[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 37, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 1999]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 37CFR1.11]

[Page 18-19]
 
             TITLE 37--PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AND COPYRIGHTS
 
    CHAPTER I--PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 
PART 1--RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES--Table of Contents
 
                      Subpart A--General Provisions
 
Sec. 1.11  Files open to the public.

    (a) After a patent has been issued or a statutory invention 
registration has been published, the specification, drawings and all 
papers relating to the case in the file of the patent or statutory 
invention registration are open to inspection by the public, and copies 
may be obtained upon paying the fee therefor. See Sec. 2.27 for 
trademark files.
    (b) All reissue applications, all applications in which the Office 
has accepted a request to open the complete application to inspection by 
the public, and related papers in the application file, are open to 
inspection by the public, and copies may be furnished upon paying the 
fee therefor. The filing of reissue applications, other than continued 
prosecution applications under Sec. 1.53(d) of reissue applications, 
will be announced in the Official Gazette. The announcement shall 
include at least the filing date, reissue application and original 
patent numbers, title, class and subclass, name of the inventor, name of 
the owner of record, name of the attorney or agent of record, and 
examining group to which the reissue application is assigned.
    (c) All requests for reexamination for which the fee under 
Sec. 1.20(c) has been paid, will be announced in the Official Gazette. 
Any reexaminations at the initiative of the Commissioner pursuant to 
Sec. 1.520 will also be announced in the Official Gazette. The 
announcement

[[Page 19]]

shall include at least the date of the request, if any, the 
reexamination request control number or the Commissioner initiated order 
control number, patent number, title, class and subclass, name of the 
inventor, name of the patent owner of record, and the examining group to 
which the reexamination is assigned.
    (d) All papers or copies thereof relating to a reexamination 
proceeding which have been entered of record in the patent or 
reexamination file are open to inspection by the general public, and 
copies may be furnished upon paying the fee therefor.
    (e) The file of any interference involving a patent, a statutory 
invention registration, a reissue application, or an application on 
which a patent has been issued or which has been published as a 
statutory invention registration, is open to inspection by the public, 
and copies may be obtained upon paying the fee therefor, if:
    (1) The interference has terminated or
    (2) An award of priority or judgment has been entered as to all 
parties and all counts.


(35 U.S.C. 6; 15 U.S.C. 1113, 1123)

[46 FR 29181, May 29, 1981, as amended at 47 FR 41272, Sept. 17, 1982; 
50 FR 9378, Mar. 7, 1985; 60 FR 14518, Mar. 17, 1995; 62 FR 53181, Oct. 
10, 1997]