MEDIA ADVISORY
                                                       96-12
CONTACT:  Richard Maulsby
          Lisa-Joy Zgorski
          (703)305-8341

  POSTAL ERROR AFFECTS 50,000 PIECES OF TIME-SENSITIVE MAIL
      DESTINED FOR THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

Due to a U.S. Postal Service error, mail destined for the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to its Washington, D.C.
20231 address during the past two weeks has been returned to
senders.  It is estimated that 50,000 pieces of mail, much
of it time-sensitive, may have been affected.  The Postal
Service has today corrected this mistake and issued an
Internet advisory alerting postal personnel throughout the
country that individuals presenting such mail affected by
the error shall have their articles delivered at no
additional cost.

The U.S. PTO will, of course, extend any deadlines not met
because of this postal error.  This includes applications
for new patents, trademarks, and extensions for existing
intellectual property rights.

                             ###
August 8, 1996