This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.
Withdrawn U.S. patents and patent application publications should be cited under the “Non-Patent Documents” section on the PTO-892 form. The MPEP provides specific examples for citing these documents:
“(A) Withdrawn U.S. patents: US 6,999,999, 10/2002, Brown et al., 403/155 (withdrawn).”
“(B) Withdrawn U.S. patents application publications: US 2002/0009999 A1, 7/2002, Jones et al., 403/155 (withdrawn).”
The citation format includes:
- Document number
- Date (month/year)
- Inventor(s) name
- Classification
- The word “(withdrawn)” at the end
For more information on citing withdrawn U.S. patents and patent application publications, refer to MPEP § 707.05(e), section III. PUBLICATIONS.