When is it necessary for a patent examiner to obtain assignment information from PALM?

MPEP 303 outlines specific situations where a patent examiner needs to obtain assignment information from the Patent Application Locator and Monitoring (PALM) system:

“When the assignment condition of an application is significant, such as when applications of different inventors contain conflicting claims or there is a question as to who should direct prosecution, it is necessary for the examiner to obtain assignment information from PALM.” (MPEP 303)

This typically occurs in two main scenarios:

1. When applications from different inventors have conflicting claims
2. When there’s uncertainty about who should direct the prosecution

In these cases, the examiner must consult PALM to clarify the assignment status.