Can a non-primary examiner sign an Office action?

Yes, a non-primary examiner can sign an Office action under certain circumstances. The MPEP 707.09 specifies that The electronic signature of the Supervisory Patent Examiner, Primary or other authorized examiner is inserted to sign Office actions. This implies that while primary examiners and supervisory patent examiners commonly sign Office actions, other examiners may also be authorized to do so. The key is that the examiner must be ‘authorized,’ which typically involves meeting certain criteria or obtaining specific permissions within the USPTO.

To learn more:

• Patent Examiners
• Office Actions
• USPTO Authorization
• Patent Examination Procedures