[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 37, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 37CFR1.8]

[Page 18-19]
 
              TITLE 37--PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AND COPYRIGHTS
 
  CHAPTER I--UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF 
                                COMMERCE
 
PART 1--RULES OF PRACTICE IN PATENT CASES--Table of Contents
 
                      Subpart A--General Provisions
 
Sec. 1.8  Certificate of mailing or transmission.

    (a) Except in the cases enumerated in paragraph (a)(2) of this 
section, correspondence required to be filed in the Patent and Trademark 
Office within a set period of time will be considered as being timely 
filed if the procedure described in this section is followed. The actual 
date of receipt will be used for all other purposes.
    (1) Correspondence will be considered as being timely filed if:
    (i) The correspondence is mailed or transmitted prior to expiration 
of the set period of time by being:
    (A) Addressed as set out in Sec. 1.1(a) and deposited with the U.S. 
Postal Service with sufficient postage as first class mail; or
    (B) Transmitted by facsimile to the Patent and Trademark Office in 
accordance with Sec. 1.6(d); and
    (ii) The correspondence includes a certificate for each piece of 
correspondence stating the date of deposit or transmission. The person 
signing the certificate should have reasonable basis to expect that the 
correspondence would be mailed or transmitted on or before the date 
indicated.
    (2) The procedure described in paragraph (a)(1) of this section does 
not apply to, and no benefit will be given to a Certificate of Mailing 
or Transmission on the following:
    (i) Relative to Patents and Patent Applications--
    (A) The filing of a national patent application specification and 
drawing or other correspondence for the purpose of obtaining an 
application filing date, including a request for a continued prosecution 
application under Sec. 1.53(d);
    (B) The filing of correspondence in an interference which an 
examiner-in-chief orders to be filed by hand or ``Express Mail'';
    (C) The filing of agreements between parties to an interference 
under 35 U.S.C. 135(c);
    (D) The filing of an international application for patent;
    (E) The filing of correspondence in an international application 
before the U.S. Receiving Office, the U.S. International Searching 
Authority, or the U.S. International Preliminary Examining Authority;
    (F) The filing of a copy of the international application and the 
basic national fee necessary to enter the national stage, as specified 
in Sec. 1.495(b).
    (ii) Relative to Trademark Registrations and Trademark Applications-
-
    (A) The filing of a trademark application.
    (B)-(F) [Reserved]
    (iii) Relative to Disciplinary Proceedings--

[[Page 19]]

    (A) Correspondence filed in connection with a disciplinary 
proceeding under part 10 of this chapter.
    (B) [Reserved]
    (b) In the event that correspondence is considered timely filed by 
being mailed or transmitted in accordance with paragraph (a) of this 
section, but not received in the Patent and Trademark Office, and the 
application is held to be abandoned or the proceeding is dismissed, 
terminated, or decided with prejudice, the correspondence will be 
considered timely if the party who forwarded such correspondence:
    (1) Informs the Office of the previous mailing or transmission of 
the correspondence promptly after becoming aware that the Office has no 
evidence of receipt of the correspondence;
    (2) Supplies an additional copy of the previously mailed or 
transmitted correspondence and certificate; and
    (3) Includes a statement which attests on a personal knowledge basis 
or to the satisfaction of the Director to the previous timely mailing or 
transmission. If the correspondence was sent by facsimile transmission, 
a copy of the sending unit's report confirming transmission may be used 
to support this statement.
    (c) The Office may require additional evidence to determine if the 
correspondence was timely filed.

[58 FR 54502, Oct. 22, 1993; 58 FR 64154, Dec. 6, 1993, as amended at 61 
FR 56447, Nov. 1, 1996; 62 FR 53181, Oct. 10, 1997; 67 FR 523, Jan. 4, 
2002]