MPEP § 2820 — Submission of Notification of Other Prior or Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings (Annotated Rules)

§2820 Submission of Notification of Other Prior or Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings

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

This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 2820, 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.

Submission of Notification of Other Prior or Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings

This section addresses Submission of Notification of Other Prior or Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings. Primary authority: 37 CFR 1.620(d), 37 CFR 1.620(c), and 37 CFR 1.620. Contains: 2 requirements, 2 prohibitions, 1 permission, and 3 other statements.

Key Rules

Topic
5 rules
Topic

Maintenance Fee Payment

1 rules
StatutoryRequiredAlways
[mpep-2820-a5f5f725917e462152aa711a]
Notification of Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings Required Within Three Months
Note:
Patent owners must notify the Office of any concurrent post-patent Office proceedings within three months, identifying the type and filing date.

37 CFR 1.620(d) requires that the patent owner must, as soon as possible upon the discovery of any other prior or concurrent post-patent Office proceeding involving the patent for which the current supplemental examination is requested, file a paper limited to notifying the Office of the post-patent Office proceeding, if such notice has not been previously provided with the request. The Office anticipates that a patent for which supplemental examination is requested may be involved in other post-patent Office proceedings, including another supplemental examination proceeding. Knowledge of other proceedings is important to ensure a quality determination. In addition, notice is required due to the statutory three-month period within which the Office must conclude the supplemental examination. The notice is limited to an identification of the post patent Office proceeding, including the type (e.g., ex parte or inter partes reexamination, reissue, supplemental examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, or covered business method patent review), an identifying number, such as a control number or reissue application number, and the filing date of the other post-patent Office proceeding. The notice may not include further arguments or information, including any discussion of the issues present in the current supplemental examination proceeding or in the identified post-patent Office proceeding(s). A notice pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(d) must not include copies of papers filed in a prior or concurrent Office proceeding. If the paper containing the notice is not so limited, the paper will be held to be improper, and will be processed as an unauthorized paper pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(c).

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.620(d)Maintenance Fee PaymentConsent of AssigneeReissue and Reexamination
Topic

Reissue and Reexamination

1 rules
StatutoryInformativeAlways
[mpep-2820-875d413ec2d85af7aeae0ae6]
Notification of Concurrent Post-Patent Office Proceedings Required
Note:
Patent owners must notify the Office of any concurrent post-patent Office proceedings involving their patent within a reasonable time frame, including details such as type, identifying number, and filing date.

37 CFR 1.620(d) requires that the patent owner must, as soon as possible upon the discovery of any other prior or concurrent post-patent Office proceeding involving the patent for which the current supplemental examination is requested, file a paper limited to notifying the Office of the post-patent Office proceeding, if such notice has not been previously provided with the request. The Office anticipates that a patent for which supplemental examination is requested may be involved in other post-patent Office proceedings, including another supplemental examination proceeding. Knowledge of other proceedings is important to ensure a quality determination. In addition, notice is required due to the statutory three-month period within which the Office must conclude the supplemental examination. The notice is limited to an identification of the post patent Office proceeding, including the type (e.g., ex parte or inter partes reexamination, reissue, supplemental examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, or covered business method patent review), an identifying number, such as a control number or reissue application number, and the filing date of the other post-patent Office proceeding. The notice may not include further arguments or information, including any discussion of the issues present in the current supplemental examination proceeding or in the identified post-patent Office proceeding(s). A notice pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(d) must not include copies of papers filed in a prior or concurrent Office proceeding. If the paper containing the notice is not so limited, the paper will be held to be improper, and will be processed as an unauthorized paper pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(c).

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.620(d)Reissue and ReexaminationPayment MethodsReissue Application Filing
Topic

Concurrent Reissue Proceedings

1 rules
StatutoryProhibitedAlways
[mpep-2820-24349e462885270014ac1b85]
Notice Must Not Include Copies of Prior or Concurrent Office Proceedings
Note:
A notice must not include copies of papers filed in prior or concurrent Office proceedings when notifying the Office of a post-patent Office proceeding.

37 CFR 1.620(d) requires that the patent owner must, as soon as possible upon the discovery of any other prior or concurrent post-patent Office proceeding involving the patent for which the current supplemental examination is requested, file a paper limited to notifying the Office of the post-patent Office proceeding, if such notice has not been previously provided with the request. The Office anticipates that a patent for which supplemental examination is requested may be involved in other post-patent Office proceedings, including another supplemental examination proceeding. Knowledge of other proceedings is important to ensure a quality determination. In addition, notice is required due to the statutory three-month period within which the Office must conclude the supplemental examination. The notice is limited to an identification of the post patent Office proceeding, including the type (e.g., ex parte or inter partes reexamination, reissue, supplemental examination, post-grant review, inter partes review, or covered business method patent review), an identifying number, such as a control number or reissue application number, and the filing date of the other post-patent Office proceeding. The notice may not include further arguments or information, including any discussion of the issues present in the current supplemental examination proceeding or in the identified post-patent Office proceeding(s). A notice pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(d) must not include copies of papers filed in a prior or concurrent Office proceeding. If the paper containing the notice is not so limited, the paper will be held to be improper, and will be processed as an unauthorized paper pursuant to 37 CFR 1.620(c).

Jump to MPEP Source · 37 CFR 1.620(d)Concurrent Reissue ProceedingsConsent of AssigneeReissue and Reexamination

Citations

Primary topicCitation
Concurrent Reissue Proceedings
Consent of Assignee
Maintenance Fee Payment
Reissue and Reexamination
37 CFR § 1.620(c)
Concurrent Reissue Proceedings
Consent of Assignee
Maintenance Fee Payment
Reissue and Reexamination
37 CFR § 1.620(d)

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