What happens to originally submitted paper drawings that are photographs or in color?

For originally submitted drawings on paper that are photographs or in color, the USPTO has a specific procedure. According to MPEP 608.02(c):

Originally submitted drawings on paper that are photographs or in color may be maintained in an artifact folder.

This means that:

• Original paper drawings that are photographs or color drawings are not necessarily scanned and stored electronically.
• These original drawings may be kept in a physical artifact folder.
• The artifact folder is likely maintained separately from the electronic file wrapper to preserve the original quality of the drawings.

This practice ensures that the original quality of photographs and color drawings is preserved, which can be important for certain types of patent applications where the precise details or colors in the drawings are crucial.

To learn more:

• paper drawings
• photographs
• color drawings
• artifact folder
• patent application