What happens if drawings submitted in a patent application are marked as ‘informal’?
If drawings submitted in a patent application are marked as ‘informal’ but are considered acceptable by the Office of Patent Application Processing (OPAP), the examiner will not require replacement of the drawings. As stated in the MPEP:
If the drawings submitted in an application have been indicated by the applicant as “informal,” but the drawings are considered acceptable by OPAP, the examiner should not require replacement of the drawings.
This means that informal drawings can be accepted if they meet the necessary standards, even if not labeled as formal drawings.
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Topics:
Patent Law,
Patent Procedure