| General Information |
Referenced Items (94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116) |
(94) Notice of Change to Docketing of
Requests for Continued Examination
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) plans to begin
placing requests for continued examination on the examiner's "Special New"
application docket. The "Special New" application docket includes
divisional applications, continuation applications, and applications that
have been accorded special status under 37 C.F.R. § 1.102. The USPTO
currently places requests for continued examination on the examiner's
amended docket.
The USPTO will change the docketing of requests for continued
examination by placing any application in which a request for continued
examination is filed on or after November 15, 2009, on the examiner's
"Special New" application docket. The USPTO will place any request for
continued examination filed before November 15, 2009, on the examiner's
amended docket.
The change to the docketing of requests for continued examination means
that examiners are no longer required to act on a request for continued
examination within two months of the entry of the request for continued
examination on their docket. This change to the docketing of requests for
continued examination is being made to allow examiners greater flexibility
in managing their workload and allocating their time among requests for
continued examination and new applications.
This notice does not change the treatment of a request for continued
examination that does not comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 132(b)
and 37 C.F.R. § 1.114.
September 19, 2009 DAVID J. KAPPOS
Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
[1348 OG 241]
Top of Notices (94) December 29, 2009