What happens to documents submitted for recording at the USPTO Assignment Division?

Documents and cover sheets submitted for recording at the USPTO Assignment Division are examined for formal requirements. The process is as follows:

• Documents that meet the requirements are recorded.
• Documents that do not meet the requirements are returned to the sender with an explanation.
• If the sender disagrees with the rejection, they can petition the Director under 37 CFR 1.181.
• After successful recording, a notification is sent to the address on the cover sheet, showing the reel and frame number.

As stated in MPEP 317: “All documents and cover sheets submitted for recording are examined for formal requirements in the Assignment Division in order to separate documents which are recordable from those which are not recordable.”