Status of Document Delivery Services
The Office of Public Records (OPR) processes and fills orders for both
certified and uncertified copies of Patent and Trademark Office
documents. This is an update of actual processing time for orders filled
during the month of August 1999:
Certified Documents Goal Actual
Processing
Time
Patent Application-As-Filed, 7 days 7 days
Expedited
Patent Application-As-Filed, 17 days 11 days
Regular
Patent Related File Wrapper 25 days 61 days*
Patent Copy 10 days 9 days
Patent Assignments 10 days 10 days
Trademark Application-As- 7 days 9 days
Filed, Expedited
Trademark Application-As- 17 days 13 days
Filed, Regular
Trademark Related File 25 days 29 days*
Wrapper
Trademark Assignments 10 days 10 days
Trademark Registration, 5 days 6 days
Expedited
Trademark Registration, 14 days 12 days
Regular
Uncertified Documents Goal Actual
Processing
Time
Express Patent Copies 3 hours 3 hours
Special Patent Copies 24 hours 29 hours
Regular Patent Copies 3 days 3 days
Plant Patents 3 days 8 days
Patent Assignments 10 days 4 days
Patent Related File Wrapper 25 days 40 days*
Express Trademark Copies 3 hours 1 hours
Special Trademark Copies 24 hours 28 hours
Regular Trademark Copies 3 days 4 days
Trademark Assignments 10 days 5 days
Trademark Related File 25 days 25 days*
Wrappers
* Includes turnaround times for files on official search and file
reconstruction.
During the month of August 1999, a total of 25,526 public orders (36,467
copies) were filled and closed, or 6,836 orders more (19,603 copies
less) than the FY-99 planning number of 18,690 orders (56,070 copies) to
be closed for this month. The fiscal year-to-date totals for both orders
and copies filled are at about 64% of the expected workload, principally
because of lower patent copy sales volume. The average turnaround times
for products remain in expected ranges.
Due to varying availability of media, customers will not be advised when
orders are not delivered within the published goal periods. However,
customers will be advised if any unexpected delay in their order has
been identified. Customers should use the above actual days to mail for
each product as a guide as to when they can expect their orders. In
determining expected delivery times, the day an order is received in the
Office is calculated as "day zero." The next business day is "day one."
Delivery of any specific copy will vary based on the availability of
scanned images, microfilm products, and/or file accessibility. On June
10, 1997, the Office published an Official Gazette Notice entitled
"Changes in Practice in Supplying Certified Copies and Filing Receipts"
(1199 OG 39) which advised customers who place orders for certified
copies of patent applications-as-filed not to request them until the
official filing receipt is received; images and related bibliographic
data are not available to Certification Division until the filing
receipt is generated by the Office of Initial Patent Examination.
Customers are encouraged to fax orders for copies directly to
Dissemination Support Division at (703) 308-9759 and to pay by PTO
Deposit Account, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover.
Information on the status of pending orders may be obtained by calling
(703) 308-9726 or 1 (800) 972-6382 (outside the Washington, DC Metro
area), or via E-mail: certdiv@uspto.gov.
September 9, 1999 WESLEY H. GEWEHR
Administrator for Information
Dissemination