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605.04(b) One Full Given Name Required [R-7] - 600 Parts, Form, and Content of Application
605.04(b) One Full Given Name Required [R-7]
37 CFR 1.63(a)(2) requires that each inventor be identified by full name, including the family name, and at least one given name without abbreviation together with any other given name or initial in the oath or declaration. For example, if the applicant"s full name is "John Paul Doe," either "John P. Doe" or "J. Paul Doe" is acceptable.
Form paragraphs 6.05 (reproduced in MPEP § 602.03) and 6.05.18 may be used to notify applicant that the oath or declaration is defective because the full given name of each inventor has not been adequately stated.
¶ 6.05.18 Full Given Name Is Not Set ForthThe full name of each inventor (family name and at least one given name together with any initial) has not been set forth.
Examiner Note:
This paragraph must be preceded by paragraph 6.05.
A situation may arise where an inventor's full given name is a singular letter, or is a plurality of singular letters. For example, an inventor's full given name may be "J. Doe" or "J.P. Doe," i.e., the "J" and the "P" are not initials. In such a situation, identifying the inventor by his or her family name and the singular letter(s) is acceptable, since that is the inventor's full given name. In order to avoid an objection under 37 CFR1.63(a)(2), applicant should point out in the oath or declaration that the singular lettering set forth is the inventor's given name. A statement to this effect, accompanying the filing of the oath or declaration, will also be acceptable. Without such a statement, the examiner should treat the singular letter(s) as an abbreviation of the inventor's given name and should object to the oath or declaration using the appropriate form paragraphs. Applicant may overcome this objection by filing a responsive statement that the singular letter(s) is/are the inventor's given name(s).
In an application where the name is typewritten with a middle name or initial, but the signature does not contain such middle name or initial, the typewritten version of the name will be used as the inventor's name for the purposes of the application and any patent that may issue from the application. No objection should be made in this instance, since the inventor's signature may differ from his or her legal name. Except for correction of a typographical or transliteration error in the spelling of an inventor's name, a request to have the name changed from the typewritten version to the signed version or any other corrections in the name of the inventor(s) will not be entertained, unless accompanied by a petition under 37 CFR 1.182 together with an appropriate petition fee. Since amendments are not permitted after the payment of the issue fee (37 CFR 1.312), a petition under 37 CFR 1.182 to change the name of the inventor cannot be granted if filed after the payment of the issue fee. The petition should be directed to the attention of the Office of Petitions. Upon granting of the petition, if the application is maintained in paper, the left margin of the original oath or declaration should be marked in red ink "See paper No. ___ for correction of the inventor's name," and the application should be sent to the Office of **>Patent Application Processing (OPAP)< for correction of its records, unless the application is an application with an application data sheet (e.g., an 09/ series application), in which case the Office of Petitions will correct the Office computer records and print a new bibliographic data sheet. If the application is assigned, it will be forwarded by *>OPAP< or the Office of Petitions to the Assignment Division for a change in the assignment record.
When a typographical or transliteration error in the spelling of an inventor's name is discovered during pendency of an application, a petition is not required, nor is a new oath or declaration under 37 CFR 1.63 needed. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to use an application data sheet such that any patent to issue will reflect the correct spelling of the inventor's name. Without an application data sheet with the corrected spelling, any patent to issue is less likely to reflect the correct spelling since the spelling of the inventor's name is taken from the oath or declaration, or any subsequently filed application data sheet.
If the error is not detected until after the payment of the issue fee, because amendments are not permitted after the payment of the issue fee, either (A) the application must be withdrawn from issue under 37 CFR 1.313(c)(2) and a request to correct the spelling of the inventor's name submitted with a request for continued examination (RCE) under 37 CFR 1.114, or (B) a certificate of correction must be filed after the patent issues requesting correction of the spelling of the inventor's name.
When any correction or change is effected, the Office computer records must be changed. If the application is maintained in paper, the change should be noted on the original oath or declaration by writing in red ink in the left column "See Paper No. __ for inventorship changes." See MPEP §§ 201.03 and 605.04(g). If the application is an Image File Wrapper (IFW) application, after the Office records are corrected, a new bib-data sheet must be printed and added to the IFW.
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