What is the Customer Number Practice for patent correspondence?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

The Customer Number Practice is a system used by the USPTO to simplify the process of changing the correspondence address for multiple patent applications. According to MPEP 601.03:

“A Customer Number may be used to:

• Designate the correspondence address of a patent application by a Customer Number such that the correspondence address for the patent application would be the address associated with the Customer Number;
• Designate the fee address of a patent by a Customer Number such that the fee address for the patent would be the address associated with the Customer Number; and
• Submit a list of practitioners by Customer Number such that an applicant may in a Power of Attorney appoint those practitioners associated with the Customer Number.”

  This practice allows for easier management of correspondence addresses across multiple applications or patents.

  Related Rules from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure

  10 rules

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  • Fee Required for Patent ApplicationMPEP 601Required
  • Fee and Oath/Declaration Requirement for Patent ApplicationMPEP 601Required
  • Notification for Multiple ApplicationsMPEP 601.03Permitted
  • Requirement for Correspondence Address ChangesMPEP 601.03
  • Contents of Patent Application RequiredMPEP 601Required
  • Inventor Must File Written Patent ApplicationMPEP 601Required
  • Juristic Applicant or Patent Owner Can Sign Transmittal LetterMPEP 601Permitted
  • Layout and Content of Patent Applications Under AIAMPEP 601
  • Requirements for Papers in Patent ApplicationsMPEP 601
  • Application Must Specify Correspondence AddressMPEP 601.03Required

  Other Related FAQs

  5 FAQs

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  • Can a patent practitioner change the correspondence address without the applicant’s approval?
  • How does changing the correspondence address in a patent application affect a practitioner’s address of record?
  • What happens if there are multiple correspondence addresses on file for a patent application?
  • How do I change the correspondence address for a patent application?
  • What happens if there are conflicting correspondence addresses in a patent application?