MPEP § 2822 — Assignment of the Supplemental Examination Proceeding (Annotated Rules)

§2822 Assignment of the Supplemental Examination Proceeding

USPTO MPEP version: BlueIron's Update: 2025-12-31

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2822, 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.

Assignment of the Supplemental Examination Proceeding

This section addresses Assignment of the Supplemental Examination Proceeding. Contains: 1 requirement.

Key Rules

Topic

Reissue and Reexamination

2 rules
MPEP GuidanceInformativeAlways
[mpep-2822-be6a9ffd2731a14f5396fb76]
Supplemental Exam Requests Assigned Like Reexamination
Note:
Supplemental examination requests are assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit in the same manner as reexamination requests, ensuring they are handled by an examiner familiar with the patent's subject matter.

Supplemental examination requests will be assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) in the same manner in which reexamination requests are assigned. The CRU art unit which examines the technology (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.) in which the patent to be examined is currently classified as an original patent, will be assigned the supplemental examination request. In that art unit, the CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) will assign the request to a primary examiner, other than the examiner who originally examined the patent application, who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent. See, generally, MPEP § 2236.

Jump to MPEP SourceReissue and ReexaminationCentral Reexamination Unit ProcessingConcurrent Reissue Proceedings
MPEP GuidanceInformativeAlways
[mpep-2822-870b283852660e3a44b9452b]
Supplemental Examination Assigned to CRU Art Unit
Note:
Supplemental examination requests are assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) art unit that originally examined the patent, and then to a primary examiner familiar with the claimed subject matter.

Supplemental examination requests will be assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) in the same manner in which reexamination requests are assigned. The CRU art unit which examines the technology (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.) in which the patent to be examined is currently classified as an original patent, will be assigned the supplemental examination request. In that art unit, the CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) will assign the request to a primary examiner, other than the examiner who originally examined the patent application, who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent. See, generally, MPEP § 2236.

Jump to MPEP SourceReissue and ReexaminationCentral Reexamination Unit ProcessingConcurrent Reissue Proceedings
Topic

Central Reexamination Unit Processing

2 rules
MPEP GuidanceInformativeAlways
[mpep-2822-6202d8f08b1ffdf3a04fb148]
Supplemental Examination Requests Assigned to CRU Art Unit
Note:
Supplemental examination requests are assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit art unit that originally examined the patent.

Supplemental examination requests will be assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) in the same manner in which reexamination requests are assigned. The CRU art unit which examines the technology (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.) in which the patent to be examined is currently classified as an original patent, will be assigned the supplemental examination request. In that art unit, the CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) will assign the request to a primary examiner, other than the examiner who originally examined the patent application, who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent. See, generally, MPEP § 2236.

Jump to MPEP SourceCentral Reexamination Unit ProcessingEx Parte ReexaminationReissue Patent Practice
MPEP GuidanceInformativeAlways
[mpep-2822-b2dbbeb2c2e767b1d5eedeed]
Primary Examiner Assigned Based on Familiarity
Note:
The CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner assigns a primary examiner who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent, rather than the original examiner.

Supplemental examination requests will be assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) in the same manner in which reexamination requests are assigned. The CRU art unit which examines the technology (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.) in which the patent to be examined is currently classified as an original patent, will be assigned the supplemental examination request. In that art unit, the CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) will assign the request to a primary examiner, other than the examiner who originally examined the patent application, who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent. See, generally, MPEP § 2236.

Jump to MPEP SourceCentral Reexamination Unit ProcessingEx Parte ReexaminationReissue and Reexamination
Topic

Supplemental Examination

1 rules
MPEP GuidanceRequiredAlways
[mpep-2822-cd6cce7f30afc496e8e0ee7d]
Transferring Supplemental Examination Proceedings Generally Follows Reexamination Procedures
Note:
When transferring supplemental examination proceedings to another examiner, the procedures for reexamining patents will be followed unless it is very rare.

Although the number of supplemental examination requests which must be transferred to another examiner should be very small, the procedures established for transferring reexamination proceedings will be generally followed when transferring supplemental examination proceedings. See MPEP § 2237.

Jump to MPEP SourceSupplemental Examination

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Central Reexamination Unit Processing
Reissue and Reexamination
MPEP § 2236
Supplemental ExaminationMPEP § 2237

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