United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 25 March 2003

         Closing of the United States Patent and Trademark Office on
                          Tuesday, February 18, 2003

   In view of the official closing of the Federal Government
offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the United
States Patent and Trademark Office, on Tuesday, February 18, 2003, the
United States Patent and Trademark Office will consider February 18,
2003, a "Federal holiday within the District of Columbia" under 35
U.S.C.  21 and 37 C.F.R.   1.6, 1.7 and 1.9. Any action or fee due
on February 18, 2003, will be considered as timely for the purposes of,
e.g., 35 U.S.C. 119, 120, 133 and 151, if the action is taken, or the
fee paid, on the next succeeding business day on which the United
States Patent and Trademark Office was open, that is, Wednesday,
February 19, 2003.

   37 C.F.R.    1.6(a)(2) and (4) provide that correspondence
deposited as Express Mail in accordance with 37 C.F.R.   1.10, and
trademark-related correspondence transmitted electronically, will be
considered filed on the date of deposit with the United States Postal
Service, or the date the United States Patent and Trademark Office
receives the electronic transmission, respectively. Thus, any paper or
fee properly deposited as Express Mail on Tuesday, February 18, 2003,
in accordance with 37 C.F.R.   1.10 (that is, shown by a "date-in"
of Tuesday, February 18, 2003, on the Express Mail mailing label), or
trademark-related correspondence transmitted electronically on Tuesday,
February 18, 2003, will be considered filed on its respective date
of deposit in Express Mail, or receipt of the electronic transmission.

February 24, 2003                                            JAMES E. ROGAN
                                            Under Secretary of Commerce for
                                  Intellectual Property and Director of the
                                  United States Patent and Trademark Office