909.01(b) Classification and Assignment to Examiner in CPC [R-07.2022]

Every nonprovisional utility application, new or amended, and including the drawings, if any, when first received by the USPTO must be fully classified and have C* designations assigned to those CPC symbols on the application that represent the subject matter claimed. Once the application has received these classifications, the automated routing system can assign the application to an examiner. Provisional applications are not classified or assigned since they are not examined.

Utility applications are routed to an examiner using an automated routing system. The automated routing system takes into account the CPC classifications of an application and compares them to examiner portfolios (i.e. the classification areas to which the examiner has been assigned). Additional factors, such as the size of an examiner’s docket, case backlogs within a particular classification area, and the application’s status as a continuation or divisional application are weighted by the automated system prior to assignment of the application.