How should examiners handle lengthy citations on the PTO-892 form?

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.

Examiners should follow these steps when dealing with lengthy citations on the PTO-892 form:

• Confirm that the entire citation appears on the form after completing the OC reference entry.
• If the citation doesn’t fit within one box, continue it into the next box.
• Clearly indicate that the citation is being continued into the next box.

As stated in MPEP 707.05(f): “When entering lengthy citations, the examiner should confirm that the entire citation appears on the PTO-892 form after completing the OC reference entry. When the citation does not fit within the box provided, the examiner should continue the citation into the next box and should clearly indicate that the citation is being continued into the next box.”