The Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy (PEP) establishes patent examination and documentation policy standards for the Commissioner for Patents. The Office also develops new rules, practices, and procedures; reviews and revises the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure; and trains examiners on legal issues. Further, the Office has been delegated authority by the Under Secretary and Director to decide patent related petitions.
To learn more about the individual offices that comprise the Patent Examination Policy organization, please visit the Patent Examination Policy organization pages.
Announcements and upcoming events
Patent Examination Policy functions
- Manual of Patent Examining Procedure related resources and FAQs
- Patent Legal Administration services, related resources, and FAQs
- Petition services, related resources, and FAQs
Resources and reference materials
- Initiatives
- Events
- Fee schedules
- Forms
- Examination guidance and training materials
- Memoranda to the Examining Corps
- Official Gazette (Patents)
- Federal Register Notices (Patents)
- Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP)
- Patent Laws [PDF]
- Patent Rules [PDF]
- Patent Electronic Business Center
- Patent Quality Assurance services, related resources, and FAQs
- Patent Term Calculator
- Update to patent examination time, application routing, and examiner performance appraisal
Contact numbers and emails for patent-related questions
See Contact Patents for a useful list of offices, telephone numbers, and email addresses.
Contacting Patent Examination Policy
It may be appropriate to contact the following PEP offices at any point of the application process (before, during, and after examination). See the Patent Application Initiative Timeline for programs and initiatives that are available to applicants during each stage of the application process.
| Office | Phone or email |
|---|---|
| Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP) | MPEPFeedback@uspto.gov |
| Office of Patent Legal Administration -- Rule changes, Patent Term Adjustment & Extension, Reexamination, AIA | 571-272-7701 (General) 571-272-7702 (PTA) 571-272-7703 (Reexamination) 571-272-7704 (AIA & special projects) |
| Office of Petitions -- Reviews and decides petitions, requests, and related inquiries, regarding the filing of patent applications | 571-272-3282 |
Related Websites
- Leahy-Smith America Invents Act implementaion (AIA)
- USPTO executive biographies
- Office of Commissioner for Patents
- International Patent Legal Administration services, related resources, and FAQs
- Inventor and entrepreneur resources with special guidance for those new to patents and trademarks, advice on scam prevention, outreach, training, and access to both pro se (self-representing) and pro bono (free) legal assistance.
- Finding a patent practitioner (searchable register of active patent practitioners)
- Office of Quality Assurance (responsible for overall assessment and measurement of patent examination quality at the USPTO)
Call 571-272-1000 for general inquiries. For specific patent applications, please contact the Patents Ombudsman Office). - Patent Trial and Appeal Board
- USPTO Subscription Center (news and alerts via e-mail)