How are U.S. patents and patent application publications coded according to WIPO standards?
According to MPEP 1851, U.S. patents and patent application publications are coded as follows:
- U.S. patents published before January 2, 2001: Code A documents
- U.S. patents published on or after January 2, 2001: Code B documents
- Patent Application Publications (first published on March 15, 2001): Code A documents
- Reexamination certificates published before January 2, 2001: Code B documents
- Reexamination certificates published on or after January 2, 2001: Code C documents
The MPEP states: “Tables providing a complete list of the kind codes of patents and other documents published by the USPTO are included in MPEP § 901.04(a).”
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