The Office of Data Management (ODM) provides the following services to our customers:
- Corrections to Patent Application Publications
- Corrections to Patents
- Duplicate Letters Patent
- Listing of Patent for Sale or License in the Official Gazette (OG)
- Lost Patent Grant Investigation
- Pre-Grant Publication/18-month Publication under AIPA
- Processing of After-Allowance Papers
- Revival of Abandonments
- Status of Publication (Patent Application Publication and Patent Publication)
- Withdrawal of Grants
Corrections to patent application publications due to USPTO error
As set forth in 37 CFR 1.221(b), the Office will grant a request for correction to a published patent application only where the Office has made a material mistake which is apparent from Office records.
Note: Only errors that are material will be corrected.
What is the criteria for a material mistake?
A material mistake must affect the public's ability to:
- appreciate the technical disclosure of the patent application publication,
- determine the scope of the patent application publication; or
- determine the scope of the provisional rights that an applicant might seek to enforce upon issuance of a patent.
Examples of errors that may be considered to be material errors :
- missing claims
- missing pages of the specification
- missing pages of drawings
Examples of errors that are not material errors :
- missing assignment information
- missing section headings
- minor typographical errors
See Changes to Implement Eighteen-Month Publication of Patent Applications, 65 FR 57023, 57038 (Sept. 20, 2000), 1239 Off. Gaz. Pat. Office Notices, 75 (Oct. 10, 2000)(final rule).
**Time limitation ** The request for a corrected patent application must be filed within two months from the date of the patent application publication. Extensions of time are not permitted.
How to file a request to correct a material error in a patent application publication:
Requests for correction(s) to a patent application publication due to a USPTO error must be submitted in writing. A request for a corrected patent application publication should include:
- a copy of the patent application publication with the errors clearly marked; and
- reference to the page and line number of the originally filed application where the information was correctly submitted.
Requests for corrected patent application application publications can be faxed to 571.273.8300 or mailed to:
Mail Stop PGPub
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
For additional information, contact the Application Assistance Unit at: 571.272.4200 or e-mail HelpAAU@uspto.gov.
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Corrections to patents
A request for correction to a published patent is initiated by completion and submission of USPTO form PTO/SB/44 to the Office of Certificates of Correction.
USPTO Form PTO/SB/44 is accessible via USPTO Internet.
Or call 571.272.1000 to request form PTO/SB/44 to be mailed to you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Corrections to Published Patents
ODM Announcements:
/patents/publications/c_of_c_7-5-01.xml
Questions concerning the above notice should be directed to CustomerServiceCoC@uspto.gov or by telephone at: 703.756.1814.
The weekly listings of Certificates of Correction can be retrieved at: http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/pubs/certofcorrect.html
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Duplicate letters patent
To request duplicate letters patent - contact the Office of Petitions at 571.272.3282.
- Check printing status of duplicate letters patent - after the petition for duplicate letters patent has been granted - call Niomi Farmer at 703.756.5982
To request a presentation copy of a patent - contact the Office of Public Records Customer Service Line at 1.800.972-6382 or 571.272.3150 or go to the Certified Copy Center Storefront.
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Listing patents for sale or license in the Official Gazette (OG)
The owner(s) of a patent may request to have his/her/their patent listed for sale or license in the OG. The list of patents for sale or license appears in the OG every 2nd Tuesday of the month.
What is the cost? The cost per listing is $25.00.
How to list a patent for sale or license:
Send a check or money order in the amount of $25.00, payable to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.
Commissioner for Patents
Office of Data Management
Attn: Patents for License or Sale
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
For more information about listing patents for sale or license in the Official Gazette please contact Lamont Fletcher at 703.756.1558
More about the OG...
The OG issues every Tuesday and publishes a list of issued Patents, Trademarks, Notices, Erratum, Reissues, Re exams, Expired Patents, Patents Reinstated, Certificates of Correction, etc.
To order U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Notices, contact the Government Printing Office at 202.512.1800.
To access the eOfficial Gazette please visit: http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Lost patent grant investigation
Patent grants and soft copies (if requested) are mailed to the address of USPTO record (as documented by applicant's original submission of mailing address, subsequent filing of request for change of address, or request for change of address as noted on Form 85b).
Patent Grants and soft copies (if requested) should be received within 3 weeks after the issue date.
To check on the status of patent grants and soft copies not received within 3 weeks after the issue date contact Niomi Farmer at 571.272.4200.
If it is determined that address is/was correct in USPTO system at the time patent grant was mailed, submission of a Request for Duplicate Letters Patent must be made to the Office of Petitions. The telephone number to the Office of Petitions is 571.272.3282.
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Pre-grant publication - 18-month publication under AIPA
Questions in regards to Pre-Grant Publication should be forwarded to the Application Assistance Unit at 571.272.4200 or to the PGPub mailbox at pgpub@uspto.gov .
When referring a call or e-mail to the PGPub Division, in addition to the applicant's question(s), please include the following information:
- applicant's name
- applicant's telephone number
- applicants e-mail (if possible)
- application serial number
Weekly projections of applications to be published can be accessed at: http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/pubs/pgpubapp.html
More about 18-month Publication..
Still need more assistance? For legal questions that cannot be answered from information provided in the 18-month Publication Frequently Asked Questions and Answers and the PBG - Final Rule documents please contact a Legal Advisor by calling 571.272.7701 or e-mailing: PatentPractice@uspto.gov
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Processing of after-allowance papers
Fees, drawings, or other papers filed after allowance, should be forwarded to:
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Tip: To expedite processing of CPA or RCE papers, send promptly after receipt of Notice of Allowance.
If additional information is needed please contact the Application Assistance Unit at 571.272.4200 or 1.888.786.0101, or via e-mail at PubsCustomerService@uspto.gov .
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Revival of abandoned files
To challenge the abandonment of a patent file, proof of timely fee payment or submission of drawings is required. Requirement is based upon reason for abandonment. To determine which requirement is applicable please refer to the Notice of Abandonment received.
Instructions on responding to a Notice of Abandonment.
If additional assistance is needed please contact the Application Assistance Unit at 571.272.4200 or 1.888.786.0101, or via e-mail at PubsCustomerService@uspto.gov .
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Status of patent application and patent publication
For assistance in regards to the status of publication please contact the Application Assistance Unit at 571.272.4200 or 1.888.786.0101, or via e-mail at PubsCustomerService@uspto.gov .
[back to top - ODM Services listing]
Withdrawals of patent grants
To stop the issue process or to reopen prosecution of an allowed application, contact the Directors' office of the Technology Center to which the case was assigned.
The listing consisting of patent numbers that do not correspond to issued patents now may be accessed at the following Internet web page:
Images of reinstated previously withdrawn patents that were issued after 1976 can be accessed at the following web site: