MPEP § 707.05(f) — Non-Patent Documents Having a Lengthy Citation (Annotated Rules)
This page consolidates and annotates all enforceable requirements under MPEP § 707.05(f), 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.
Non-Patent Documents Having a Lengthy Citation
This section addresses Non-Patent Documents Having a Lengthy Citation.
Key Rules
Conditional Requirements (2)
In some instances, a citation may be too lengthy to fit within the box provided on the PTO-892, “NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS” section. This scenario occurs commonly with URLs. 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. Such citation will be captured as one citation, and any explanatory wording (such as “[item U continued]” in the mockup below) will not be captured.
In some instances, a citation may be too lengthy to fit within the box provided on the PTO-892, “NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS” section. This scenario occurs commonly with URLs. 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. Such citation will be captured as one citation, and any explanatory wording (such as “[item U continued]” in the mockup below) will not be captured.
Permitted Actions (1)
In some instances, a citation may be too lengthy to fit within the box provided on the PTO-892, “NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS” section. This scenario occurs commonly with URLs. 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. Such citation will be captured as one citation, and any explanatory wording (such as “[item U continued]” in the mockup below) will not be captured.
Definitions & Scope (1)
In some instances, a citation may be too lengthy to fit within the box provided on the PTO-892, “NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS” section. This scenario occurs commonly with URLs. 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. Such citation will be captured as one citation, and any explanatory wording (such as “[item U continued]” in the mockup below) will not be captured.
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.
Official MPEP § 707.05(f) — Non-Patent Documents Having a Lengthy Citation
Source: USPTO707.05(f) Non-Patent Documents Having a Lengthy Citation [R-07.2022]
In some instances, a citation may be too lengthy to fit within the box provided on the PTO-892, “NON-PATENT DOCUMENTS” section. This scenario occurs commonly with URLs. 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. Such citation will be captured as one citation, and any explanatory wording (such as “[item U continued]” in the mockup below) will not be captured.
