Patents: Post Allowance and Refiling

The Federal Register Volume 78, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2013)[Page 52510] contains a comment request concerning patent applications:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is required by 35 U.S.C. 131 and 151 to examine applications and, when appropriate, allow applications and issue them as patents. When an application for a patent is allowed by the USPTO, the USPTO issues a notice of allowance and the applicant must pay the specified issue fee (including the publication fee, if applicable) within three months to avoid abandonment of the application. This collection of information also encompasses several actions that may be taken after issuance of a patent, pursuant to Chapter 25 of Title 35 U.S.C. A certificate of correction may be requested to correct an error or errors in the patent. For an original patent that is believed to be wholly or partly inoperative or invalid, the assignee(s) or inventor(s) may apply for reissue of the patent, which entails several formal requirements, including provision of an oath or declaration specifically identifying at least one error being relied upon as the basis for reissue and stating the reason for the belief that the original patent is wholly or partly inoperative or invalid (e.g., a defective specification or drawing, or claiming more or less than the patentee had the right to claim in the patent). The public uses this information collection to request corrections of errors in issued patents, to submit applications for reissue patents, and to submit issue fee payments.

See the complete notice at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-08-23/pdf/2013-20537.pdf