Change of Address for Patent Applications
                           and Patent Related Papers

   Effective immediately, correspondence in patent-related matters under
the direction of the Assistant Commissioner for Patents should be
addressed to:

                      Assistant Commissioner for Patents
                            Washington, D.C. 20231

   This change is being made to reflect the reorganization of the Patent
and Trademark Office (PTO), and the integration of patent and trademark
processing activities under the Assistant Commissioner for Patents and the
Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks, respectively. The reorganization
has been made to emphasize and facilitate better service to customers of
the PTO.
   This change will affect correspondence such as: patent applications,
responses to notices of informality, requests for extension of time,
notices of appeal, briefs in support of an appeal, requests for oral
hearing, extensions of term of patent, requests for publication of
Statutory Invention Registration (SIR), requests for reexamination,
statutory disclaimers, petitions to the Assistant Commissioner for
Patents, submission of information disclosure statements, petitions to
institute a public use proceeding, petitions to revive abandoned patent
applications, and other correspondence related to patent applications and
patents which is processed by organizations reporting to the Assistant
Commissioner for Patents. However, unless otherwise specified,
correspondence not processed by organizations reporting to the Assistant
Commissioner for Patents, such as communications with the Board of Patent
Appeals and Interferences, patent services including certificates of
correction, patent copy sales, assignments, library services, requests for
lists of patents and SIRs in a subclass, requests for the status of
maintenance fee payments, as well as patent practitioner enrollment
matters including admission to examination, registration to practice,
certificates of good standing, and financial service matters including
establishing a deposit account should continue to be addressed to the
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.
   Special PTO mail boxes as currently listed in each issue of the
Official Gazette should also be used to allow forwarding of particular
types of mail to the appropriate areas as quickly as possible. Use of
special box designations will facilitate the PTO's timely and accurate
identification and processing of the designated correspondence.
   All correspondence with the PTO, except for communications relating to
pending litigation as specified in 37 CFR 1.1(g), may continue to be filed
directly at the Attorney's Window located in Room lB03 of Crystal Plaza
Building 2, 2011 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.
   In addition to the Office of the Solicitor, as specified in 37 CFR
1.1(g), the Office will now have three separate addresses. The addresses
are as follows: 1) Assistant Commissioner for Patents for correspondence
described above; 2) Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks for all
trademark-related mail, except for trademark documents sent to the
Assignment Branch for recordation and requests for certified and
uncertified copies of trademark documents. See: Change of Address For
Trademark Applications and Trademark Related Papers, 1163 Off. Gaz. Pat.
Office 80 (June 28, 1994); and 3) Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
for all other correspondence that does not fall into the categories
designated above.
   Those who correspond with the PTO are requested not to mix
correspondence which will have to be directed to different areas (e.g.,
Patents and Trademarks) of the Office in a single envelope. At the present
time, use of the wrong mailing address will not affect the filing date
assigned to any application or correspondence received in the PTO, except
as specified in 37 CFR 1.1(g).
   The Office is currently preparing a notice of proposed rule-making to
formally change the address for patent-related correspondence. Sections
1.1, 1.8, 1.10 and 1.51 of Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations are
waived to the extent that a certificate of mailing under section 1.8 or
1.10, for patent applications and related patent documents, may be
addressed either to the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks,
Washington, D.C. 20231, or to the Assistant Commissioner for Patents,
Washington, D.C. 20231.

March 9, 1995                                                   BRUCE A. LEHMAN
                                            Assistant Secretary of Commerce and
                                         Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks