency of the illustration and the absence of new matter. See 37 CFR 1.121 and 37 CFR 1.81(d).

Applicant should also amend the specification accordingly to reference to the new illustration at the time of submission of the drawing(s). This may obviate further correspondence where an amendment places the application in condition for allowance.

V. DRAWING STANDARDS[edit | edit source]
37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.

(a) Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting drawings in utility and design patent applications.

(1) Black ink. Black and white drawings are normally required. India ink, or its equivalent that secures solid black lines, must be used for drawings; or

(2) Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration. The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications and statutory invention registrations only after granting a petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:

(i) The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);

(ii) Three (3) sets of color drawings;

(iii) An amendment to the specification to insert (unless the specification contains or has been previously amended to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description of the drawings:

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

(b) Photographs.—

(1) Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible in the printed patent.

(2) Color photographs. Color photographs will be accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.

(c) Identification of drawings. Identifying indicia should be provided, and if provided, should include the title of the invention, inventor’s name, and application number, or docket number (if any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application. If this information is provided, it must be placed on the front of each sheet within the top margin. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be identified as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to § 1.121(d). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure including annotations indicating the changes made is filed, such marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” pursuant to § 1.121(d)(1).

(d) Graphic forms in drawings. Chemical or mathematical formulae, tables, and waveforms may be submitted as drawings and are subject to the same requirements as drawings. Each chemical or mathematical formula must be labeled as a separate figure, using brackets when necessary, to show that information is properly integrated. Each group of waveforms must be presented as a single figure, using a common vertical axis with time extending along the horizontal axis. Each individual waveform discussed in the specification must be identified with a separate letter designation adjacent to the vertical axis.

(e) Type of paper. Drawings submitted to the Office must be made on paper which is flexible, strong, white, smooth, non-shiny, and durable. All sheets must be reasonably free from cracks, creases, and folds. Only one side of the sheet may be used for the drawing. Each sheet must be reasonably free from erasures and must be free from alterations, overwritings, and interlineations. Photographs must be developed on paper meeting the sheet-size requirements of paragraph (f) of this section and the margin requirements of paragraph (g) of this section. See paragraph (b) of this section for other requirements for photographs.

(f) Size of paper. All drawing sheets in an application must be the same size. One of the shorter sides of the sheet is regarded as its top. The size of the sheets on which drawings are made must be:

(1) 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4), or

(2) 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inches).

(g) Margins. The sheets must not contain frames around the sight (i.e., the usable surface), but should have scan target points (i.e., cross-hairs) printed on two cater-corner margin corners. Each sheet must include a top margin of at least 2.5 cm. (1 inch), a left side margin of at least 2.5 cm. (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 1.5 cm. (5/8 inch), and a bottom margin of at least 1.0 cm. (3/8 inch), thereby leaving a sight no greater than 17.0 cm. by 26.2 cm. on 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4) drawing sheets, and a sight no greater than 17.6 cm. by 24.4 cm. (6 15/16 by 9 5/ 8 inches) on 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inch) drawing sheets.

(h) Views. The drawing must contain as many views as necessary to show the invention. The views may be plan, elevation, section, or perspective views. Detail views of portions of elements, on a larger scale if necessary, may also be used. All views of the drawing must be grouped together and arranged on the sheet(s) without wasting space, preferably in an upright position, clearly separated from one another, and must not be included in the sheets containing the specifications, claims, or abstract. Views must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain center lines. Waveforms of electrical signals may be connected by dashed lines to show the relative timing of the waveforms.

(1) Exploded views. Exploded views, with the separated parts embraced by a bracket, to show the relationship or order of assembly of various parts are permissible. When an exploded view is shown in a figure which is on the same sheet as another figure, the exploded view should be placed in brackets.

(2) Partial views. When necessary, a view of a large machine or device in its entirety may be broken into partial views on a single sheet, or extended over several sheets if there is no loss in facility of understanding the view. Partial views drawn on separate sheets must always be capable of being linked edge to edge so that no partial view contains parts of another partial view. A smaller scale view should be included showing the whole formed by the partial views and indicating the positions of the parts shown. When a portion of a view is enlarged for magnification purposes, the view and the enlarged view must each be labeled as separate views.

(i) Where views on two or more sheets form, in effect, a single complete view, the views on the several sheets must be so arranged that the complete figure can be assembled without concealing any part of any of the views appearing on the various sheets.

(ii) A very long view may be divided into several parts placed one above the other on a single sheet. However, the relationship between the different parts must be clear and unambiguous.

(3) Sectional views. The plane upon which a sectional view is taken should be indicated on the view from which the section is cut by a broken line. The ends of the broken line should be designated by Arabic or Roman numerals corresponding to the view number of the sectional view, and should have arrows to indicate the direction of sight. Hatching must be used to indicate section portions of an object, and must be made by regularly spaced oblique parallel lines spaced sufficiently apart to enable the lines to be distinguished without difficulty. Hatching should not impede the clear reading of the reference characters and lead lines. If it is not possible to place reference characters outside the hatched area, the hatching may be broken off wherever reference characters are inserted. Hatching must be at a substantial angle to the surrounding axes or principal lines, preferably 45°. A cross section must be set out and drawn to show all of the materials as they are shown in the view from which the cross section was taken. The parts in cross section must show proper material(s) by hatching with regularly spaced parallel oblique strokes, the space between strokes being chosen on the basis of the total area to be hatched. The various parts of a cross section of the same item should be hatched in the same manner and should accurately and graphically indicate the nature of the material(s) that is illustrated in cross section. The hatching of juxtaposed different elements must be angled in a different way. In the case of large areas, hatching may be confined to an edging drawn around the entire inside of the outline of the area to be hatched. Different types of hatching should have different conventional meanings as regards the nature of a material seen in cross section.

(4) Alternate position. A moved position may be shown by a broken line superimposed upon a suitable view if this can be done without crowding; otherwise, a separate view must be used for this purpose.

(5) Modified forms. Modified forms of construction must be shown in separate views. (i) Arrangement of views. One view must not be placed upon another or within the outline of another. All views on the same sheet should stand in the same direction and, if possible, stand so that they can be read with the sheet held in an upright position. If views wider than the width of the sheet are necessary for the clearest illustration of the invention, the sheet may be turned on its side so that the top of the sheet, with the appropriate top margin to be used as the heading space, is on the right-hand side. Words must appear in a horizontal, left-to-right fashion when the page is either upright or turned so that the top becomes the right side, except for graphs utilizing standard scientific convention to denote the axis of abscissas (of X) and the axis of ordinates (of Y). (j) Front page view. The drawing must contain as many views as necessary to show the invention. One of the views should be suitable for inclusion on the front page of the patent application publication and patent as the illustration of the invention. Views must not be connected by projection lines and must not contain center lines. Applicant may suggest a single view (by figure number) for inclusion on the front page of the patent application publication and patent. (k) Scale. The scale to which a drawing is made must be large enough to show the mechanism without crowding when the drawing is reduced in size to two-thirds in reproduction. Indications such as “actual size” or “scale 1/2” on the drawings are not permitted since these lose their meaning with reproduction in a different format. (l) Character of lines, numbers, and letters. All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning. (m) Shading. The use of shading in views is encouraged if it aids in understanding the invention and if it does not reduce legibility. Shading is used to indicate the surface or shape of spherical, cylindrical, and conical elements of an object. Flat parts may also be lightly shaded. Such shading is preferred in the case of parts shown in perspective, but not for cross sections. See paragraph (h)(3) of this section. Spaced lines for shading are preferred. These lines must be thin, as few in number as practicable, and they must contrast with the rest of the drawings. As a substitute for shading, heavy lines on the shade side of objects can be used except where they superimpose on each other or obscure reference characters. Light should come from the upper left corner at an angle of 45°. Surface delineations should preferably be shown by proper shading. Solid black shading areas are not permitted, except when used to represent bar graphs or color. (n) Symbols. Graphical drawing symbols may be used for conventional elements when appropriate. The elements for which such symbols and labeled representations are used must be adequately identified in the specification. Known devices should be illustrated by symbols which have a universally recognized conventional meaning and are generally accepted in the art. Other symbols which are not universally recognized may be used, subject to approval by the Office, if they are not likely to be confused with existing conventional symbols, and if they are readily identifiable. (o) Legends. Suitable descriptive legends may be used subject to approval by the Office, or may be required by the examiner where necessary for understanding of the drawing. They should contain as few words as possible. (p) Numbers, letters, and reference characters.

(1) Reference characters (numerals are preferred), sheet numbers, and view numbers must be plain and legible, and must not be used in association with brackets or inverted commas, or enclosed within outlines, e.g., encircled. They must be oriented in the same direction as the view so as to avoid having to rotate the sheet. Reference characters should be arranged to follow the profile of the object depicted.

(2) The English alphabet must be used for letters, except where another alphabet is customarily used, such as the Greek alphabet to indicate angles, wavelengths, and mathematical formulas.

(3) Numbers, letters, and reference characters must measure at least.32 cm. (1/8 inch) in height. They should not be placed in the drawing so as to interfere with its comprehension. Therefore, they should not cross or mingle with the lines. They should not be placed upon hatched or shaded surfaces. When necessary, such as indicating a surface or cross section, a reference character may be underlined and a blank space may be left in the hatching or shading where the character occurs so that it appears distinct.

(4) The same part of an invention appearing in more than one view of the drawing must always be designated by the same reference character, and the same reference character must never be used to designate different parts.

(5) Reference characters not mentioned in the description shall not appear in the drawings. Reference characters mentioned in the description must appear in the drawings.

(q) Lead lines. Lead lines are those lines between the reference characters and the details referred to. Such lines may be straight or curved and should be as short as possible. They must originate in the immediate proximity of the reference character and extend to the feature indicated. Lead lines must not cross each other. Lead lines are required for each reference character except for those which indicate the surface or cross section on which they are placed. Such a reference character must be underlined to make it clear that a lead line has not been left out by mistake. Lead lines must be executed in the same way as lines in the drawing. See paragraph (l) of this section.

(r) Arrows. Arrows may be used at the ends of lines, provided that their meaning is clear, as follows:

(1) On a lead line, a freestanding arrow to indicate the entire section towards which it points;

(2) On a lead line, an arrow touching a line to indicate the surface shown by the line looking along the direction of the arrow; or

(3) To show the direction of movement.

(s) Copyright or Mask Work Notice. A copyright or mask work notice may appear in the drawing, but must be placed within the sight of the drawing immediately below the figure representing the copyright or mask work material and be limited to letters having a print size of 32 cm. to 64 cm. (1/8 to 1/4 inches) high. The content of the notice must be limited to only those elements provided for by law. For example, “©1983 John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 401) and “M John Doe” (17 U.S.C. 909) would be properly limited and, under current statutes, legally sufficient notices of copyright and mask work, respectively. Inclusion of a copyright or mask work notice will be permitted only if the authorization language set forth in § 1.71(e) is included at the beginning (preferably as the first paragraph) of the specification.

(t) Numbering of sheets of drawings. The sheets of drawings should be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with 1, within the sight as defined in paragraph (g) of this section. These numbers, if present, must be placed in the middle of the top of the sheet, but not in the margin. The numbers can be placed on the right-hand side if the drawing extends too close to the middle of the top edge of the usable surface. The drawing sheet numbering must be clear and larger than the numbers used as reference characters to avoid confusion. The number of each sheet should be shown by two Arabic numerals placed on either side of an oblique line, with the first being the sheet number and the second being the total number of sheets of drawings, with no other marking.

(u) Numbering of views.

(1) The different views must be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with 1, independent of the numbering of the sheets and, if possible, in the order in which they appear on the drawing sheet(s). Partial views intended to form one complete view, on one or several sheets, must be identified by the same number followed by a capital letter. View numbers must be preceded by the abbreviation “FIG.” Where only a single view is used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not be numbered and the abbreviation “FIG.” must not appear.

(2) Numbers and letters identifying the views must be simple and clear and must not be used in association with brackets, circles, or inverted commas. The view numbers must be larger than the numbers used for reference characters.

(v) Security markings. Authorized security markings may be placed on the drawings provided they are outside the sight, preferably centered in the top margin.

(w) Corrections. Any corrections on drawings submitted to the Office must be durable and permanent.

(x) Holes. No holes should be made by applicant in the drawing sheets.

(y) Types of drawings. See § 1.152 for design drawings, § 1.165 for plant drawings, and § 1.173(a)(2) for reissue drawings.


Drawings on paper are acceptable as long as they are in compliance with 37 CFR 1.84. Corrections thereto must be made in the form of replacement sheets labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet” since the Office does not release drawings for correction. See 37 CFR 1.85.

Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be identified as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” so that the Office will recognize how to treat such a drawing sheet for entry into the application. See 37 CFR 1.84(c). If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, is filed, such marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet.”

Good quality copies made on office copiers are acceptable if the lines are uniformly thick, black, and solid. Facsimile copies of drawings are acceptable if included with application papers mailed or hand-carried to the Office or if submitted at the time of payment of the issue fee (see “Payment of the Issue Fee and Filing Related Correspondence by Facsimile,” 1254 O.G. 91 (January 15, 2002)). Applicants should ensure that the facsimile transmission process does not unreasonably degrade the quality of the drawings.

Drawings are currently accepted in two different size formats. It is, however, required that all drawing sheets in a particular application be the same size for ease of handling and reproduction.

For examples of proper drawings, in addition to selected rules of practice related to patent drawings and interpretations of those rules, see the “Guide for the Preparation of Patent Drawings” which is available from the USPTO web site at www.uspto.gov.

For information regarding certified copies of an application-as-filed which does not meet the sheet size/margin and quality requirements of 37 CFR 1.52, 1.84(f), and 1.84(g), see MPEP § 608.01.

For design patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.152, see MPEP § 1503.02.

For plant patent drawings, 37 CFR 1.165, see MPEP § 1606.

For reissue application drawings, see MPEP § 1413.

For correction of drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(p). For prints, preparation and distribution, see MPEP § 508 and § 608.02(m). For prints, return of drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(y).

For amendment of drawings, see MPEP § 714.

For pencil notations of classification and name or initials of assistant examiner to be placed on drawings, see MPEP § 719.03.

The filing of a divisional or continuation application under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.53(b) (unexecuted application) does not obviate the need for acceptable drawings. See MPEP § 608.02(b).

See MPEP § 601.01(f) for treatment of applications filed without drawings and MPEP § 601.01(g) for treatment of applications filed without all figures of drawings.

VI. DEFINITIONS[edit | edit source]

A number of different terms are used when referring to drawings in patent applications. The following definitions are used in this Manual.

Original drawings: The drawing submitted with the application when filed.

Substitute drawing: A drawing filed later than the filing date of an application. Usually submitted to replace an original informal drawing.

Acceptable drawing: A drawing that is acceptable for publication of the application or issuance of the patent.

Corrected drawing: A drawing that includes corrections of informalities and changes approved by the examiner.

Informal drawing: A drawing which does not comply with the form requirements of 37 CFR 1.84. Drawings may be informal because they are not on the proper size sheets, the quality of the lines is poor, or for other reasons such as the size of reference elements. Informal drawings could be acceptable for the purposes of publication and examination. An objection will generally only be made to an informal drawing if the Office is unable to reproduce the drawing or the contents of the drawing are unacceptable to the examiner.

Drawing print: This term is used for the white paper print prepared by the Scanning Division of the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) of original drawings in paper application files. The drawing prints contain the application number near the left- hand margin. Drawing prints should be placed on the top on the right-hand flap of the application file wrapper. A drawing print is not made for image file wrapper (IFW) applications.

Interference print: This term is used to designate the copy prepared of the original drawings filed in file cabinets separate from the paper file wrappers and used to make interference searches.

Plan: This term is used to illustrate the top view.

Elevation: This term is used to illustrate views showing the height of objects.

VII. BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS[edit | edit source]
37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.
.          .          .

(b) Photographs.—

(1) Black and white. Photographs, including photocopies of photographs, are not ordinarily permitted in utility and design patent applications. The Office will accept photographs in utility and design patent applications, however, if photographs are the only practicable medium for illustrating the claimed invention. For example, photographs or photomicrographs of: electrophoresis gels, blots (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), auto- radiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, and, in a design patent application, ornamental effects, are acceptable. If the subject matter of the application admits of illustration by a drawing, the examiner may require a drawing in place of the photograph. The photographs must be of sufficient quality so that all details in the photographs are reproducible in the printed patent.


Photographs or photomicrographs (not photolithographs or other reproductions of photographs made by using screens) printed on sensitized paper are acceptable as final drawings, in lieu of India ink drawings, to illustrate inventions which are incapable of being accurately or adequately depicted by India ink drawings, e.g., electrophoresis gels, blots, (e.g., immunological, western, Southern, and northern), autoradiographs, cell cultures (stained and unstained), histological tissue cross sections (stained and unstained), animals, plants, in vivo imaging, thin layer chromatography plates, crystalline structures, metallurgical microstructures, textile fabrics, grain structures and ornamental effects. The photographs or photomicrographs must show the invention more clearly than they can be done by India ink drawings and otherwise comply with the rules concerning such drawings.

Black and white photographs submitted in lieu of ink drawings must comply with 37 CFR 1.84(b). There is no requirement for a petition or petition fee, and only one set of photographs is required. See 1213 O.G. 108 (Aug. 4, 1998) and 1211 O.G. 34 (June 9, 1998) and 37 CFR 1.84(b)(1).

Such photographs to be acceptable must be made on photographic paper having the following characteristics which are generally recognized in the photographic trade: double weight paper with a surface described as smooth with a white tint. Note that photographs filed on or after October 1, 2001 may no longer be mounted on Bristol Board. See 37 CFR 1.84(e) and 1246 O.G. 106 (May 22, 2001). If several photographs are used to make one sheet of drawings, the photographs must be contained (i.e., developed) on a single sheet.

See MPEP § 1503.02 for discussion of photographs used in design patent applications.

Photographs may be treated as artifacts and maintained in an artifact folder when the patent application is an IFW application since the photographs may not be able to be accurately reproduced by scanning.

VIII. COLOR DRAWINGS OR COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS[edit | edit source]
37 CFR 1.84. Standards for drawings.

(a) Drawings. There are two acceptable categories for presenting drawings in utility and design patent applications:

.          .          .

(2) Color. On rare occasions, color drawings may be necessary as the only practical medium by which to disclose the subject matter sought to be patented in a utility or design patent application or the subject matter of a statutory invention registration. The color drawings must be of sufficient quality such that all details in the drawings are reproducible in black and white in the printed patent. Color drawings are not permitted in international applications (see PCT Rule 11.13), or in an application, or copy thereof, submitted under the Office electronic filing system. The Office will accept color drawings in utility or design patent applications and statutory invention registrations only after granting a petition filed under this paragraph explaining why the color drawings are necessary. Any such petition must include the following:

(i)The fee set forth in § 1.17(h);

(ii)Three (3) sets of color drawings;

(iii)An amendment to the specification to insert (unless the specification contains or has been previously amended to contain) the following language as the first paragraph of the brief description of the drawings:

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

(b) Photographs.

.          .          .

(2) Color photographs. Color photographs will be accepted in utility and design patent applications if the conditions for accepting color drawings and black and white photographs have been satisfied. See paragraphs (a)(2) and (b)(1) of this section.


Limited use of color drawings in utility patent applications is provided for in 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2). Unless a petition is filed and granted, color drawings or color photographs will not be accepted in a utility or design patent application. The examiner must object to the color drawings or color photographs as being improper and require applicant either to cancel the drawings or to provide substitute black and white drawings.

Under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2), the applicant must file a petition with fee requesting acceptance of the color drawings or color photographs. Three sets of color drawings or color photographs must also be submitted (37 CFR1.84(a)(2)(ii)). The petition is decided by a Supervisory Patent Examiner. See MPEP § 1002.02(d).

If the application is an IFW application, the color photographs are maintained in an artifact folder.

Where color drawings or color photographs are filed in a continuing application, applicant must renew the petition under 37 CFR 1.84(a)(2) and (b)(2) even though a similar petition was filed in the prior application. Until the renewed petition is granted, the examiner must object to the color drawings or color photographs as being improper.

In light of the substantial administrative and economic burden associated with printing a utility patent with color drawings or color photographs, the patent copies which are printed at issuance of the patent will depict the drawings in black and white only. However, a set of color drawings or color photographs will be attached to the Letters Patent. Moreover, copies of the patent with color drawings or color photographs attached thereto will be provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upon special request and payment of the fee necessary to recover the actual costs associated therewith.

Accordingly, the petition must also be accompanied by a proposed amendment to insert the following language as the first paragraph in the portion of the specification containing a brief description of the drawings:

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.

It is anticipated that such a petition will be granted only when the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has determined that a color drawing or color photograph is the only practical medium by which to disclose in a printed utility patent the subject matter to be patented.

It is emphasized that a decision to grant the petition should not be regarded as an indication that color drawings or color photographs are necessary to comply with a statutory requirement. In this latter respect, clearly it is desirable to file any desired color drawings or color photographs as part of the original application papers in order to avoid issues concerning statutory defects (e.g., lack of enablement under 35 U.S.C. 112 or new matter under 35 U.S.C. 132).

IX. DRAWING SYMBOLS[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.84(n) indicates that graphic drawing symbols and other labeled representations may be used for conventional elements where appropriate, subject to approval by the Office. Also, suitable legends may be used, or may be required, in proper cases. For examples of suitable symbols and legends, see the “Guide for the Preparation of Patent Drawings” available from the USPTO web site at www.uspto.gov.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose numerous publications include some that pertain to graphical symbols. Such publications, for examples, Graphic Symbols for Fluid Power Diagrams, IEEE Standard Graphic Symbols for Logic Functions, Graphic Symbols for Electrical and Electronics Diagrams, are considered to be generally acceptable in patent drawings. ANSI headquarters are at 1819 L Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, with offices at 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. The organization’s Internet address is www.ansi.org. Although ANSI documents and other published sources may be used as guides during the selection of graphic symbols for patent drawings, the Office will not “approve” any published collection of symbols as a group because their use and clarity must be decided on a case-by- case basis. Overly specific symbols should be avoided. Symbols with unclear meanings should be labeled for clarification.

The following symbols should be used to indicate various materials where the material is an important feature of the invention. The use of conventional features is very helpful in making prior art searches.

Shading examples

MPEP608 02-1.jpg MPEP608 02-2.jpg

608.02(a) New Drawing — When Replacement is Required Before Examination[edit | edit source]

See MPEP § 608.02 for the procedure to follow when drawings have not been filed, but a drawing will aid in the understanding of the invention. See MPEP § 601.01(f) for the procedure to follow when applications appear to be missing sheets of drawings. Drawings in utility and plant applications will be reviewed by the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) for compliance with certain requirements of 37 CFR 1.84. OIPE will send a Notice to File Corrected Application Papers if the drawings are not acceptable for purposes of publication. The notice will give applicant a time period of 2 months from the mailing date of the notice to file acceptable drawings. This time period for reply is extendable under 37 CFR 1.136(a). OIPE will not release applications to the Technology Centers until acceptable drawings are filed in the applications.

If at the time of the initial assignment of an application to an examiner’s docket, or if at the time the application is taken up for action, the supervisory patent examiner believes the drawings to be of such a condition as to not permit reasonable examination of the application, applicant should be required to immediately submit corrected drawings. However, if the drawings do permit reasonable examination and the supervisory patent examiner believes the drawings are of such a character as to render the application defective under 35 U.S.C. 112, examination should begin immediately with a requirement for corrected drawings and a rejection of the claims as not being in compliance with 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, being made.

If the drawings have been indicated by the applicant as informal, but no objection has been made to the drawings by OIPE (drawings considered acceptable by OIPE), the examiner should not require replacement of the “informal” drawings with new drawings. If the examiner does make objections to the drawings, the examiner should require correction in reply to the Office action and not permit the objection to be held in abeyance. See MPEP § 608.02(b), § 608.02(d) - § 608.02(h) and § 608.02(p) for further information on specific grounds for finding drawings informalities.

UNTIMELY FILED DRAWINGS

If a drawing is not timely received in reply to a notice from the Office or a letter from the examiner who requires a drawing, the application becomes abandoned for failure to reply.

For the handling of additional, duplicate, or substitute drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(h).

608.02(b) Informal Drawings[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.

(a) A utility or plant application will not be placed on the files for examination until objections to the drawings have been corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application publication will not include drawings filed after the application has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application meets the requirements of § 1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the drawing may be admitted for examination.

(b) The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction. If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must be submitted within the time set by the Office.

(c) If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed, the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable under § 1.136 (a) or § 1.136 (b).


In instances where the drawing is such that the prosecution can be carried on without the corrections, applicant is informed of the reasons why the drawing is objected to on Form PTO-948 or in an examiner’s action, and that the drawing is admitted for examination purposes only (see MPEP § 707.07(a)). To be fully responsive, an amendment must include corrected drawings. See 37 CFR 1.85(c) and 37 CFR 1.121(d). The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.

I. INFORMAL DRAWINGS[edit | edit source]

The Office no longer considers drawings as formal or informal. Drawings are either acceptable or not acceptable. Drawings will be accepted by the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) if the drawings are readable and reproducible for publication purposes. See MPEP § 507.

Examiners should review the drawings for disclosure of the claimed invention and for proper use of reference numerals. Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance. A request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not be considered a bona fideattempt to advance the application to final action (37 CFR 1.135(c)). Drawing corrections should be made promptly before allowance of the application in order to avoid delays in issuance of the application as a patent or a reduction to any term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(c)(10).

II. NOTIFYING APPLICANT[edit | edit source]

If the original drawings are not acceptable, a 2-part form, PTO-948, may be used to indicate what the objections are and that new corrected drawings are required. In either case, the drawings will be accepted as satisfying the requirements of 37 CFR 1.51. The examiners are directed to advise the applicants by way of form PTO-948 (see MPEP § 707.07(a)) in the first Office action of the reasons why the drawings are not acceptable.

III. HANDLING OF REPLACEMENT DRAWINGS[edit | edit source]

In those situations where an application is filed with unacceptable drawings, applicants will be notified by OIPE to file new acceptable drawings complying with 37 CFR 1.84 and 1.121(d). If the requirement for corrected drawings appears on the notice of allowability (PTOL-37), the drawings must be filed within three months of the date of mailing of the notice of allowability. Also, each sheet of the drawing should include the application number and the art unit in the upper center margin (37 CFR 1.84(c)) and labeled, in the header, “Replacement Sheet.” In the past, some drawings have been misdirected because the art unit indicated on the filing receipt was used rather than that indicated on the notice forms.

In utility applications, the examination will normally be conducted using the originally presented drawings. The sufficiency of disclosure, as concerns the subject matter claimed, will be made by the examiner utilizing the original drawings. IT IS APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO SEE THAT NO NEW MATTER IS ADDED when submitting replacement drawings after allowance since they will not normally be reviewed by an examiner. Of course, if the examiner notices new matter in the replacement drawings, appropriate action to have the new matter deleted should be undertaken.

608.02(c) Drawing Print Kept in File Wrapper[edit | edit source]

The drawing prints must always be kept on top of the papers on the right side of the file wrapper under any bibliographic data sheet , if the application is maintained in paper. If the application is maintained in an image file wrapper (IFW) and the drawings are photographs or in color, the original photographs or color drawings may be maintained in an artifact folder. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual.

Applications may be sent to issue or to the Files Repository without the original drawing, if any, if the drawing cannot be located. For an application sent to issue with missing drawings, see MPEP § 608.02(z). For abandoned applications sent to the Files Repository, a notation should be made on the Contents portion of the file wrapper that the drawings were missing.

Upon initial processing, the original drawings are placed in the center portion of the application file wrapper under the specification , if the application is maintained in paper, and the executed oath or declaration by the Scanning Division.

608.02(d) Complete Illustration in Drawings[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.83. Content of drawing.

(a) The drawing in a nonprovisional application must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. However, conventional features disclosed in the description and claims, where their detailed illustration is not essential for a proper understanding of the invention, should be illustrated in the drawing in the form of a graphical drawing symbol or a labeled representation (e.g., a labeled rectangular box). In addition, tables and sequence listings that are included in the specification are, except for applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 371, not permitted to be included in the drawings.

(b) When the invention consists of an improvement on an old machine the drawing must when possible exhibit, in one or more views, the improved portion itself, disconnected from the old structure, and also in another view, so much only of the old structure as will suffice to show the connection of the invention therewith.

(c) Where the drawings in a nonprovisional application do not comply with the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the examiner shall require such additional illustration within a time period of not less than two months from the date of the sending of a notice thereof. Such corrections are subject to the requirements of § 1.81(d).

Any structural detail that is of sufficient importance to be described should be shown in the drawing. (Ex parte Good, 1911 C.D. 43, 164 O.G. 739 (Comm’r Pat. 1911).)

608.02(e) Examiner Determines Completeness and Consistency of Drawings[edit | edit source]

The examiner should see to it that the figures are correctly described in the brief description of the several views of the drawing section of the specification, that the reference characters are properly applied, that no single reference character is used for two different parts or for a given part and a modification of such part, and that there are no superfluous illustrations.

608.02(f) Modifications in Drawings[edit | edit source]

Modifications may not be shown in broken lines on figures which show in solid lines another form of the invention. Ex parte Badger, 1901 C.D. 195, 97 O.G. 1596 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).

All modifications described must be illustrated, or the text canceled. (Ex parte Peck, 1901 C.D. 136, 96 O.G. 2409 (Comm’r Pat. 1901).) This requirement does not apply to a mere reference to minor variations nor to well-known and conventional parts.

608.02(g) Illustration of Prior Art[edit | edit source]

Figures showing the prior art are usually unnecessary and should be canceled. Ex parte Elliott, 1904 C.D. 103, 109 O.G. 1337 (Comm’r Pat. 1904). However, where needed to understand applicant’s invention, they may be retained if designated by a legend such as “Prior Art.”

608.02(h) Replacement Drawings[edit | edit source]

When an amendment is filed stating that replacement sheets of drawings are filed with the amendment and such drawings have not been transmitted to the Technology Center (TC), the technical support staff in the TC should attempt to locate the missing drawings. In the next communication of the examiner, the applicant is notified if the drawings have been received and whether or not the replacement drawings have been entered in the application. If the replacement drawings are not entered, the examiner should give the applicant a concise and complete explanation as to why the drawings were not entered.

Replacement drawings, together with the file wrapper, may be routed through the TC Draftsperson if the examiner would like the draftsperson’s assistance in identifying errors in the drawings. For Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual. The draftsperson will note any defects of the drawings on a PTO-948.

The examiner should not overlook such factors as new matter, the necessity for the replacement sheets and consistency with other sheets. The technical support staff will routinely enter all replacement sheets in the contents of the application. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual. If the examiner decides that the sheets should not be entered, the examiner should provide the applicant with the complete, explicit reasoning for the denial of entry. The entries made by the technical support staff will be marked “(N.E.).”

608.02(i) Transfer of Drawings From Prior Applications[edit | edit source]

Transfer of drawings from a first pending application to another will be made only upon the granting of a petition filed under 37 CFR 1.182 which must set forth a hardship situation requiring such transfer of drawings.

608.02(m) Drawing Prints[edit | edit source]

Preparation and distribution of drawing prints is discussed in MPEP § 508.

Prints are made of acceptable drawings of an application maintained in paper. These prints are kept on top of the papers on the right side of the file wrapper under any bibliographic data sheet. See MPEP § 719.01(b). No drawing prints are made for an image file wrapper (IFW) application.

The original drawing, of course, should not be marked up by the examiner. Where, as in an electrical wiring application, it is desirable to identify the various circuits by different colors, or in any more or less complex application, it is advantageous to apply legends, arrows, or other indicia, the drawing prints may be used and retained unofficially in the file since the drawing prints are no longer needed for a record of the drawings as originally filed. If the application is maintained in paper, the drawing prints, as colored by the examiner, may be retained in the paper application file. If the application is an IFW application, the drawing prints may be retained by the examiner.

Prints remain in the paper application file at all times except as provided in MPEP § 608.02(c).

608.02(n) Duplicate Prints in Patentability Report Applications[edit | edit source]

In patentability report cases having drawings, the examiner to whom the application is assigned should normally obtain a duplicate set of the interference prints of the drawing for filing in the Technology Center (TC) to which the application is referred.

When an application that has had patentability report prosecution is passed for issue or becomes abandoned, notification of this fact is given by the TC having jurisdiction of the case to each TC that submitted a patentability report. The examiner of each such reporting TC notes the date of allowance or abandonment on his or her duplicate set of prints. At such time as these prints become of no value to the reporting TC, they may be destroyed.

For patentability reports, see MPEP § 705 to § 705.01(f).

608.02(o) Notations Entered on Drawing[edit | edit source]

Drawings are no longer endorsed with an application number or receipt date. A draftsperson’s “stamp” to indicate approval is no longer required on patent drawings, and these stamps are no longer used by draftspersons. If the drawings in an allowed application are not indicated as having been disapproved or canceled, the most-recently filed drawings will be used for printing the patent.

608.02(p) Correction of Drawings[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in application.
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(d) Drawings: One or more application drawings shall be amended in the following manner: Any changes to an application drawing must be in compliance with § 1.84 and must be submitted on a replacement sheet of drawings which shall be an attachment to the amendment document and, in the top margin, labeled “Replacement Sheet”. Any replacement sheet of drawings shall include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is amended. Any new sheet of drawings containing an additional figure must be labeled in the top margin as “New Sheet”. All changes to the drawings shall be explained, in detail, in either the drawing amendment or remarks section of the amendment paper.

(1) A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, may be included. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change to the drawings.

(2) A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, must be provided when required by the examiner.


37 CFR 1.85. Corrections to drawings.

(a) A utility or plant application will not be placed on the files for examination until objections to the drawings have been corrected. Except as provided in § 1.215(c), any patent application publication will not include drawings filed after the application has been placed on the files for examination. Unless applicant is otherwise notified in an Office action, objections to the drawings in a utility or plant application will not be held in abeyance, and a request to hold objections to the drawings in abeyance will not be considered a bona fide attempt to advance the application to final action (§ 1.135(c)). If a drawing in a design application meets the requirements of § 1.84(e), (f), and (g) and is suitable for reproduction, but is not otherwise in compliance with § 1.84, the drawing may be admitted for examination.

(b) The Office will not release drawings for purposes of correction. If corrections are necessary, new corrected drawings must be submitted within the time set by the Office.

(c) If a corrected drawing is required or if a drawing does not comply with § 1.84 at the time an application is allowed, the Office may notify the applicant and set a three-month period of time from the mail date of the notice of allowability within which the applicant must file a corrected drawing in compliance with § 1.84 to avoid abandonment. This time period is not extendable under § 1.136(a) or § 1.136(b).


See also MPEP § 608.02(b). For correction at allowance and issue, see MPEP § 608.02(w) and MPEP § 1302.05.

A canceled figure may be reinstated. An amendment should be made to the specification adding the brief description of the view if a canceled figure is reinstated.

608.02(q) Conditions Precedent to Amendment of Drawing[edit | edit source]

See MPEP § 507 for changes to the patent drawings for purposes of a patent application publication.

If applicant wishes to amend the original drawings, at his or her own initiative, applicant is encouraged to submit new drawings as soon as possible, and preferably before allowance of the application.

608.02(t) Cancellation of Figures[edit | edit source]

If a drawing figure is canceled, a replacement sheet of drawings must be submitted without the figure (see 37 CFR 1.121(d)). If the canceled drawing figure was the only drawing on the sheet, then only a marked-up copy of the drawing sheet including an annotation showing that the drawing has been cancelled is required. The marked-up (annotated) copy must be clearly labeled as 'Annotated Sheet' and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section of the amendment document which explains the changes to the drawings (see 37 CFR 1.121(d)(1)). The brief description of the drawings should also be amended to reflect this change.

608.02(v) Drawing Changes Which Require Annotated Sheets[edit | edit source]

When changes are to be made in the drawing itself, other than mere changes in reference characters, designations of figures, or inking over lines pale and rough, a marked-up copy of the drawing should be filed with a replacement drawing. The marked-up copy must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet.” See 37 CFR 1.84(c) and 1.121(d). Ordinarily, broken lines may be changed to full without a sketch.

Annotated sheets filed by an applicant and used for correction of the drawing will not be returned. All such annotated sheets must be in ink or permanent prints.

608.02(w) Drawing Changes Which May Be Made Without Applicant’s Annotated Sheets[edit | edit source]

Where an application is ready for issue except for a slight defect in the drawing not involving change in structure, the examiner will prepare a letter to the applicant indicating the change to be made and include a marked-up copy of the drawing showing the addition or alteration to be made. The marked-up copy of the drawing should be attached to the letter to the applicant and a copy placed in the application file.

The correction must be made at applicant’s expense.

As a guide to the examiner, the following corrections are illustrative of those that may be made by an annotated sheet:

(A) Adding two or three reference characters or exponents.

(B) Changing one or two numerals or figure ordinals. Garrett v. Cox, 233 F.2d 343, 346, 110 USPQ 52, 54 (CCPA 1956).

(C) Removing superfluous matter.

(D) Adding or reversing directional arrows.

(E) Changing Roman Numerals to Arabic Numerals to agree with specification.

(F) Adding section lines or brackets, where easily executed.

(G) Changing lead lines.

(H) Correcting misspelled legends.

608.02(x) Drawing Corrections or Changes Accepted Unless Notified Otherwise[edit | edit source]

Drawing corrections or changes will be entered at the time they are presented, unless applicant is notified to the contrary by the examiner in the action following the amended drawing submission.

CORRECTION OR CHANGE NOT ACCEPTED

Where the corrected or changed drawing is not accepted, for example, because the submitted corrections or changes are erroneous, or involve new matter or do not include all necessary corrections, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The examiner should explicitly and clearly set forth all the reasons for not approving the corrections to the drawings in the next communication to the applicant. See MPEP § 608.02(p) for suggested form paragraphs that may be used by examiners to notify applicants of drawing corrections.

608.02(y)Return of Drawing[edit | edit source]

Drawings will not be returned to the applicant.

608.02(z) Allowable Applications Needing Drawing Corrections or Corrected Drawings[edit | edit source]

If an application is being allowed, and corrected drawings have not been filed, form PTOL-37 provides an appropriate check box for requiring corrected drawings.

Allowable applications with drawings that were indicated by the applicant to be informal should be turned in for counting and forwarding to the Publishing Division without the drawings having been corrected. Examiners should not require new drawings merely because the applicant indicated that the drawings submitted on filing were informal. If at allowance, the examiner determines that correction is required, the drawings requiring correction should be placed as the top papers in the center fold of the file wrapper, if the application is maintained in paper. For Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual. A proposed drawing correction, for example a drawing sheet with corrections marked in pencil, should be stapled to the right outside flap of the file wrapper over the area having the search information. Care should be taken to make certain that the corrections have been approved by the examiner. Such approval should be made by the examiner prior to counting the allowance of the application by writing “Approved,” the examiner’s initials or full name, and the date, on the front page of the proposed drawing corrections. In IFW applications, generally, the most recently filed drawings will be used for printing, unless they have been indicated as “Not Entered.”

Extensions of time to provide acceptable drawings after the mailing of a notice of allowability are no longer permitted. If the Office of Publications receives drawings that cannot be scanned or are otherwise unacceptable for publication, the Office of Publication will mail a requirement for corrected drawings, giving applicant a shortened statutory period of two months (with no extensions of time permitted) to reply. The drawings will ordinarily not be returned to the examiner for corrections.

I. APPLICATIONS HAVING LOST DRAWINGS

A replacement drawing should be obtained from the Office of Initial Patent Examination’s records of the application as originally filed. If the reproduced drawings are not acceptable for publishing, applicant should be required to submit corrected drawings.

The Notice of Allowability is verified and printed using PALM, and the Notice is mailed to the applicant.

The application is then forwarded to Licensing and Review or the Publishing Division, as appropriate, using the PALM transaction code after the application has been revised for issue.

II. UTILITY PATENT APPLICATIONS RECEIVING FORMAL DRAWINGS AFTER THE NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY

Where replacement drawings are received in utility patent applications examined with informal drawings and the Notice of Allowability was mailed prior to the receipt of the replacement drawings, the technical support staff should forward the replacement drawings to the Publishing Division. Submission to the examiner is not necessary unless an amendment accompanies the drawings which changes the specification, such as where the description of figures is added or canceled.

III. BORROWING FILES FROM PUBLISHING DIVISION

Allowed files requiring drawing corrections are sent to the Publishing Division. At times, examiners have a need to borrow these applications. When borrowing applications, examining corps personnel must submit a request to the Office of Patent Publications Customer Service Center.

IV. 37 CFR 1.312 AMENDMENTS

For information on handling amendments to drawings filed under 37 CFR 1.312, see MPEP § 714.16.

608.03 Models, Exhibits, Specimens[edit | edit source]

35 U.S.C. 114. Models, specimens.

The Director may require the applicant to furnish a model of convenient size to exhibit advantageously the several parts of his invention.

When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the Director may require the applicant to furnish specimens or ingredients for the purpose of inspection or experiment.


37 CFR 1.91. Models or exhibits not generally admitted aspart of application or patent.

(a) A model or exhibit will not be admitted as part of the record of an application unless it:

(1)Substantially conforms to the requirements of §1.52or §1.84;

(2) Is specifically required by the Office; or

(3) Is filed with a petition under this section including:

(i) The fee set forth in §1.17(h); and

(ii) An explanation of why entry of the model or exhibit in the file record is necessary to demonstrate patentability.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, a model, working model, or other physical exhibit may be required by the Office if deemed necessary for any purpose in examination of the application.

(c) Unless the model or exhibit substantially conforms to the requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84 under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, it must be accompanied by photographs that show multiple views of the material features of the model or exhibit and that substantially conform to the requirements of § 1.84.


Models or exhibits are generally not admitted as part of an application or patent unless the requirements of 37 CFR 1.91 are satisfied.

With the exception of cases involving perpetual motion, a model is not ordinarily required by the Office to demonstrate the operability of a device. If operability of a device is questioned, the applicant must establish it to the satisfaction of the examiner, but he or she may choose his or her own way of so doing.

Models or exhibits that are required by the Office or filed with a petition under 37 CFR 1.91(a)(3) must be accompanied by photographs that (A) show multiple views of the material features of the model or exhibit, and (B) substantially conform to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.84. See 37 CFR 1.91(c). Material features are considered to be those features which represent that portion(s) of the model or exhibit forming the basis for which the model or exhibit has been submitted. Where a video or DVD or similar item is submitted as a model or exhibit, applicant must submit photographs of what is depicted in the video or DVD (the content of the material such as a still image single frame of a movie) and not a photograph of a video cassette, DVD disc or compact disc.

37 CFR 1.93. Specimens.

When the invention relates to a composition of matter, the applicant may be required to furnish specimens of the composition, or of its ingredients or intermediates, for the purpose of inspection or experiment.


See MPEP Chapter 2400 regarding treatment of biotechnology deposits.

608.03(a)Handling of Models, Exhibits, and Specimens[edit | edit source]

All models and exhibits received in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should be taken to the Technology Center (TC) assigned the related application for examination. The receipt of all models and exhibits which are to be entered into the application file record must be properly recorded on the “Contents” portion of the application file wrapper or, if the application is an Image File Wrapper (IFW) application, on an artifact sheet. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual section 3.6.

A label indicating the application number, filing date, and attorney’s name and address should be attached to the model or exhibit so that it is clearly identified and easily returned. The Office may return the model, exhibit, or specimen, at any time once it is no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office and return of the model or exhibit is appropriate. See 37 CFR 1.94.

If the model or exhibit cannot be conveniently stored within the application file wrapper or in an artifact folder, it should not be accepted.

Models and exhibits may be presented for demonstration purposes during an interview. The models and exhibits should be taken away by applicant or his/her attorney or agent at the conclusion of the interview since models or exhibits are generally not permitted to be admitted as part of the application or patent unless the requirements of 37 CFR 1.91 are satisfied. See MPEP § 713.08. A full description of what was demonstrated or exhibited during the interview must be made of record. See 37 CFR 1.133. Any model or exhibit that is left with the examiner at the conclusion of the interview, which is not made part of the application or patent, may be disposed of at the discretion of the Office.

37 CFR 1.94. Return of models, exhibits or specimens.

(a) Models, exhibits, or specimens may be returned to the applicant if no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office. When applicant is notified that a model, exhibit, or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office and will be returned, applicant must arrange for the return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at the applicant’s expense. The Office will dispose of perishables without notice to applicant unless applicant notifies the Office upon submission of the model, exhibit or specimen that a return is desired and makes arrangements for its return promptly upon notification by the Office that the model, exhibit or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office.

(b) Applicant is responsible for retaining the actual model, exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable life of any patent resulting from the application. The provisions of this paragraph do not apply to a model or exhibit that substantially conforms to the requirements of § 1.52 or § 1.84, where the model or exhibit has been described by photographs that substantially conform to § 1.84, or where the model, exhibit or specimen is perishable.

(c) Where applicant is notified, pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, of the need to arrange for return of a model, exhibit or specimen, applicant must arrange for the return within the period set in such notice, to avoid disposal of the model, exhibit or specimen by the Office. Extensions of time are available under § 1.136, except in the case of perishables. Failure to establish that the return of the item has been arranged for within the period set or failure to have the item removed from Office storage within a reasonable amount of time notwithstanding any arrangement for return, will permit the Office to dispose of the model, exhibit or specimen.


When applicant is notified that a model, exhibit, or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office and will be returned, applicant must make arrangements for the return of the model, exhibit, or specimen at applicant’s expense. The Office may return the model, exhibit, or specimen at any time once it is no longer necessary for the conduct of business and need not wait until the close of prosecution or later. Where the model, exhibit, or specimen is a perishable, the Office will be presumed to have permission to dispose of the item without notice to applicant, unless applicant notifies the Office upon submission of the item that a return is desired and arrangements are promptly made for the item’s return upon notification by the Office.

For models, exhibits, or specimens that are returned, applicant is responsible for retaining the actual model, exhibit, or specimen for the enforceable life of any patent resulting from the application except where: (A) the model or exhibit substantially conforms to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 or 1.84; (B) the model or exhibit has been described by photographs that substantially conform to 37 CFR 1.84; or (C) the model, exhibit, or specimen is perishable. Applicant may be called upon to resubmit such returned model, exhibit, or specimen under appropriate circumstances, such as where a continuing application is filed.

The notification to applicant that a model, exhibit, or specimen is no longer necessary for the conduct of business before the Office will set a time period within which applicant must make arrangements for a return of a model, exhibit, or specimen. The time period is normally one month from the mailing date of the notification, unless the item is perishable, in which case the time period will be shorter. Extensions of time are available under 37 CFR 1.136, except in the case of perishables. Failure by applicant to establish that arrangements for the return of a model, exhibit, or specimen have been made within the time period set in the notice will result in the disposal of the model, exhibit, or specimen by the Office.

For plant specimens, see MPEP § 1607 and 37 CFR 1.166.

37 CFR 1.95. Copies of exhibits.

Copies of models or other physical exhibits will not ordinarily be furnished by the Office, and any model or exhibit in an application or patent shall not be taken from the Office except in the custody of an employee of the Office specially authorized by the Director.


608.04 New Matter[edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.121. Manner of making amendments in applications.


(f)No new matter. No amendment may introduce new matter into the disclosure of an application.


In establishing a disclosure, applicant may rely not only on the specification and drawing as filed but also on the original claims if their content justifies it. See MPEP § 608.01(l).

While amendments to the specification and claims involving new matter are ordinarily entered, such matter is required to be canceled from the descriptive portion of the specification, and the claims affected are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph.

When new matter is introduced into the specification, the amendment should be objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132 (35 U.S.C. 251 if a reissue application) and a requirement made to cancel the new matter. The subject matter which is considered to be new matter must be clearly identified by the examiner. If the new matter has been entered into the claims or affects the scope of the claims, the claims affected should be rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, because the new matter is not described in the application as originally filed.

A “new matter” amendment of the drawing is ordinarily not entered; neither is an additional or substitute sheet containing “new matter” even though provisionally entered by the TC technical support staff. See MPEP § 608.02(h).

The examiner’s holding of new matter may be petitionable or appealable. See MPEP § 608.04(c).

For new matter in reissue application, see MPEP § 1411.02. For new matter in substitute specification, see MPEP § 608.01(q).

Note: No amendment is permitted in a provisional application after it receives a filing date.

608.04(a) Matter Not in Original Specification, Claims, or Drawings[edit | edit source]

Matter not in the original specification, claims, or drawings is usually new matter. Depending on circumstances such as the adequacy of the original disclosure, the addition of inherent characteristics such as chemical or physical properties, a new structural formula or a new use may be new matter. See Ex parte Vander Wal, 109 USPQ 119, 1956 C.D. 11, 705 O.G. 5 (Bd. App. 1955) (physical properties), Ex parte Fox, 128 USPQ 157, 1960 C.D. 28, 761 O.G. 906 (Bd. App. 1957) (new formula) and Ex parte Ayers, 108 USPQ 444 (Bd. App. 1955) (new use). For rejection of claim involving new matter, see MPEP §

706.03(o).

For completeness of disclosure, see MPEP § 608.01(p). For trademarks and tradenames, see MPEP § 608.01(v).

608.04(b)New Matter by PreliminaryAmendment [R-3][edit | edit source]

A preliminary amendment present on the filing date of the application (e.g., filed along with the filing of the application) is considered a part of the original disclosure. See MPEP § 714.01(e) and § 602. A preliminary amendment filed after the filing date of the application is not part of the original disclosure of the application. See MPEP § 706.03(o). For applications filed on or after September 21, 2004, the Office will automatically treat any preliminary amendment under 37 CFR 1.115(a)(1) that is present on the filing date of the application as part of the original disclosure. If a preliminary amendment is present on the filing date of an application, and the oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.63 does not also refer to the preliminary amendment, the normal operating procedure is to not screen the preliminary amendment to determine whether it contains subject matter not otherwise included in the specification or drawings of the




application as filed (i.e., subject matter that is “new matter” relative to the specification and drawings of the application). As a result, it is applicant’s obligation to review the preliminary amendment to ensure that it does not contain subject matter not otherwise included in the specification or drawings of the application as filed. If the preliminary amendment contains subject matter not otherwise included in the specification and drawings of the application, applicant must provide a supplemental oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to such preliminary amendment. The failure to submit a supplemental oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to a preliminary amendment that contains subject matter not otherwise included in the specification or drawings of the application as filed removes safeguards that are implied in the oath or declaration requirements that the inventor review and understand the contents of the application, and acknowledge the duty to disclose to the Office all information known to be material to patentability as defined in 37 CFR 1.56.

Applicants can avoid the need to file an oath or declaration referring to any preliminary amendment by incorporating any desired amendments into the text of the specification including a new set of claims when filing the application instead of filing a preliminary amendment, even where the application is a continuation or divisional application of a prior-filed application. Furthermore, applicants are strongly encouraged to avoid submitting any preliminary amendments so as to minimize the burden on the Office in processing preliminary amendments and reduce delays in processing the application.

During examination, if an examiner determines that a preliminary amendment that is present on the filing date of the application includes subject matter not otherwise supported by the originally filed specification and drawings, and the oath or declaration does not refer to the preliminary amendment, the examiner may require the applicant to file a supplemental oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to the preliminary amendment. In response to the requirement, applicant must submit (1) an oath or declaration that refers to the preliminary amendment, (2) an amendment that cancels the subject matter not supported by the originally filed specification and drawings, or (3) a request for reconsideration.

For applications filed prior to September 21, 2004, a preliminary amendment that was present on the filing date of an application may be considered a part of the original disclosure if it was referred to in a first filed oath or declaration in compliance with 37 CFR 1.63. If the preliminary amendment was not referred to in the oath or declaration, applicant will be required to submit a supplemental oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.67 referring to both the application and the preliminary amendment filed with the original application. A surcharge under 37 CFR 1.16(f) will also be required unless it has been previously paid.

608.04(c)Review of Examiner’s Holding of New Matter[edit | edit source]

Where the new matter is confined to amendments to the specification, review of the examiner’s requirement for cancelation is by way of petition. But where the alleged new matter is introduced into or affects the claims, thus necessitating their rejection on this ground, the question becomes an appealable one, and should not be considered on petition even though that new matter has been introduced into the specification also. 37 CFR 1.181 and 37 CFR 1.191 afford the explanation of this seemingly inconsistent practice as affecting new matter in the specification.

608.05 Sequence Listing Table, or Computer Program Listing Appendix Submitted on a Compact Disc[R-5][edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.52. Language, paper, writing, margins, compact disc specifications.

(e) Electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application or reexamination proceeding.

(1) The following documents may be submitted to the Office on a compact disc in compliance with this paragraph:
(i)A computer program listing (see § 1.96);
(ii)A “Sequence Listing” (submitted under § 1.821(c)); or
(iii)Any individual table (see § 1.58) if the table is more than 50 pages in length, or if the total number of pages of all of the tables in an application exceeds 100 pages in length, where a table page is a page printed on paper in conformance with paragraph (b) of this section and § 1.58(c).
(2)A compact disc as used in this part means a Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) in compliance with this paragraph. A CD-ROM is a “read-only” medium on which the data is pressed into the disc so that it cannot be changed or erased. A CD-R is a “write once” medium on which once the data is recorded, it is permanent and cannot be changed or erased.
(3)
(i) Each compact disc must conform to the International Standards Organization (ISO) 9660 standard, and the contents of each compact disc must be in compliance with the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). CD-R discs must be finalized so that they are closed to further writing to the CD-R.
(ii)Each compact disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case within an unsealed padded and protective mailing envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on paper in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section. The transmittal letter must list for each compact disc the machine format (e.g., IBM-PC, Macintosh), the operating system compatibility (e.g., MS-DOS, MS-Windows, Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes, and dates of creation, plus any other special information that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret (e.g., tables in landscape orientation should be identified as landscape orientation or be identified when inquired about) the information on the compact disc. Compact discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to the applicant.
(4)Any compact disc must be submitted in duplicate unless it contains only the “Sequence Listing” in computer readable form required by § 1.821(e). The compact disc and duplicate copy must be labeled “Copy 1” and “Copy 2,” respectively. The transmittal letter which accompanies the compact disc must include a statement that the two compact discs are identical. In the event that the two compact discs are not identical, the Office will use the compact disc labeled “Copy 1” for further processing. Any amendment to the information on a compact disc must be by way of a replacement compact disc in compliance with this paragraph containing the substitute information, and must be accompanied by a statement that the replacement compact disc contains no new matter. The compact disc and copy must be labeled “COPY 1 REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY” (with the month, day and year of creation indicated), and “COPY 2 REPLACEMENT MM/DD/YYYY,” respectively.
(5)The specification must contain an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc in a separate paragraph (§ 1.77(b)(5)), identifying each compact disc by the names of the files contained on each of the compact discs, their date of creation and their sizes in bytes. The Office may require applicant to amend the specification to include in the paper portion any part of the specification previously submitted on compact disc.
(6)A compact disc must also be labeled with the following information:
(i)The name of each inventor (if known);
(ii)Title of the invention;
(iii)The docket number, or application number if known, used by the person filing the application to identify the application; and
(iv)A creation date of the compact disc.
(v)If multiple compact discs are submitted, the label shall indicate their order (e.g. “1 of X”).
(vi)An indication that the disk is “Copy 1” or “Copy 2” of the submission. See paragraph (b)(4) of this section.
(7)If a file is unreadable on both copies of the disc, the unreadable file will be treated as not having been submitted. A file is unreadable if, for example, it is of a format that does not comply with the requirements of paragraph (e)(3) of this section, it is corrupted by a computer virus, or it is written onto a defective compact disc.

(f)

(1) Any sequence listing in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or § 1.492(j). For purposes of determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) or §1.492(j), for an application the specification and drawings of which, excluding any sequence listing in compliance with §1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with §§ 1.52(e) and 1.96, are submitted in whole or in part on an electronic medium other than the Office electronic filing system, each three kilobytes of content submitted on an electronic medium shall be counted as a sheet of paper.
(2)Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the paper size equivalent of the specification and drawings of an application submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be considered to be the number of sheets of paper present in the specification and drawings of the application when entered into the Office file wrapper after being rendered by the Office electronic filing system for purposes of computing the application size fee required by § 1.16(s). Any sequence listing in compliance with § 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing in compliance with § 1.96, submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by § 1.16(s) if the listing is submitted in ACSII text as part of an associated file.

37 CFR 1.77. Arrangement of application elements.

(a)The elements of the application, if applicable, should appear in the following order:

(1)Utility application transmittal form.

(2)Fee transmittal form.

(3)Application data sheet (see § 1.76).

(4)Specification.

(5)Drawings.

(6)Executed oath or declaration.

(b)The specification should include the following sections in order:

(1)Title of the invention, which may be accompanied by an introductory portion stating the name, citizenship, and residence of the applicant (unless included in the application data sheet).




(2)Cross-reference to related applications (unless included in the application data sheet).

(3)Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development.

(4)The names of the parties to a joint research agreement.


(5)Reference to a “Sequence Listing,” a table, or a computer program listing appendix submitted on a compact disc and an incorporation-by-reference of the material on the compact disc (see § 1.52(e)(5)). The total number of compact discs including duplicates and the files on each compact disc shall be specified.

(6)Background of the invention.

(7)Brief summary of the invention.

(8)Brief description of the several views of the drawing.

(9)Detailed description of the invention.

(10) A claim or claims.

(11) Abstract of the disclosure.

(12) “Sequence Listing,” if on paper (see §§

1.821through 1.825).

(c)The text of the specification sections defined in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(12) of this section, if applicable, should be preceded by a section heading in uppercase and without underlining or bold type.

Special procedures for the presentation of large tables, computer program listings and certain biosequences on compact discs are set forth in 37 CFR 1.52(e). Use of compact discs is desirable in view of the lengthy data listings being submitted as part of the disclosure in some patent applications. Such listings are often several hundred pages or more in length. By filing and publishing such data listings on compact disc rather than on paper, substantial cost savings can result to the applicants, the public, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

BACKGROUND

A compact disc submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e) must either be a CD-ROM or a CD-R. A CD-ROM is made by a process of pressing the disc from a master template; the data cannot be erased or rewritten. A CD-R is a compact disc that has a recording medium only capable of writing once. CD-RW type media which are erasable and rewriteable are not acceptable. Limiting the media types to CD-ROM and CD-R media will ensure the longevity and integrity of the data submitted. CD-R discs must be finalized so that they are closed to further writing to the CD-R. The files stored on the compact disc must contain only ASCII characters. No non-ASCII characters or proprietary file formats are permitted. A text viewer is recommended for viewing ASCII files. While virtually any word processor may be used to view an ASCII file, care must be taken since a word processor will often not distinguish ASCII and non-ASCII files when displayed. For example, a word processor normally does not display hidden proprietary non-ASCII characters used for formatting when viewing a non- ASCII word processor file.

Compact disc(s) filed on the date that the application was accorded a filing date are to be treated as part of the originally filed disclosure even if the requisite “incorporation by reference” statement (see 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5)) is omitted. Similarly, if a preliminary amendment that accompanies the application when it is filed in the Office is identified in the oath or declaration, and the preliminary amendment includes compact disc(s), the compact disc(s) will be treated as part of the original disclosure. The compact disc(s) is considered part of the original disclosure by virtue of its inclusion with the application on the date the application is accorded a filing date. The incorporation by reference statement of the material on the compact disc is required to be part of the specification to allow the Office the option of separately printing the material on compact disc. The examiner should require applicant(s) to insert this statement if it is omitted or the examiner may insert the statement by examiner’s amendment at the time of allowance.

37 CFR 1.52(e)(3)(ii) requires that each compact disc must be enclosed in a hard compact disc case within an unsealed padded and protective mailing envelope and accompanied by a transmittal letter on paper in accordance with 37 CFR 1.52(a). The transmittal letter must list for each compact disc the machine format (e.g., IBM-PC, Macintosh), the operating system compatibility (e.g., MS-DOS, MS-Windows, Macintosh, Unix), a list of files contained on the compact disc including their names, sizes in bytes, and dates of creation, plus any other special information that is necessary to identify, maintain, and interpret the information on the compact disc. Compact discs submitted to the Office will not be returned to the applicant.

All compact discs submitted under 37 CFR 1.52(e) must be submitted in duplicate labeled as “copy 1” and “copy 2” respectively. If more than one compact disc is required to hold all of the information, each compact disc must be submitted in duplicate to form two sets of discs: one set labeled “copy 1” and a sec




ond set labeled “copy 2.” Both disc copies should initially be routed to the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE). The compact discs will be checked by OIPE for viruses, readability, the presence of non-ASCII files, and compliance with the file and disc labeling requirements. OIPE will retain one copy of the discs and place the other copy in a holder fastened into the application file jacket. For Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual sections 2.2 and 3.6. In the event that there is not a complete set of files on both copies of the originally filed discs, OIPE will retain the originally filed discs and send a notice to the applicant to submit an additional complete copy. For provisional applications, OIPE will provide applicant notification and, where appropriate, require correction for virus infected compact discs, unreadable compact discs (or unreadable files thereon), and missing duplicate discs. An amendment to the material on a compact disc must be done by submitting a replacement compact disc with the amended file(s). The amendment should include a corresponding amendment to the description of the compact disc and the files contained on the compact disc in the paper portion of the specification. A replacement compact disc containing the amended files must contain all of the files of the original compact disc that were not amended. This will insure that the Office, printer, and public can quickly access all of the current files in an application or patent by referencing only the latest set of compact discs.

Compact discs should be stored in the compact disc holder provided in each application file. The compact discs, especially the non-label side, should not be scratched, marked or otherwise altered or deformed. Compact discs and application files containing compact discs should not be stored in areas exposed to heat and humidity that might damage the discs.

If a compact disc becomes damaged or lost from the file wrapper, OIPE will make a duplicate replacement copy of the disc from the copy retained in OIPE. At time of allowance, if a replacement disc is required, the application file and replacement request should be forwarded to OIPE to provide the replacement disc.

Examiners may view the files on the application compact disc using virtually any text reader or the MS Word word processor software installed on their workstation. Special text viewing software will be provided on examiner workstations in Technology Centers that receive ASCII files that are not readily readable using the MS Word word processor software.

608.05(a)Deposit of Computer Program Listings [R-5][edit | edit source]

37 CFR 1.96. Submission of computer program listings.

(a)General. Descriptions of the operation and general content of computer program listings should appear in the description portion of the specification. A computer program listing for the purpose of this section is defined as a printout that lists in appropriate sequence the instructions, routines, and other contents of a program for a computer. The program listing may be either in machine or machine-independent (object or source) language which will cause a computer to perform a desired procedure or task such as solve a problem, regulate the flow of work in a computer, or control or monitor events. Computer program listings may be submitted in patent applications as set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section.

(b)Material which will be printed in the patent: If the computer program listing is contained in 300 lines or fewer, with each line of 72 characters or fewer, it may be submitted either as drawings or as part of the specification.

(1)Drawings. If the listing is submitted as drawings, it must be submitted in the manner and complying with the requirements for drawings as provided in § 1.84. At least one figure numeral is required on each sheet of drawing.

(2)Specification.

(i)If the listing is submitted as part of the specification, it must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of § 1.52.

(ii)Any listing having more than 60 lines of code that is submitted as part of the specification must be positioned at the end of the description but before the claims. Any amendment must be made by way of submission of a substitute sheet.


(c)As an appendix which will not be printed: Any computer program listing may, and any computer program listing having over 300 lines (up to 72 characters per line) must, be submitted on a compact disc in compliance with § 1.52(e). A compact disc containing such a computer program listing is to be referred to as a “computer program listing appendix.” The “computer program listing appendix” will not be part of the printed patent. The specification must include a reference to the “computer program listing appendix” at the location indicated in § 1.77(b)(5).

(1)Multiple computer program listings for a single application may be placed on a single compact disc. Multiple compact discs may be submitted for a single application if necessary. A separate compact disc is required for each application containing a computer program listing that must be submitted on a “computer program listing appendix.”

(2)The “computer program listing appendix” must be submitted on a compact disc that complies with § 1.52(e) and the following specifications (no other format shall be allowed):

(i)Computer Compatibility: IBM PC/XT/AT, or compatibles, or Apple Macintosh;

(ii)Operating System Compatibility: MS-DOS, MS- Windows, Unix, or Macintosh;

(iii)Line Terminator: ASCII Carriage Return plus ASCII Line Feed;

(iv)Control Codes: the data must not be dependent on control characters or codes which are not defined in the ASCII character set; and

(v)Compression: uncompressed data.

Special procedures for presentation of computer program listings in the form of compact disc files in U.S. national patent applications are set forth in 37 CFR 1.96. Use of compact disc files is desirable in view of the number of computer program listings being submitted as part of the disclosure in patent applications. Such listings are often several hundred pages in length. By filing and publishing such computer program listings on compact discs rather than on paper, substantial cost savings can result to the applicants, the public, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

I.BACKGROUND

A computer program listing, as used in these rules, means the printout that lists, in proper sequence, the instructions, routines, and other contents of a program for a computer. The listing may be either in machine or machine-independent (object or source) programming language which will cause a computer to perform a desired task, such as solving a problem, regulating the flow of work in computer, or controlling or monitoring events. The general description of the computer program listing will appear in the specification while the computer program listing may appear either directly or as a computer program listing on compact disc appendix to the specification and be incorporated into the specification by reference.




Copies of publicly available computer program listings are available from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on paper and on compact disc at the cost set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(a).

II.DISCUSSION OF THE BACKGROUND AND MAJOR ISSUES INVOLVED

The provisions of 37 CFR 1.52 and 37 CFR 1.84for submitting specifications and drawings on paper have been found suitable for most patent applications. However, when lengthy computer program listings must be disclosed in a patent application in order to provide a complete disclosure, use of paper copies can become burdensome. The cost of printing long computer programs in patent documents is also very expensive to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Under 37 CFR 1.96, several different methods for submitting computer program listings, including the use of compact discs, are set forth. A computer program listing contained on three hundred printout lines or less may be submitted either as drawings (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.84), as part of the written specification (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52), or on compact disc (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e)). A computer program listing contained on three hundred and one (301) printout lines or more must be submitted as ASCII files on compact discs (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.96(c)).

A computer program listing of more than three hundred lines will not be printed in any patent application publication, patent, or Statutory Invention Registration. See 37 CFR 1.96(c).


III.OTHER INFORMATION

A computer program listing on compact disc filed with a patent application will be referred to as a Computer Program Listing Appendix on compact disc and will be identified as such on the front page of the patent but will not be part of the printed patent. “Computer Program Listing Appendix on compact disc” denotes the total computer program listing files contained on all compact discs. The face of the file wrapper will bear a label to denote that an appendix on compact disc is included in the application. A statement must be included in the specification to the effect that a computer program listing appendix on compact disc is included in the application. The specification entry must appear at the beginning of the specification immediately following any cross-reference to related applications. 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5). When an application containing compact discs is received in the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE), a special envelope will be affixed to the right side of the file wrapper underneath all papers, and the compact discs inserted therein. For Image File Wrapper (IFW) processing, see IFW Manual section 3.6. The application file will then proceed on its normal course.

IV.TEMPORARY CONTINUATION OF MICROFICHE PRACTICE UNTIL MARCH 1, 2001

The Office provided for the continuation of prior microfiche appendix practice for computer listings until March 1, 2001. All computer listings as part of the application disclosure filed prior to March 2, 2001 that are in conformance with the microfiche appendix rules below may rely on the microfiche and need not submit a computer program listing appendix on compact disc; all computer listings as part of the application disclosure not in conformance with the microfiche appendix rules below must conform to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52 and 37 CFR 1.96 as set forth above.

The prior microfiche practice continued through March 1, 2001 to accommodate applicants who incurred the time and expense of preparing microfiche. Those applicants with computer program listings in the disclosure who have not prepared microfiche will generally incur significantly less time and expense creating compact disc files than creating microfiche.

All computer listings submitted on microfiche through March 1, 2001, must conform to the requirements of former 37 CFR 1.96(c), as reproduced below:

Former 37 CFR 1.96. Submission of computer program listings.


(c)As an appendix which will not be printed. If a computer program listing printout is eleven or more pages long, applicants must submit such listing in the form of

microfiche, referred to in the specification (see §

1.77(a)(6)). Such microfiche filed with a patent application is to be referred to as a “microfiche appendix.” The “microfiche appendix” will not be part of the printed patent. Reference in the application to the “microfiche appendix” must be made at the beginning of the specification at the location indicated in § 1.77(a)(6). Any amendments thereto must be made by way of revised microfiche.

(1)Availability of appendix. Such computer program listings on microfiche will be available to the public for inspection, and microfiche copies thereof will be available for purchase with the file wrapper and contents, after a patent based on such application is granted or the application is otherwise made publicly available.


(2)Submission requirements. Except as modified or clarified in this paragraph (c)(2), computer-generated information submitted as a “microfiche appendix” to an application shall be in accordance with the standards set forth in 36 CFR Part 1230 (Micrographics).

(i)Film submitted shall be a first generation (camera film) negative appearing microfiche (with

emulsion on the back side of the film when viewed with the images right-reading).

(iii)At least the left-most third (50 mm. x 12 mm.) of the header or title area of each microfiche submitted shall be clear or positive appearing so that the Patent and Trademark Office can apply an application number and filing date thereto in an eye- readable form. The middle portion of the header shall be used by applicant to apply an eye-readable application identification such as the title and/or the first inventor's name. The attorney's docket number may be included. The final right-hand portion of the microfiche shall contain sequence in formation for the microfiche, such as 1 of 4, 2 of 4, etc.

(ii)Reduction ratio of microfiche submitted should be 24:1 or a similar ratio where variation from said ratio is required in order to fit the documents into the image area of the microfiche format used.

(iv)Additional requirements which apply specifically to microfiche of filmed paper copy:

(A)The first frame of each microfiche submitted shall contain a test target.

(B)The second frame of each microfiche submitted must contain a fully descriptive title and the inventor's name as filed.




(C)The pages or lines appearing on the microfiche frames should be consecutively numbered.

(D)Pagination of the microfiche frames shall be from left to right and from top to bottom.

(E)At a reduction of 24:1, resolution of the original microfilm shall be at least 120 lines per mm. (5.0 target).

(F)An index, when included, should appear in the last frame (lower-right hand corner when data is right-reading) of each microfiche.

(v)Microfiche generated by Computer Output Microfilm.


(A)The first frame of each microfiche submitted should contain a resolution test frame.

(B)The second frame of each microfiche submitted must contain a fully descriptive title and the inventor's name as filed.

(C)The pages or lines appearing on the microfiche frames should be consecutively numbered.

(D)It is preferred that pagination of the microfiche frames be from left to right and top to bottom but the alternative, i.e., from top to bottom and from left to right, is also acceptable.

(E)An index, when included, should appear on the last frame (lower-right hand corner when data is right reading) of each microfiche.


A microfiche filed with a patent application will be referred to as a “Microfiche Appendix,” and will be identified as such on the front page of the patent but will not be part of the printed patent. “Microfiche Appendix” denotes the total microfiche, whether only one or two or more. One microfiche is equivalent to a maximum of either 63 (9x7) or 98 (14x7) frames (pages), or less. The face of the file wrapper will bear a label to denote that a Microfiche Appendix is included in the application. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual section 3.6. A statement must be included in the specification to the effect that a microfiche appendix is included in the application. The specification entry must appear at the beginning of the specification immediately following any cross-reference to related applications. When an application containing microfiche is received in the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE), a special envelope will be affixed to the right side of the file wrapper underneath all papers, and the microfiche inserted therein. For IFW processing, see IFW Manual section 2.2. The application file will then proceed on its normal course.

Form paragraph 6.64.04 may be used to notify applicant of an unacceptable microfiche appendix.

¶ 6.64.04 “Microfiche Appendix” Unacceptable

The computer program listing filed on [1] as a “microfiche appendix” is unacceptable. A computer program listing conforming to the requirements of 37 CFR 1.96 is required.

Examiner Note:

1. This form paragraph should be used if a “microfiche appendix” was filed after March 1, 2001 or if a “microfiche appendix” filed on or before March 1, 2001 was not in compliance with former rule 37 CFR 1.96(c). See MPEP § 608.05(a).

2.In bracket 1, insert the date the “microfiche appendix” was filed.

608.05(b)Compact Disc Submissions of Large Tables [R-3]

37 CFR 1.58. Chemical and mathematical formulae and tables.


(b)Tables that are submitted in electronic form (§§ 1.96(c) and 1.821(c)) must maintain the spatial relationships (e.g., alignment of columns and rows) of the table elements when displayed so as to visually preserve the relational information they convey. Chemical and mathematical formulae must be encoded to maintain the proper positioning of their characters when displayed in order to preserve their intended meaning.


The provisions of 37 CFR 1.52 and 37 CFR 1.58for submitting specifications and tables on paper have been found suitable for most patent applications. However, when lengthy tables must be disclosed in a patent application in order to provide a complete disclosure, use of paper copies can become burdensome. The cost of printing long tables in patent documents is also very expensive to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In the past, all disclosures forming part of a patent application were presented on paper with the exception of microorganisms and computer program listings. Under 37 CFR 1.58, several different methods for submitting large tables, including the use of CD-ROM and CD-R, are set forth. If CD-R discs are used, 37 CFR 1.52(e)(3)(i) requires that the CD-R discs to be finalized so that they are closed to further writing to the CD-R.

The files stored on the compact disc containing the table must contain only ASCII characters. No special formatting characters or proprietary file formats are permitted. Accordingly, great care must be taken so that the spatial arrangement of the data in rows and columns is maintained in the table when the file is opened for viewing at the Office. This will allow the




table to viewed with virtually any text viewer. A single table contained on fifty pages or less must be submitted either as drawings (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.84) or as part of the specification in paper (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52).

A single table contained on 51 pages or more , or if there are multiple tables in an application and the total number of pages of the tables exceeds one hundred pages, the tables may be submitted on a CD- ROM or CD-R (in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 37 CFR 1.58). A table page is defined in 37 CFR 1.52(e)(1)(iii) as a page printed on paper in conformance with 37 CFR 1.52(b) and 1.58(c). The presentation of a subheading to divide a large table into smaller sections of less than 51 pages should not be used to prevent an applicant from submitting the table on a compact disc unless the subdivided tables are presented as numerous files on the compact disc so as to lose their relationship to the overall large table.

Tables in landscape orientation should be identified as landscape orientation in the transmittal letter accompanying the compact disc to allow the Office to properly upload the tables into the Image File Wrapper (IFW) or other automated systems. 37 CFR 1.52(e)(3)(ii). Most tables filed with patent applications are intended to be rendered in portrait mode. Accordingly, filings without an identification of landscape mode will be rendered as portrait mode tables by the Office.

If tables on more than two hundred consecutive pages, or large numbers of tables (lengthy tables) are submitted on a CD as provided in 37 CFR 1.52(e), or in an electronic format in response to a specific request from the Office of Patent Publication, these lengthy tables will not be published as part of a patent document (e.g., patent, patent application publication or Statutory Invention Registration (SIR)). The lengthy tables will be published separately on the sequence homepage of the USPTO Internet web site (http://seqdata.uspto.gov) as an XML file. See, for example, patent application publication nos. US 2003/ 0235811 A1 and US 2003/0237110 A9.

When the lengthy tables are separately published on the USPTO Internet web site, there will be a standardized “Lengthy Table” statement, in the patent document following of the detailed description (see 37 CFR 1.77(b)(8)).

For a patent application publication, the following page-wide text would appear:

LENGTHY TABLE

The patent application contains a lengthy table section. A copy of the table is available in electronic form from the USPTO web site (http://seqdata. uspto.gov/?pageRequest=docDetail& docID=20047654321). An electronic copy of the table will also be available from the USPTO upon request and payment of the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(b)(3).

For a patent, the following page-wide text would appear:

LENGTHY TABLE

The patent contains a lengthy table section. A copy of the table is available in electronic form from the USPTO web site (http://seqdata.uspto.gov/?pageRequest= docDetail&docID=7654321B1). An electronic copy of the table will also be available from the USPTO upon request and payment of the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(b)(3).

For a SIR, the following page-wide text would appear:

LENGTHY TABLE

The statutory invention registration contains a lengthy table section. A copy of the table is available in electronic form from the USPTO web site (http:// seqdata.uspto.gov/?pageRequest=docDetail& docID=H0009999H1). An electronic copy of the table will also be available from the USPTO upon request and payment of the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.19(b)(3).

The Office discourages the embedding of a lengthy table in the specification of a patent application. If a lengthy table is embedded in the specification of a patent application, and if the lengthy table is available in an electronic form (either XML or a format convertible to XML), when the patent, patent application publication or SIR is published, the following single- column statement will be inserted in place of each replaced table in the document.




LENGTHY TABLE

Lengthy table referenced here. Please refer to the end of the specification for access instructions.

Form paragraphs 6.63.01 and 6.63.02 may be used to notify applicant of corrections needed to comply with the requirements of 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 37 CFR 1.58(b) with respect to tables.

608.05(c)Compact Disc Submissions of Biosequences[edit | edit source]

Filing of biosequence information on compact disc is now permitted in lieu of filing on paper. See MPEP § 2420 and § 2422.03.

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