2803.02 Public Access [R-07.2022]

The Office does not intend to provide the public with access, by Patent Center or otherwise, to a request for supplemental examination, or to any papers or information submitted as part of or accompanying the request, until the request is granted a filing date by the Office.

After a filing date has been accorded the request, supplemental examination files are open to inspection by the general public by way of Patent Center which is available on the USPTO’s Internet site, www.uspto.gov. See MPEP § 2232 (access guidance). Copies of non-patent literature (NPL) cited in the proceeding, however, will not be available via Patent Center and must be ordered as set forth below.

If a copy of the supplemental examination file or NPL cited in the proceeding is desired, it may be ordered from the Patent and Trademark Copy Fulfillment Branch (PTCFB) of the Public Records Division (PRD) upon payment of the applicable fee after the request for supplemental examination has been granted a filing date.

Orders for such copies must indicate the control number of the proceeding. It is preferred that orders be made through the PTCFB’s Certified Copy Center storefront at https://certifiedcopycenter.uspto.gov. Alternatively, orders may be addressed to:

Mail Stop Patent and Trademark Copy Fulfillment Branch
Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

In addition, after the request for supplemental examination has been granted a filing date, a request for a copy of the file may also be sent via email to: dsd@uspto.gov, and the fee for the copy may be charged to a credit card or deposit account.