Forms for applications filed before September 16, 2012

Patent Forms for Applications Filed On or After September 16, 2012

NOTES:

1. All forms are provided in Adobe's PDF format. You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer (at minimum, Acrobat 5.0 is required). For best results, right-click on the link to the form and select “Save link as” or equivalent. Then use Adobe Reader to open the form.
2. Examples of proper signatures can be found here.
3. The expiration date at the top right-hand corner of each page of certain forms is a requirement of the OMB approval process under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and does not indicate a date beyond which the forms are invalid. The date shown in the middle column above indicates when each form was last revised.
4. For general assistance in completing the patent forms below or to request paper copies of the forms, contact the USPTO Contact Center Division at 1-800-786-9199 (1-800-PTO-9199) or 571-272-1000, and select option 2.
5. To report a problem with a fillable patent form, please email ebc@uspto.gov.

IMPORTANT NOTICES AND REMINDERS REGARDING USE OF PATENT FORMS

The Office provides forms to the public to use in certain situations to assist in the filing of correspondence for a certain purpose and to meet certain requirements for patent applications and proceedings. Use of the forms for purposes for which they were not designed is prohibited.

No changes to certification statements on the Office forms (e.g., oath or declaration forms, terminal disclaimer forms, petition forms, and nonpublication request form) may be made.

The existing text of a form, other than a certification statement, may be modified, deleted, or added to, if all text identifying the form as an Office form is removed.

The presentation to the Office (whether by signing, filing, submitting, or later advocating) of any Office form with text identifying the form as an Office form by a party, whether a practitioner or non-practitioner, constitutes a certification under 37 CFR 11.18(b) that the existing text and any certification statements on the form have not been altered other than permitted by EFS-Web customization.

See 37 CFR 1.4(d)(3).

To apply for a patent under 35 U.S.C. 111, transfer the ownership of a patent, or request other actions related to patents, certain information specified in the Patent Laws (Title 35, United States Code) and Rules (Title 37, Code of Federal Regulations) must be submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO provides patent forms to the public to use in certain situations, but, in almost all situations the USPTO does not require use of a form, or even provide a form, to submit the information required. The patent forms provided below were designed as a guide to assist patent applicants and patentees in making certain limited submissions to the USPTO. Use of the patent forms for purposes they were not designed for is not advised. The Patent Laws and Rules should be your primary guide to what information must be submitted and how it must be submitted. Any submission that meets all requirements of the Patent Laws, Rules, and Orders and Notices of the Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, will be accepted, whether or not it is similar to any of the patent forms provided below. A submission may not be accepted, even if it is identical to a patent form provided below, if in a specified case, it does not meet all the requirements of Patent Laws, Rules, and Orders and Notices. For current fee amounts, please click here. A surcharge will be due if the basic filing fee is not paid on filing. Other consequences may occur if the proper fees are not paid or if the required action is not taken.

To open a particular form for immediate use, click on the link. The forms are capable of being completed on your computer. To save a form for later use, use your browser's right mouse button to click on the form hyperlink, save the form file on your machine's hard disk, and open it locally in the Acrobat reader.