2822 Assignment of the Supplemental Examination Proceeding [R-11.2013]

Supplemental examination requests will be assigned to the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) in the same manner in which reexamination requests are assigned. The CRU art unit which examines the technology (Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.) in which the patent to be examined is currently classified as an original patent, will be assigned the supplemental examination request. In that art unit, the CRU Supervisory Patent Examiner (SPE) will assign the request to a primary examiner, other than the examiner who originally examined the patent application, who is most familiar with the claimed subject matter of the patent. See, generally, MPEP § 2236.

Although the number of supplemental examination requests which must be transferred to another examiner should be very small, the procedures established for transferring reexamination proceedings will be generally followed when transferring supplemental examination proceedings. See MPEP § 2237.