Patent Law FAQ
This FAQ answers all your questions about patent law, patent procedure, and the patent examination process.
Here’s the complete FAQ:
MPEP 500 - Receipt and Handling of Mail and Papers (2)
If you cannot file your patent application electronically or by Priority Mail Express® due to an emergency, consider the following options:
- Use first-class mail with a Certificate of Mailing under 37 CFR 1.8
- Hand-deliver the application to the USPTO, if possible
- If the emergency is a designated postal service interruption, follow the specific instructions provided by the USPTO on their website or in the Official Gazette
Remember that the provisions for postal emergencies only apply to actual USPS service interruptions, not other circumstances like computer failures or office inaccessibility.
As stated in MPEP 511: “Applicants are cautioned that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) only apply to postal interruptions and emergencies. The provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) do not provide for granting of a filing date to correspondence as of the date on which it would have been filed but for other exigencies, such as the unavailability of a computer or word processing equipment, or the inaccessibility of an office or building other than a USPS facility.”
In the event of a postal interruption or emergency:
- An announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov
- A notice will be published in the Official Gazette
- These communications will provide instructions about filing patent applications and other papers related to patent applications and patents
The USPTO Director may prescribe rules considering papers or fees filed on the date they would have been deposited with the USPS, but for postal service interruptions or emergencies.
As stated in MPEP 511: “In the event of a postal interruption or emergency, an announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov and a notice will be published in the Official Gazette, providing instructions about the filing of patent applications, and other papers related to patent applications and patents.”
MPEP 511 - Postal Service Interruptions and Emergencies (2)
If you cannot file your patent application electronically or by Priority Mail Express® due to an emergency, consider the following options:
- Use first-class mail with a Certificate of Mailing under 37 CFR 1.8
- Hand-deliver the application to the USPTO, if possible
- If the emergency is a designated postal service interruption, follow the specific instructions provided by the USPTO on their website or in the Official Gazette
Remember that the provisions for postal emergencies only apply to actual USPS service interruptions, not other circumstances like computer failures or office inaccessibility.
As stated in MPEP 511: “Applicants are cautioned that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) only apply to postal interruptions and emergencies. The provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) do not provide for granting of a filing date to correspondence as of the date on which it would have been filed but for other exigencies, such as the unavailability of a computer or word processing equipment, or the inaccessibility of an office or building other than a USPS facility.”
In the event of a postal interruption or emergency:
- An announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov
- A notice will be published in the Official Gazette
- These communications will provide instructions about filing patent applications and other papers related to patent applications and patents
The USPTO Director may prescribe rules considering papers or fees filed on the date they would have been deposited with the USPS, but for postal service interruptions or emergencies.
As stated in MPEP 511: “In the event of a postal interruption or emergency, an announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov and a notice will be published in the Official Gazette, providing instructions about the filing of patent applications, and other papers related to patent applications and patents.”
Patent Law (2)
If you cannot file your patent application electronically or by Priority Mail Express® due to an emergency, consider the following options:
- Use first-class mail with a Certificate of Mailing under 37 CFR 1.8
- Hand-deliver the application to the USPTO, if possible
- If the emergency is a designated postal service interruption, follow the specific instructions provided by the USPTO on their website or in the Official Gazette
Remember that the provisions for postal emergencies only apply to actual USPS service interruptions, not other circumstances like computer failures or office inaccessibility.
As stated in MPEP 511: “Applicants are cautioned that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) only apply to postal interruptions and emergencies. The provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) do not provide for granting of a filing date to correspondence as of the date on which it would have been filed but for other exigencies, such as the unavailability of a computer or word processing equipment, or the inaccessibility of an office or building other than a USPS facility.”
In the event of a postal interruption or emergency:
- An announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov
- A notice will be published in the Official Gazette
- These communications will provide instructions about filing patent applications and other papers related to patent applications and patents
The USPTO Director may prescribe rules considering papers or fees filed on the date they would have been deposited with the USPS, but for postal service interruptions or emergencies.
As stated in MPEP 511: “In the event of a postal interruption or emergency, an announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov and a notice will be published in the Official Gazette, providing instructions about the filing of patent applications, and other papers related to patent applications and patents.”
Patent Procedure (2)
If you cannot file your patent application electronically or by Priority Mail Express® due to an emergency, consider the following options:
- Use first-class mail with a Certificate of Mailing under 37 CFR 1.8
- Hand-deliver the application to the USPTO, if possible
- If the emergency is a designated postal service interruption, follow the specific instructions provided by the USPTO on their website or in the Official Gazette
Remember that the provisions for postal emergencies only apply to actual USPS service interruptions, not other circumstances like computer failures or office inaccessibility.
As stated in MPEP 511: “Applicants are cautioned that the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) only apply to postal interruptions and emergencies. The provisions of 35 U.S.C. 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(g) to (i) do not provide for granting of a filing date to correspondence as of the date on which it would have been filed but for other exigencies, such as the unavailability of a computer or word processing equipment, or the inaccessibility of an office or building other than a USPS facility.”
In the event of a postal interruption or emergency:
- An announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov
- A notice will be published in the Official Gazette
- These communications will provide instructions about filing patent applications and other papers related to patent applications and patents
The USPTO Director may prescribe rules considering papers or fees filed on the date they would have been deposited with the USPS, but for postal service interruptions or emergencies.
As stated in MPEP 511: “In the event of a postal interruption or emergency, an announcement will be placed on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov and a notice will be published in the Official Gazette, providing instructions about the filing of patent applications, and other papers related to patent applications and patents.”