What types of patent applications receive USPC classifications?

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.

According to the MPEP, only U.S. design and plant patents and U.S. plant patent application publications continue to receive classifications within the United States Patent Classification (USPC) system. The MPEP states:

“Only U.S. design and plant patents and U.S. plant patent application publications continue to receive classifications within the USPC.”

It’s important to note that U.S. utility patents and U.S. utility patent application publications published after December 31, 2014, are classified using the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system instead of the USPC.