Electronic Publication of
                       Certificates of Correction on the
                  United States Patent and Trademark Office
              Web Site with Later Listing in the Official Gazette


   Beginning in September of 2001, pursuant to 35 U.S.C.
10(a), 254, and 255, and 37 CFR 1.322 and 1.323, the United States
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will begin to publish on the USPTO
web site at http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/certofcorrect
a listing by patent number of the patents for which certificates of
correction are being issued.

   The USPTO is now automating the publication process for
certificates of correction. This new process will result in
certificates of correction being published quicker electronically on
the USPTO's web site as compared to their paper publication and the
listing of the certificates of correction in the Official Gazette
of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Patents (Official
Gazette). Under the newly automated process, each issue of
certificates of correction will be electronically published on the
USPTO web site at
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/certofcorrect, and will
also subsequently be listed in the Official Gazette (and in
the Official Gazette Notices posted at
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og) approximately
three weeks thereafter. The listing of certificates of correction in
the Official Gazette will include the certificate's date of
issuance.

   On the date on which the listing of certificates of correction
is electronically published on the USPTO web site: (1) the certificate
of correction will be entered into the file wrapper of the patent and
will be available to the public; (2) a printed copy of the certificate
of correction will be mailed to the patentee or the patent's assignee;
and (3) an image of the printed certificate of correction will be added
to the image of the patent on the patent database at
http://www.uspto.gov/patft. Dissemination of all other
paper copies of the certificate of correction will occur shortly
thereafter.

   The date on which the USPTO makes the certificate of correction
available to the public (e.g., by adding the certificate of correction
to the file wrapper) will be regarded as the date of issuance of the
certificate of correction, not the date of the certificate of
correction appearing in the Official Gazette. Certificates
of correction published in the above-described manner will provide the
public with prompt notice and access and is consistent with the
legislative intent behind the American Inventors Protection Act of
1999. See 35 U.S.C.    10(a) (authorizing the USPTO Director
to publish in electronic form).

   The listing of certificates of correction can be electronically
accessed on the day of issuance at
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/certofcorrect. The
electronic image of the printed certificate of correction can be
accessed on the patent database at
http://www.uspto.gov/patft and the listing of the
certificates of correction, as published in the Official Gazette
three weeks later, will be electronically accessible at
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og.

   Questions concerning this notice should be directed to Mary
Louise McAskill, Manager, Statistical Analysis Division, Office of
Patent Publication, by telephone at (703) 305-8263, by facsimile at
(703) 305-4372, or by e-mail at marylouise.mcaskill@uspto.gov.

July 5, 2001                                               STEPHEN G. KUNIN
                                             Deputy Commissioner for Patent
                                                         Examination Policy