Status of Office of Public Records Services

   The Office of Public Records (OPR) processes and fills orders for both
certified and uncertified copies of Patent and Trademark Office
documents and records assignments and other documents related to title.
This is an update of actual processing time for orders/requests filled
during the month of October 1999:

Document Services

Certified Documents                     Goal            Actual
                                                        Processing
                                                        Time

Patent Application-As-Filed,             7 days          5 days
Expedited
Patent Application-As-Filed,            17 days          8 days
Regular
Patent Related File Wrapper             25 days         45 days*
Patent Copy                             10 days          5 days
Patent Assignments                      10 days          6 days

Trademark Application-As-                7 days          5 days
Filed, Expedited
Trademark Application-As-               17 days          8 days
Filed, Regular
Trademark Related File                  25 days         27 days*
Wrapper
Trademark Assignments                   10 days          7 days
Trademark Registration,                  5 days          5 days
Expedited
Trademark Registration,                 14 days          7 days
Regular

Uncertified Documents                   Goal            Actual
                                                        Processing
                                                        Time

Express Patent Copies                    3 hours         1 hour
Special Patent Copies                   24 hours        20 hours
Regular Patent Copies                    3 days          3 days
Plant Patents                            3 days          2 days
Patent Assignments                      10 days          5 days
Patent Related File Wrapper             25 days         17 days*
Express Trademark Copies                 3 hours         0 hours
Special Trademark Copies                24 hours        18 hours
Regular Trademark Copies                 3 days          2 days
Trademark Assignments                   10 days          2 days
Trademark Related File Wrappers         25 days         19 days*

* Includes turnaround times for files on official search and file
reconstruction.

During the month of October 1999, a total of 18,550 public orders
(29,643 copies) were filled and closed, or 7,147 orders more (9,459
copies less) than the FY-00 planning number of 11,403 orders (39,102
copies) to be closed for this month. The average turnaround times for
products remain in expected ranges.

Due to varying availability of media, customers will not be advised when
orders are not delivered within the published goal periods. However,
customers will be advised if any unexpected delay in their order has
been identified. Customers should use the above actual days to mail for
each product as a guide as to when they can expect their orders. In
determining expected delivery times, the day an order is received in the
Office is calculated as "day zero." The next business day is "day one."

Delivery of any specific copy will vary based on the availability of
scanned images, microfilm products, and/or file accessibility. On June
10, 1997, the Office published an Official Gazette Notice entitled
"Changes in Practice in Supplying Certified Copies and Filing Receipts"
(1199 OG 39) which advised customers who place orders for certified
copies of patent applications-as-filed not to request them until the
official filing receipt is received; images and related bibliographic
data are not available to Certification Division until the filing
receipt is generated by the Office of Initial Patent Examination.

Customers are encouraged to fax orders for copies directly to
Dissemination Support Division at (703) 308-9759 and to pay by PTO
Deposit Account, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover.
Information on the status of pending orders may be obtained by calling
(703) 308-9726 or 1 (800) 972-6382 (outside the Washington, DC Metro
area), or via E-mail: certdiv@uspto.gov.

Assignment Services

The Assignment Division is currently mailing recordation notices for
documents received in the Office of Public Records on September 1, 1999.
The cycle time to process, record, and mail notices is 60 calendar days.

November 3, 1999                                           WESLEY H. GEWEHR
                                              Administrator for Information
                                                              Dissemination