MPEP

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450

MANUAL OF PATENT EXAMINING PROCEDURE

Eighth Edition

Instructions Regarding Revision No. 4

This revision incorporates the changes necessitated by the following final rules:

Changes To Implement the Cooperative Research and Technology Enhancement Act of 2004, which became effective on September 14, 2005.

This revision consists of replacement pages for the Title Page in the front of the Manual, entire Chapter 2300, Appendices II List of Decisions Cited, R Patent Rules, and AI Administrative Instructions Under the PCT, and entire Index.

Pages which have been printed in this revision are labeled as Rev. 4 on the bottom. Sections of the Manual that have been changed by this revision are indicated by [R-4] after the section title. Additions to the text of the Manual are indicated by arrows (><) inserted in the text. Deletions are indicated by a single asterisk (*) where a single word was deleted and by two asterisks (**) where more than one word was deleted. The use of three or five asterisks in the body of the laws and rules indicates a portion of the law or rule that was not reproduced.

Chapter 2300 was prepared with the assistance of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.

Magdalen Y. C. Greenlief, Editor of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure

Remove Pages	Insert Pages


Title Page	Title Page
2300-1 through 2300-38	2300-1 through 2300-24



A-7 through A-48	A-7 through A-48
R-1 through R-334	R-1 through R-334
AI-1 through AI-94	AI-1 through AI-92
I-1 through I-112	I-1 through I-112

Particular attention is called to the changes in the following sections:

CHAPTER 2300:

2301 2309 Chapter 2300 has been rewritten to incorporate the new Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences rules that became effective on September 13, 2004. The rules directed to interferences are in Part 41, Subparts D and E of title 37, Code of Federal Regulations.