"Kind Codes" Included on the USPTO Patent Documents

On January 2, 2001, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began printing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standard ST.16 code on each of its published patent documents. WIPO Standard ST.16 codes (kind codes) include a letter, and in many cases a number, used to distinguish the kind of patent document (e.g., publication of an application for a utility patent (patent application publication), patent, plant patent application publication, plant patent, or design patent) and the level of publication (e.g., first publication, second publication, or corrected publication). Detailed information on Standard ST.16 and the use of kind codes by patent offices throughout the world is available on the WIPO web site at http://www.wipo.int/scit/en , under the links for WIPO standards and other documentation.

In accordance with the America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA), the USPTO created new post-grant procedure publications, resulting in new kind codes being established. The new post-grant procedure publications include supplemental examination certificates, post-grant review certificates, inter partes review certificates, and derivation certificates. Each type of certificate will have a new kind code. Additional information on the AIA is posted on the USPTO web site at: http://www.uspto.gov/aia_implementation/index.jsp

The tables below show a summary of the kind codes no longer used as of January 2, 2001; a summary of the kind codes used on documents published beginning January 2, 2001; and a summary of new kind codes added as a result of the America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA). It is recommended that USPTO documents be identified by the following three elements: 1) the two-character country code (US for United States of America); 2) the patent or publication number; and 3) the WIPO ST.16 kind code. For example, "US 7,654,321 B1" for U.S. Patent No. 7,654,321 where there was no previously-published patent application publication, and "US 2003/1234567 A1" for U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/1234567, published in 2003. Each year the numbering of published patent applications will begin again with the new four digit year and the number 0000001, so the number of a patent application publication must include an associated year.

*See the table below for the new uses for codes B1 and B2 beginning January 2, 2001.

Questions concerning this notice should be directed to Christopher Kim, by telephone at (571) 272-7980, by facsimile to (571) 270-9638, marked to the attention of Christopher Kim.