Can documents be expunged from a patent application file?
Yes, under certain circumstances, documents can be expunged from a patent application file. According to MPEP 719.01:
37 CFR 1.59 provides that certain documents may be expunged if they were unintentionally submitted or contain proprietary information which has not been made public and is not important to a decision of patentability.
However, this is an exception to the general rule that papers entered into the image file wrapper become a permanent part of the record. For more detailed information on the expungement process, refer to MPEP § 724.
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