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605.03 Applicant's Mailing or Post Office Address [R-2] - 600 Parts, Form, and Content of Application
605.03 Applicant's Mailing or Post Office Address [R-2]
Each applicant's mailing or post office address is required to be supplied on the oath or declaration, if not stated in an application data sheet. Applicant's mailing address means that address at which he or she customarily receives his or her mail. Either applicant's home or business address is acceptable as the mailing address. The mailing address should include the ZIP Code designation. Since the term "post office address" as previously used in 37 CFR 1.63 may be confusing, effective November 7, 2000, 37 CFR 1.63 was amended to use the term "mailing address" instead.
The object of requiring each applicant's mailing address is to enable the Office to communicate directly with the applicant if desired; hence, the address of the attorney with instruction to send communications to applicant in care of the attorney is not sufficient.
In situations where an inventor does not execute the oath or declaration and the inventor is not deceased, such as in an application filed under 37 CFR 1.47, the inventor's most recent home address must be given to enable the Office to communicate directly with the inventor as necessary.
If an oath or declaration was filed prior to December 1, 1997 and the post office address was incomplete or omitted from the oath or declaration, ** "Notice of Informal Application" or form paragraph 6.09.01 may be used to notify applicant of the deficiency of the post office address.
¶ 6.09.01 Post Office Address Omitted, Residence Given
Applicant has not given a post office address anywhere in the application papers as required by 37 CFR 1.33(a), which was in effect at the time of filing of the oath or declaration. A statement over applicant's signature providing a complete post office address is required.
Examiner Note
1. This form paragraph should only be used where the Post Office address has been omitted in an oath or declaration filed prior to December 1, 1997. Use form paragraphs 6.05 and 6.05.19 if the oath or declaration was filed on or after December 1, 1997.
2. If both the post office address and residence are incomplete, not uniform or omitted, use form paragraphs 6.05 and 6.05.02.
Oaths or declarations filed on or after December 1, 1997 must include the mailing or post office address of each inventor. Effective November 7, 2000 the mailing address of each inventor may be provided in an application data sheet. See 37 CFR 1.63(c) and 37 CFR 1.76. In an application filed before November 29, 2000, the Office of Initial Patent Examination (OIPE) will normally indicate the omission of an inventor's mailing address on **>a< "Notice of Informal Application," requiring a new oath or declaration when the form is sent out with an Office action. For utility and plant applications filed on or after November 29, 2000, applicant's mailing address may be needed for any patent application publication. If the mailing address of any inventor has been omitted, OIPE will notify applicant of the omission and require the omitted mailing address in response to the notice. If the examiner notes that the mailing or post office address has not been included in an oath or declaration filed on or after December 1, 1997, ** and the mailing address is not provided in an application data sheet, form paragraphs 6.05 (reproduced in MPEP § 605.01) and 6.05.19 may be used to notify applicant that the mailing or post office address has been omitted from the oath or declaration.
**>¶ 6.05.19 Mailing Address Omitted
It does not identify the mailing address of each inventor. A mailing address is an address at which an inventor customarily receives his or her mail and may be either a home or business address. The mailing address should include the ZIP Code designation. The mailing address may be provided in an application data sheet or a supplemental oath or declaration. See 37 CFR 1.63(c) and 37 CFR 1.76.
Examiner Note
This paragraph must be preceded by form paragraph 6.05.
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