United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 13 August 2002
SPECIAL BOXES FOR PATENT MAIL Special box designations should be used to allow forwarding of particular types of mail to the appropriate areas as quickly as possible. Such mail is forwarded to the appropriate area without being opened. Only the specified type of document should be placed in an envelope addressed to one of these special boxes. If any documents other than the specified type identified for each special box are addressed to that box, they will be significantly delayed in reaching the appropriate area for which they are intended. Some correspondence may only be submitted via the Office's electronic filing system (EFS). For example, the following publication requests must be submitted via EFS: a request for publication of an application as amended during examination (37 CFR 1.215(c)); a request for redacted publication (37 CFR 1.217(b)); a request for voluntary publication of an application filed before November 29, 2000 (37 CFR 1.221(a)); or a request for republication of an application that has already been published (37 CFR 1.221(a)). Instructions on how to file such an application request via EFS are located on the Office's Electronic Business Center on the Office's Internet Web site http://www.uspto.gov <http://www.uspto.gov>) under the Electronic Business Center section. Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows: Box Commissioner for Patents Washington, D.C. 20231 Please address mail to be delivered by other delivery services (Federal Express (Fed Ex), UPS, DHL, Laser, Action, Purolater, etc.) as follows: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 2011 South Clark Place Customer Window, Box Crystal Plaza Two, Lobby, Room 1B03 Arlington, Virginia 22202 Box Designations Explanation Box REISSUE All new and continuing reissue application filings. Box 12 Contributions to the Examiner Education Program. Box 313(b) Petitions under 37 CFR 1.313(c) to withdraw a patent application from issue after payment of the issue fee and any papers associated with the petition, including papers necessary for a continuing application or a request for continued examination (RCE). Box AF Expedited procedure for processing amendments and other responses after final rejection. Box Comments Public comments regarding patent related regulations Patents and procedures. Box Conversion Requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(2) to convert a nonprovisional application to a provisional application and requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(3) to convert a provisional application to a nonprovisional application. Box CPA Requests for Continued Prosecution Applications (CPA's) under 37 CFR 1.53(d). Box DAC Petitions decided by the Office of Petitions including petitions to revive and petitions to accept late payment of issue fees or maintenance fees. Box DD Disclosure Documents or materials related to the Disclosure Document Program. Box Design The filing of all design patent applications which do not request expedited examination under 37 CFR 1.55. Box Expedited Only to be used for the initial filing of design Design applications accompanied by a request for expedited examination under 37 CFR 1.155. (Design applicants seeking expedited examination may alternatively file a design application and corresponding request under 37 CFR 1.155 by hand-delivering the application papers and request directly to the Design Group Director's office.) Box Issue Fee All communications following the receipt of a PTOL-85, "Notice of Allowance and Issue Fee Due," and prior to the issuance of a patent should be addressed to Box Issue Fee, unless advised to the contrary. Assignments are the exception. Assignments should be submitted in a separate envelope and not be sent to Box Issue Fee. Box Missing Parts Response to the Notice to File Missing Parts of Application and associated papers and fees. Box MPEP Submissions concerning the Manual of Patent Examining Procedures. Box Non-Fee Non-fee amendments to patent applications. Amendment (Use Box AF for responses after final rejection.) Box PATENT New patent applications and associated papers and APPLICATION fees. Box Patent Ext. Applications for patent term extension and any communications relating thereto. Box PGPUB Correspondence regarding publication of patent applications not otherise provided. Box PGPUB - ABD Petitions under 37 CFR 1.138 to expressly abandon an application to avoid publication of the application. Box PGPUB Drawings to be included in a patent application DRAWINGS publication (replacement drawings for drawings included with a patent application on filing). Box PCT Mail related to applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Box Provisional The filing of all provisional patent applications Patent Application and any communications relating thereto. Box RCE Requests for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114. Box Reconstruction Correspondence pertaining to the reconstruction of lost patent files. Box Reexam Requests for Reexamination for original request papers only. Box Sequence Submission of diskette for biotechnical application. Box SN For fee and petitions under 37 CFR 1.182 to obtain date received and/or application number for patent applications prior to the Office's standard notification (return post card or the official "Filing Receipt," "Notice to File Missing Parts," or "Notice of Incomplete Application"). SPECIAL BOXES FOR TRADEMARK MAIL Special box designations should be used to allow forwarding of particular types of trademark mail to the appropriate areas as quickly as possible. In addition to these box designations, filers are encouraged to indicate whether the contents of the envelope contain a fee. Envelopes containing a fee should be marked "FEE;" envelopes not containing a fee should be marked "NO FEE." Box designations and "FEE/NO FEE" indicators should appear on the envelope as well as on the cover sheet or first page of any document. Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows: Box FEE (or NO FEE) Commissioner for Trademarks 2900 Crystal Drive Arlington, Virginia 22202-3513 Box Designations Explanation Box NEW APP FEE New trademark applications and fees. Box ITU FEE Statements of Use (SOUs), and extension requests. Box TTAB FEE Oppositions, cancellation petitions, and ex parte appeals. Box TTAB NO FEE Interferences, motions, and extension requests. Box STATUS NO FEE Written status inquiries. Box POST REG FEE Affidavits, renewals, corrections and amendments. Box RESPONSES Responses to Examining Attorneys' Office actions and NO FEE Post Registration actions. SPECIAL BOXES APPLICABLE TO BOTH PATENT AND TRADEMARK MAIL The following special box designations are applicable to both patent and trademark related mail, and the recommendations for "Special Boxes for Patent Mail" (above) should be followed for the types of mail listed below. Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows (unless otherwise instructed): Box Director - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Washington, D.C. 20231 Box Designations Explanation Box 3 Mail for the Office of Personnel from NFC. Box 4 Mail for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks; Office of Legislative and International Affairs. Box 6 Mail for the Office of Procurement. Box 8 All papers for the Office of the Solicitor except communications relating to pending litigation and disciplinary proceedings; papers relating to pending litigation in court cases shall be mailed only to Office of the Solicitor, P.O. Box 15667, Arlington, Virginia 22215 and papers related to pending disciplinary proceedings before the Administrative Law Judge or the Commissioner shall be mailed only to the Office of the Solicitor, P.O. Box 16116, Arlington, Virginia 22215. Box 10 Orders for certified copies of PTO documents. Box 11 Electronic Ordering Service (EOS). Box 13 Mail for the Employee and Labor Relations Division. Box 14 Mail directed to the APS Contracts Office. Box 16 Mail related to refund requests. Box 17 Invoices directed to the Office of Finance. Box 24 Mail for the Office of Independent Inventor Programs. Box 171 Vacancy Announcement Applications. Box Assignment All assignment documents except those filed with new applications. Box EEO Mail for the Office of Civil Rights. Box Interference Communications relating to interferences and applications and patents involved in interference. Box M Correspondence related to maintenance fees other than Correspondence payments of maintenance fees in patents. Payments of maintenance fees in patents not submitted electronically over the Internet at www.uspto.gov should be mailed to: United States Patent and Trademark Office P.O. Box 371611 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-1611 Box OED Mail for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline. Deposit Account To send payment to replenish deposit accounts Replenishments Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks P.O. Box 70541 Chicago, IL 60673 Refund Requests To send refund requests Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks Box 16 Washington, D.C. 20231