What if I need to assign a patent application before it’s filed?
If you need to assign a patent application before it’s filed, you must identify it using specific information. MPEP 302.03 states: “If an assignment of a patent application filed under § 1.53(b) of this chapter is executed concurrently with, or subsequent to, the execution of the patent application, but before the patent application is filed, it must identify the patent application by the name of each inventor and the title of the invention so that there can be no mistake as to the patent application intended.” This ensures that the correct application is associated with the assignment, even without an application number.
To learn more:
Topics:
MPEP 300 - Ownership and Assignment,
Patent Law,
Patent Procedure