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704.14(d) Relationship to Information Disclosure Statements - 700 Examination of Applications
704.14(d) Relationship to Information Disclosure Statements
The initial reply, if responsive to the requirement for information under 37 CFR 1.105 and submitted within the original time period for reply including any extensions of time, does not have to satisfy the fee and/or certification requirements of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. Applicant should list the references on a copy of Form PTO-1449 or PTO/SB/08 to have the citations entered in the record. Any replies made subsequent to the initial reply must meet the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 as appropriate.
Any submission of art beyond the scope of a requirement for information under 37 CFR 1.105 is a submission of art under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 and MPEP § 609, and must meet the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 for the art to be considered.
Where information is submitted in a reply to a requirement under 37 CFR 1.105, the examiner may NOT make the next Office action relying on that art final unless all instances of the application of such art are necessitated by amendment. This section explicitly distinguishes the practice following a reply under 37 CFR 1.105 from the practice in MPEP § 609 (paragraph B(2)) and MPEP § 706.07(a) following a submission of an Information Disclosure Statement under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
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