United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 26 August 2003

                        Notice of Availability of the
                   Patent and Trademark Assignments on the
                       Web System on the United States
                     Patent and Trademark Office Web Site

   Notice is hereby given that on or about September 29, 2003, the
Patent and Trademark Assignments on the Web System will be made
available on the United States Patent and Trademark Office web site at
www.uspto.gov.

   Current United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
electronic databases available to the public on the USPTO web site
display assignment information provided by the applicant at the time of
patent grant, patent application publication, or trademark
registration. This information may not have been recorded with the
USPTO. Recorded assignment information has only been available on-site
in the USPTO search facilities in Arlington, Virginia, resulting in
limited public access. The USPTO plans to expand access to recorded
assignment information maintained in the USPTO assignment databases
through the USPTO website.

   Providing the public with electronic access to recorded
assignment information via the Internet is in accordance with the
USPTO's continuing commitment to e-Government. Specifically,
availability of this information continues USPTO's successful efforts
to place patent and trademark information on the web site for public
access. Access to recorded assignment records complements the patent
and trademark data records currently available on the USPTO web site.

   The Patent and Trademark Assignments on the Web System will
provide access to assignment information recorded at the USPTO for
patent application publications, patent grants, trademark applications,
and trademark registrations. All patent assignments recorded at the
USPTO after August 1980 and all trademark assignments recorded at the
USPTO after 1955 can be accessed through this system. The Patent and
Trademark Assignments on the Web System will be updated in a real time
environment, within minutes after a patent or trademark assignment is
recorded.

   The Patent and Trademark Assignments on the Web System provides
all publicly available information recorded at the USPTO related to
each assignment recordation. If multiple properties (patent or
trademark) are associated with a particular assignment recordation, the
system displays all data within that assignment provided the
information is open to public inspection. Data from pending patents is
redacted (omitted) in the display. In addition, if a patent or
trademark property has been recorded in the USPTO more than once, all
recorded assignment data will be retrieved and displayed.
Cross-references to additional details associated with the assignor
and/or assignee names will also be available.

   The Patent and Trademark Assignments on the Web System offers
searching by indexed search fields related to recorded assignment
documents. Searchable patent assignment fields are: patent number,
publication number, assignor name, assignee name, and reel/frame
number. Searchable trademark assignment fields are: serial number,
registration number, assignee name, assignor name, applicant name,
registrant name, and reel/frame number. The search results for both
patents and trademarks will display the reel/frame number, property
numbers, conveyance data, assignor name, assignee name, correspondence
address, and recorded and execution dates. Unique patent bibliographic
information associated with the assignment that will be displayed is
the issue or publication date and the inventor. Unique trademark
bibliographic information associated with the assignment that will be
displayed is the registration date and the applicant.

   Information available in the Patent and Trademark Assignments
on the Web System is based on the data provided to the Assignment
Division in the Office of Public Records. USPTO does not make a
determination as to validity of the assignment submitted for
recordation. Additionally there is no effort to standardize names of
assignors or assignees; names are recorded as provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Customer Information
Services by e-mail at CIS@uspto.gov, by telephone at (800) 786-9199,
or by fax at (703) 306-2737.

                                                              KAY H. MELVIN
                                                              Executive for
                                              Customer Information Services