How does the USPTO ‘return’ papers in the Image File Wrapper (IFW) system?

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.

For papers that have been scanned into the Image File Wrapper (IFW) system, the USPTO has a specific procedure for ‘returning’ them. According to MPEP 508.02:

“If a paper has been scanned into the IFW, ‘return’ of the paper will be accomplished by the Office closing it in IFW.”

This means that instead of physically returning the paper, the USPTO will electronically close or restrict access to the document within the IFW system. This process maintains the integrity of the digital file while effectively ‘returning’ the document.