PATENT EXAMINING CORPS

                         BRUCE A. LEHMAN, Commissioner
          LAWRENCE J. GOFFNEY Jr., Assistant Commissioner for Patents
    NICHOLAS P. GODICI, (Acting) Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patents
       STEPHEN G. KUNIN, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Patent Policy



                                                   Phone number   New Case
PATENT  EXAMINING GROUPS                           Area Code 703     Date*

CHEMICAL EXAMINING GROUPS

GENERAL METALLURGICAL, INORGANIC, PETROLEUM AND
   ELECTRICAL CHEMISTRY, ENGINEERING AND
   DESIGNS, GROUP 1100-THEODORE MORRIS, Director   308-0661       01/02/96
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, DRUG, BIO-AFFECTING AND BODY
   TREATING COMPOSITION, GROUP 1200-JOHN E.
   KITTLE, Director                                308-1235       05/07/96
SPECIALIZED CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES AND CHEMICAL
   ENGINEERING, GROUP 1300-RICHARD V. FISHER,
   Director                                        308-0651       04/22/96
HIGH POLYMER CHEMISTRY, PLASTICS, COATING,
   PHOTOGRAPHY STOCK MATERIALS AND COMPOSITIONS,
   GROUP 1500-MARY LEE, Director                   308-2351       04/07/96
BIOTECHNOLOGY, GROUP 1800-JOHN J. DOLL, Director   308-0196       08/17/95

ELECTRICAL EXAMINING GROUPS

INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, PHYSICS AND RELATED
   ELEMENTS, GROUP 2100-STEWART LEVY, Director     308-1782       10/03/95
SPECIAL LAWS AND ADMINISTRATION, GROUP 2200-
   ROBERT E. GARRETT, Director                     308-0511       01/19/96
COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER APPLICATION,
   GROUP 2300-JOSEPH J. ROLLA, Director            305-3900       01/19/96
SPECIAL COMPUTER APPLICATIONS: COMPUTER GRAPHICS,
   BUSINESS PRACTICES, & DIAGNOSTIC TESTING,
   GROUP 2400-GERALD GOLDBERG, Director            305-3900       11/13/95
ELECTRONIC AND OPTICAL SYSTEMS AND DEVICES,
   GROUP 2500-JANICE A. HOWELL, Director           308-0956       04/29/96
TELECOMMUNICATIONS, GROUP 2600-
   JIN F. NG, Director                             305-3900       06/05/95
DESIGN, GROUP 2900-JOHN E. KITTLE, Director        305-3293       02/02/96

MECHANICAL EXAMINING GROUPS

HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION MEDIA, GROUP 3100-
   JOHN F. TERAPANE, JR., Director                 308-1113       11/06/95
MATERIAL SHAPING, ARTICLE MANUFACTURING AND TOOLS,
   GROUP 3200-ETHEL CROSS, Director                308-1148       07/09/96
MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS, DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT AND
   TREATMENT DEVICES; SURGERY AND SURGICAL
   SUPPLIES; AMUSEMENT AND EXERCISING DEVICES;
   ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; SPORTING GOODS; TOBACCO
   PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT; AND
   PRINTING, GROUP 3300-J.J. LOVE, Director        308-0858       12/20/95
SOLAR, HEAT, POWER, AND FLUID ENGINEERING DEVICES,
   GROUP 3400-DONALD G. KELLY, Director            308-0861       12/25/95
GENERAL CONSTRUCTION, PETROLEUM AND MINING
   ENGINEERING, GROUP 3500-A.L. SMITH, Director    308-2168       09/17/96

*A communication from the examiner should have been received in most
applications filed prior to this date.

Patents will Expire as Follows:
(1) The term of any utility or plant patent that is in force on or
results from an application filed before June 8, 1995 is the greater of
the 20 year term provided in 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2) or 17 years from
grant subject to any terminal disclaimers. 35 U.S.C. 154(c)(1).
(2) All utility and plant patents granted on applications having an
actual United States filing date on or after June 8, 1995 are granted for
a term which begins on the date on which the patent is granted and
ends 20 years from the date on which the application was filed in
the United States. If the application contains a specific reference to
an earlier application under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121 or 365(c), the patent term
ends twenty years from that date on which the earliest application was
filed. 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2).
(3) All design patents are granted for a term of 14 years from the
date of the grant.
However, the term of any patent may have been curtailed by disclaimer
under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 153, have lapsed due to failure to pay
maintenance fees, or have been extended under the provisions of 35 U.S.C.
154, 155, or 156. Thus, if more reliable information is needed with
respect to a particular patent, then the specific patent file should be
reviewed to determine the actual date of patent expiration.