What is the proper way to cite a U.S. patent document in a USPTO office action?

When citing a U.S. patent document in a USPTO office action, examiners should follow these guidelines:

  • Include the name of the inventor(s)
  • Provide the patent number
  • State the issue date (or publication date for pre-grant publications)
  • Specify relevant pages, columns, lines, or claim numbers

The MPEP 707.05 states: “If a U.S. patent application publication is cited, the publication number, publication date, name of the applicant, class, and subclass should be cited under the same section.” Additionally, “If a U.S. patent is cited, the name of the patentee, the patent number, and the date of issue should be given.”

Examiners should ensure that all cited references are properly identified and that the information provided is accurate and complete to facilitate easy retrieval of the document.

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Tags: Office Action References, Patent Examination Procedure, Us Patent Citation