MPEP Section 317.02, Correction of >Unrecorded< Returned Documents and Cover Sheets

Executive summary:

This document contains Section 317.02 ("Correction of >Unrecorded< Returned Documents and Cover Sheets ") of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (the "M.P.E.P."), Eighth Edition, Seventh Revision (July 2008). This page was last updated in November 2009. You may return to the section index to find a particular section. Alternatively, you may search the MPEP using the search box that appears on the left side of every page of BitLaw--you may restrict your search to the MPEP on the search results page.

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317.02 Correction of >Unrecorded< Returned Documents and Cover Sheets [R-3]

Assignment documents and cover sheets>, or copies of the same,< which are returned by Assignment Division will be stamped with the original date of receipt by the Office and will be accompanied by a letter which will indicate that if the returned papers are corrected and resubmitted to the Office within the time specified in the letter, the Office will consider the original date of receipt of the papers as the date of recording of the document. See  37 CFR 3.51. The certification procedure under 37 CFR 1.8 or the "Express Mail" procedure under 37 CFR 1.10 may be used for resubmissions of returned papers to obtain the benefit of the date of deposit in the United States Postal Service >to establish that the papers were returned within the time period specified. Instead of mailing or faxing the returned documents and cover sheets, the returned documents may be resubmitted using the Electronic Patent Assignment System<. If the returned papers are not corrected and resubmitted within the specified period, the date of receipt of the corrected papers will be considered to be the date of recording of the document. The specified period to resubmit the returned papers will not be extended.