PHOSITA® : /s/ - the blogger formerly know as douglas sorocco

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September 21, 2004

/s/ - the blogger formerly know as douglas sorocco

The USPTO has adopted "/s/" signatures, otherwise known as "S-signatures" in its Final Rule to implement "Changes To Support Implementation of the United States Patent and Trademark Office 21st Century Strategic Plan". CFR link here.

Section 1.4(d)(2) creates an S-signature, which is defined as a
signature inserted between forward slash marks, but not a handwritten signature as defined by Sec. Sec. 1.4(d)(1) or (e). An S-signature includes any signature made by electronic or mechanical means, and any other mode of making or applying a signature not covered by either a personally signed handwritten signature permitted under Sec. Sec. 1.4(d)(1) or (e), or an Electronic Filing System (EFS) character coded signature permitted under Sec. 1.4(d)(3). The S-signature of Sec. 1.4(d)(2) can be utilized with correspondence filed in the Office in paper, by facsimile transmission as provided in Sec. 1.6(d), or via the Office Electronic Filing System as an EFS Tag(ged) Image File Format (TIFF) attachment, for a patent application, patent, or a reexamination proceeding. The S-signature must be in permanent dark ink or its equivalent.

Thanks to beSpacific for cutting through all the clutter to get to the heart of the Final Rule.

9-23-04 UPDATE: Patently Obvious has a great post explaining the other rule changes issued by the USPTO in addition to the S-signature.

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