MPEP Section 902.02, Class and Subclass Definitions

Executive summary:

This document contains Section 902.02 ("Class and Subclass Definitions ") of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (the "M.P.E.P."), Eighth Edition, Eighth Revision (July 2010). This page was last updated in January 2011. 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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902.02 Class and Subclass Definitions [R-5]

All of the utility classes (i.e., classes devoted to technology), and the plant class have definitions. All design classes will * eventually have definitions.

Definitions state the subject matter of the classes and subclasses **>in much more detail than it is possible to state in the brief< class and subclass titles. A study of the definitions is essential to determine the proper classification of subject matter within the U.S. Patent Classification System >(USPC)<.

All classes and subclasses (class definitions) in the **>USPC< are available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Search Classification Data. The Classification Home Page >(http://ptoweb:8081/)< is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner's Toolkit. The >class< definitions are archived >in portable document formats (PDFs)< to CD-ROM every June and December.

It should be noted that classification orders frequently affect existing definitions. Personal sets of definitions used by examiners should be periodically revised to reflect >these< changes. Classification Orders are available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Classification Reports. The Classification Home Page is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner's Toolkit.