How are continued citations captured on the PTO-892 form?

When a citation is continued across multiple boxes on the PTO-892 form, it is captured as a single citation. The MPEP 707.05(f) states: “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.”

This means that:

  • The entire citation, even if split across multiple boxes, is treated as one continuous reference.
  • Any explanatory text used to indicate continuation (e.g., ‘[item U continued]’) is not included in the final captured citation.

Examiners should ensure that the citation flows correctly across boxes for proper capture and subsequent retrieval.

To learn more:

Tags: Citation Capture, Lengthy Citations, patent examination, Pto 892