"Kind Codes" Included on 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 addition, some kind codes assigned to existing USPTO patent documents
were changed due to the upcoming introduction of USPTO patent application
publications resulting from the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999
(AIPA). The first patent application publications are expected to be
published in Mid-March 2001. Thereafter, patent application publications
will be published weekly on Thursday. An example of the front page of a
utility patent application publication follows this notice. Additional
information on the AIPA, including the rules pertaining to publication of
patent applications, is posted on the USPTO web site at:
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/aipa/index.htm.
The tables below give a summary of the kind codes which are no longer
being used on certain published patent documents as well as a summary of
the kind codes which will be used on published patent documents after
January 2, 2001. 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.
Summary of USPTO Kind Codes No Longer Used As of
January 2, 2001*
WIPO ST.16 Kind of document Comments
Kind Codes
A Patent Kind code replaced by
B1 or B2
P Plant Patent Kind code replaced by
P2 or P3
B1, B2, B3 . . . Reexamination Kind code replaced by
Certificate C1, C2, C3 . . .
*See the table below for the new uses for codes B1 and B2 beginning
January 2, 2001.
Summary of USPTO Kind Codes Used on Documents
Published Beginning January 2, 2001
WIPO ST.16 Kind of document Comments
Kind Codes
A1 Patent Application Pre-grant publication
Publication available March 2001
A2 Patent Application Pre-grant publication
Publication available March 2001
(Republication)
A9 Patent Application Pre-grant publication
Publication available March 2001
(Corrected Publication)
B1 Patent No previously
published pre-grant
publication
B2 Patent Having a previously
published pre-grant
publication and
available March 2001
C1, C2, C3 . . . Reexamination Previously used
Certificate codes B1 and B2
are now used
for granted Patents
E Reissue Patent No change
H Statutory Invention No change
Registration (SIR)
P1 Plant Patent Pre-grant publication
Application available March 2001
Publication
P2 Plant Patent No previously
published pre-grant
publication
P3 Plant Patent Having a previously
published pre-grant
publication and
available March 2001
P4 Plant Patent Pre-grant publication
Application available after
Publication March 2001
(Republication)
P9 Plant Patent Pre-grant publication
Application available March 2001
Publication
(Corrected
Publication)
S Design Patent No change
Questions concerning this notice should be directed to Robert Saifer, by
telephone at (703) 308-6853, by facsimile to (703) 308-6879, marked to the
attention of Robert Saifer, or via e-mail to robert.saifer@uspto.gov.
Jan. 22, 2001 STEPHEN G. KUNIN
Deputy Commissioner for Patent
Examination Policy
To see mockup of the front page of a Patent Application Publication
refer to the Official Gazette.