MPEP § 1872 — Availability of the International Application File for International Preliminary Examination by the Examining Corps (Annotated Rules)

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 1872, including statutory authority, regulatory rules, examiner guidance, and practice notes. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only, it is not legal advice.

Availability of the International Application File for International Preliminary Examination by the Examining Corps

This section addresses Availability of the International Application File for International Preliminary Examination by the Examining Corps.

Key Rules

Conditional Requirements (1)

MPEP GuidanceRequiredAlways
[mpep-1872-cb57b289c624db6b8f4734db]
Same Office File for Search and Examination
Note:
When the International Preliminary Examining Authority is part of the same national Office or intergovernmental organization as the International Searching Authority, a single file serves both international search and examination purposes.

Where the International Preliminary Examining Authority is part of the same national Office or intergovernmental organization as the International Searching Authority, the same file shall serve the purposes of international search and international preliminary examination.

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Source Text from USPTO’s MPEP

This is an exact copy of the MPEP from the USPTO. It is here for your reference to see the section in context.

BlueIron Last Updated: 2025-12-31