INTRODUCTION

This chapter is designed to be a guide for patent examiners in searching and examining applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Applicants desiring additional information for filing international applications should obtain a copy of the PCT Applicant’s Guide from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Articles and Regulations under the PCT are reproduced in Appendix T of this Manual and the Administrative Instructions are reproduced in Appendix AI of this Manual. The text of the PCT Applicant’s Guide , the monthly PCT Newsletter , the weekly PCT Gazette , downloadable PCT forms, and additional information about the processing of international applications are available from WIPO’s website (www.wipo.int/pct).

PCT applications are processed by the International Application Processing Division within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.