What is the purpose of the Issue Classification sheet in patent examination?

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 Issue Classification sheet serves several important purposes in the patent examination process:

• It provides a final classification of the allowed patent application.
• It serves as a record of the examiners involved in the allowance decision.
• It includes the E-Signatures of both the primary and assistant examiners, as stated in MPEP 1302.13: “The primary examiner and the assistant examiner involved in the allowance of an application will apply E-Signatures on the Issue Classification sheet.”
• It determines which examiners’ names will appear on the printed patent.

The Issue Classification sheet is a crucial document that bridges the examination process and the issuance of the patent, ensuring proper documentation and attribution of the allowance decision.