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607 Filing Fee [R-5] - 600 Parts, Form, and Content of Application
607 Filing Fee [R-5]
Patent application filing fees are set in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 41 and are listed in 37 CFR 1.16.
I. BASIC FILING, SEARCH, AND EXAMINATION FEES
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (Consolidated Appropriations Act), effective December 8, 2004, provides for a separate filing fee, search fee, and examination fee during fiscal years 2005 and 2006. For nonprovisional applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) on or after December 8, 2004 (including reissue applications), the following fees are required: basic filing fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(a)(1), (b)(1), (c)(1) or (e)(1); search fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(k), (l), (m), or (n); examination fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(o), (p), (q), or (r); application size fee, if applicable (see subsection II. below); and excess claims fees, if applicable (see subsection III. below).
For nonprovisional applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) before December 8, 2004 (including reissue applications), the following fees are required: basic filing fee as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(a)(2), (b)(2), (c)(2) or (e)(2)); and excess claims fees, if applicable (see subsection III. below). No search and examination fees are required for nonprovisional applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) before December 8, 2004.
The basic filing, search and examination fees are due on filing of the nonprovisional application under 35 U.S.C. 111(a). These fees may be paid on a date later than the filing date of the application provided they are paid within the time period set forth in 37 CFR 1.53(f) and include the surcharge set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(f). For applications filed on or after December 8, 2004 but prior to July 1, 2005, which have been accorded a filing date under 37 CFR 1.53(b) or (d), if the search and/or examination fees are paid on a date later than the filing date of the application, the surcharge under 37 CFR 1.16(f) is not required. For applications filed on or after July 1, 2005, which have been accorded a filing date under 37 CFR 1.53(b) or (d), if any of the basic filing fee, the search fee, or the examination fee are paid on a date later than the filing date of the application, the surcharge under 37 CFR 1.16(f) is required.
For provisional applications filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(b), the basic filing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(d) is required. The basic filing fee is due on filing of the provisional application, but may be paid later, if paid within the time period set forth in 37 CFR 1.53(g) and accompanied by payment of a surcharge as set forth in 37 CFR 1.16(g).
For international applications entering the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371, see 37 CFR 1.492 for the required fees. See also MPEP § 1893.01(c).
See also MPEP § 1415 for reissue application fees.
II. APPLICATION SIZE FEE
The Consolidated Appropriations Act also provides for an application size fee. 37 CFR 1.16(s) sets forth the application size fee for any application (including any provisional applications and any reissue applications) filed under 35 U.S.C. 111 on or after December 8, 2004 the specification >(including claims)< and drawings of which, excluding a sequence listing or computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with the rules (see 37 CFR 1.52(f)), exceed 100 sheets of paper. The application size fee does not apply to any applications filed before December 8, 2004. The application size fee applies for each additional 50 sheets or fraction thereof over 100 sheets of paper. Any sequence listing in an electronic medium in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 37 CFR 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 1.96, will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by 37 CFR 1.16(s).
For purposes of determining the application size fee required by 37 CFR 1.16(s), for an application the specification >(including claims)< and drawings of which, excluding any sequence listing in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 37 CFR 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing filed in an electronic medium in compliance with 37 CFR 1.52(e) and 37 CFR 1.96, are submitted in whole or in part on an electronic medium other than the Office electronic filing system, each three kilobytes of content submitted on an electronic medium shall be counted as a sheet of paper. See 37 CFR 1.52(f)(1).
The paper size equivalent of the specification >(including claims)< and drawings of an application submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be considered to be seventy five percent of the number of sheets of paper present in the specification >(including claims)< and drawings of the application when entered into the Office file wrapper after being rendered by the Office electronic filing system for purposes of computing the application size fee required by 37 CFR 1.16(s). Any sequence listing in compliance with 37 CFR 1.821(c) or (e), and any computer program listing in compliance with 37 CFR 1.96, submitted via the Office electronic filing system will be excluded when determining the application size fee required by 37 CFR 1.16(s) if the listing is submitted in American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) text as part of an associated file of the application. See 37 CFR 1.52(f)(2). Sequence listings or computer program listings submitted via the Office electronic filing system in Portable Document Format (PDF) as part of the specification or as Tagg(ed) Image File Format (TIFF) drawing files would not be excluded when determining the application size fee required by 37 CFR 1.16(s).
For international applications entering the national stage where the basic national fee was not paid before December 8, 2004, see 37 CFR 1.492(j).
III. EXCESS CLAIMS FEES
37 CFR 1.16(h) sets forth the excess claims fee for each independent claim in excess of three. 37 CFR 1.16(i) sets forth the excess claims fee for each claim (whether independent or dependent) in excess of twenty. The Consolidated Appropriations Act provides that the excess claims fees specified in 35 U.S.C. 41(a)(2) shall apply only as to those claims (independent or dependent) that, after taking into account any claims that have been canceled, are in excess of the number of claims for which the excess claims fee specified in 35 U.S.C. 41 was paid before December 8, 2004. Thus, the Office will charge the excess claims fees specified in 37 CFR 1.16(h) and (i) if an applicant in an application filed before and pending on or after December 8, 2004, adds a claim (independent or total) in excess of the number of claims (independent or total) for which the excess claims fee was previously paid (under the current or previous fee schedule). The excess claims fees specified in 37 CFR 1.16(h) and (i) apply to any excess claims fee paid on or after December 8, 2004, regardless of the filing date of the application and regardless of the date on which the claim necessitating the excess claims fee payment was added to the application.
The excess claims fees specified in 37 CFR 1.16(h) and (i) also apply to all reissue applications pending on or after December 8, 2004. Under 35 U.S.C. 41(a)(2) as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the claims in the original patent are not taken into account in determining the excess claims fee for a reissue application. The excess claims fees specified in 37 CFR 1.16(h) and (i) are required for each independent claim in excess of three that is presented in a reissue application on or after December 8, 2004, and for each claim (whether independent or dependent) in excess of twenty that is presented in a reissue application on or after December 8, 2004.
Fees for a proper multiple dependent claim are calculated based on the number of claims to which the multiple dependent claim refers, 37 CFR 1.75(c), and a separate fee is required in each application containing a proper multiple dependent claim. See 37 CFR 1.16(j). For an improper multiple dependent claim, the fee charged is that charged for a single dependent claim. See MPEP § 608.01(n) for multiple dependent claims.
Upon submission of an amendment (whether entered or not) affecting the claims, payment of fees for those claims in excess of the number previously paid for is required.
Amendments before the first action, or not filed in reply to an Office action, presenting additional claims in excess of the number already paid for, not accompanied by the full additional fee due, will not be entered in whole or in part and applicant will be so advised. Such amendments filed in reply to an Office action will be regarded as not responsive thereto and the practice set forth in MPEP § 714.03 will be followed.
The additional fees, if any, due with an amendment are calculated on the basis of the claims (total and independent) which would be present, if the amendment were entered. The amendment of a claim, unless it changes a dependent claim to an independent claim or adds to the number of claims referred to in a multiple dependent claim, and the replacement of a claim by a claim of the same type, unless it is a multiple dependent claim which refers to more prior claims, do not require any additional fees.
For purposes of determining the fee due the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a claim will be treated as dependent if it contains reference to one or more other claims in the application. A claim determined to be dependent by this test will be entered if the fee paid reflects this determination.
Any claim which is in dependent form but which is so worded that it, in fact, is not a proper dependent claim, as for example it does not include every limitation of the claim on which it depends, will be required to be canceled as not being a proper dependent claim; and cancellation of any further claim depending on such a dependent claim will be similarly required. The applicant may thereupon amend the claims to place them in proper dependent form, or may redraft them as independent claims, upon payment of any necessary additional fee.
After a requirement for restriction, nonelected claims will be included in determining the fees due in connection with a subsequent amendment unless such claims are canceled.
An amendment canceling claims accompanying the papers constituting the application will be effective to diminish the number of claims to be considered in calculating the filing fees to be paid. A preliminary amendment filed concurrently with a response to a Notice To File Missing Parts of Application that required the fees set forth in 37 CFR 1.16, which preliminary amendment cancels or adds claims, will be taken into account in determining the appropriate fees due in response to the Notice To File Missing Parts of Application. No refund will be made for claims being canceled in the response that have already been paid for.
The additional fees, if any, due with an amendment are required prior to any consideration of the amendment by the examiner.
Money paid in connection with the filing of a proposed amendment will not be refunded by reason of the nonentry of the amendment. However, unentered claims will not be counted when calculating the fee due in subsequent amendments.
Amendments affecting the claims cannot serve as the basis for granting any refund. >See MPEP § 607.02 subsection V for refund of excess claims fees.<
Excess claims fees set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(c)(3) and (c)(4) apply to excess claims that are presented on or after December 8, 2004 during a reexamination proceeding.
IV. APPLICANT DOES NOT SPECIFY FEES TO WHICH PAYMENT IS TO BE APPLIED
In situations in which a payment submitted for the fees due on filing in a nonprovisional application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a) is insufficient and the applicant has not specified the fees to which the payment is to be applied, the Office will apply the payment in the following order until the payment is expended:
(1) the basic filing fee (37 CFR 1.16(a), (b), (c), or (e));
(2) the application size fee (37 CFR 1.16(s));
(3) the late filing surcharge (37 CFR 1.16(f));
(4) the processing fee for an application filed in a language other than English (37 CFR 1.17(i));
(5) the search fee (37 CFR 1.16(k), (l), (m), or (n));
(6) the examination fee (37 CFR 1.16(o), (p), (q), or (r)); and
(7) the excess claims fee (37 CFR 1.16(h), (i), and (j)). In situations in which a payment submitted for the fees due on filing in a provisional application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(b) is insufficient and the applicant has not specified the fees to which the payment is to be applied, the Office will apply the payment in the following order until the payment is expended:
(1) the basic filing fee (37 CFR 1.16(d));
(2) the application size fee (37 CFR 1.16(s)); and
(3) the late filing surcharge (37 CFR 1.16(g)).
See also MPEP § 509.
Since the basic filing fee, search fee, and examination fee under the new patent fee structure are often referred to as the "filing fee," the Office will treat a deposit account authorization to charge "the filing fee" as an authorization to charge the applicable fees under 37 CFR 1.16 (the basic filing fee, search fee, examination fee, any excess claims fee, and any application size fee) to the deposit account. The Office will also treat a deposit account authorization to charge "the basic filing fee" as an authorization to charge the applicable basic filing fee, search fee, and examination fee to the deposit account. Any deposit account authorization to charge the filing fee but not the search fee or examination fee must specifically limit the authorization by reference to one or more of paragraphs (a) through (e) of 37 CFR 1.16. See MPEP § 509.01.
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