What is the ‘Office Date’ stamp and how is it used?

The ‘Office Date’ stamp is used by the USPTO to mark the receipt date of papers and fees. According to MPEP 505, The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) stamps papers and fees received through the mail (other than those submitted by Priority Mail Express® in accordance with 37 CFR 1.10), by facsimile, or via EFS-Web with the date of their receipt in the Office.

The ‘Office Date’ stamp is crucial because:

• It establishes the filing date for new patent applications that include the necessary components (see 37 CFR 1.53(b)-(d))
• It determines the timeliness of actions and fee payments

For hand-carried papers, date stamping occurs at the Customer Service Window.

For more information on Office Date stamp, visit: Office Date stamp.

For more information on USPTO, visit: USPTO.