Form PTO/SB/08a Information Disclosure Statement by Applicant

PTO/SB/08a (07-09)
Approved for use through 07/31/2012. OMB 0651-0031
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it contains a valid OMB control number.

Complete if Known

Substitute for form 1449/PTO

Application Number
Filing Date

INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
STATEMENT BY APPLICANT

First Named Inventor
Art Unit

(Use as many sheets as necessary)

Sheet
Examiner
Initials*

Examiner Name
Attorney Docket Number

of
Document Number

Cite
No.1

U. S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

Publication Date
MM-DD-YYYY

Name of Patentee or
Applicant of Cited Document

Number-Kind Code2 (if known)

Pages, Columns, Lines, Where
Relevant Passages or Relevant
Figures Appear

USUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUSUS-

Examiner
Initials*

Cite
No.1

Foreign Patent Document

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

Country Code3 –Number 4 –Kind Code5 (if known)

Examiner
Signature

Publication
Date
MM-DD-YYYY

Name of Patentee or
Applicant of Cited Document

Pages, Columns, Lines,
Where Relevant Passages
Or Relevant Figures Appear

T

6

Date
Considered

*EXAMINER: Initial if reference considered, whether or not citation is in conformance with MPEP 609. Draw line through citation if not in conformance and not
considered. Include copy of this form with next communication to applicant. 1 Applicant’s unique citation designation number (optional). 2 See Kinds Codes of
USPTO Patent Documents at www.uspto.gov or MPEP 901.04. 3 Enter Office that issued the document, by the two-letter code (WIPO Standard ST.3). 4 For
Japanese patent documents, the indication of the year of the reign of the Emperor must precede the serial number of the patent document. 5Kind of document by
the appropriate symbols as indicated on the document under WIPO Standard ST.16 if possible. 6 Applicant is to place a check mark here if English language
Translation is attached.
This collection of information is required by 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98. The information is required to obtain or retain a benefit by the public which is to file (and by the
USPTO to process) an application. Confidentiality is governed by 35 U.S.C. 122 and 37 CFR 1.14. This collection is estimated to take 2 hours to complete,
including gathering, preparing, and submitting the completed application form to the USPTO. Time will vary depending upon the individual case. Any comments
on the amount of time you require to complete this form and/or suggestions for reducing this burden, should be sent to the Chief Information Officer, U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. DO NOT SEND FEES OR COMPLETED FORMS TO THIS ADDRESS. SEND
TO: Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.

If you need assistance in completing the form, call 1-800-PTO-9199 (1-800-786-9199) and select option 2.

Privacy Act Statement
The Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579) requires that you be given certain information in connection with
your submission of the attached form related to a patent application or patent. Accordingly, pursuant to
the requirements of the Act, please be advised that: (1) the general authority for the collection of this
information is 35 U.S.C. 2(b)(2); (2) furnishing of the information solicited is voluntary; and (3) the
principal purpose for which the information is used by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is to process
and/or examine your submission related to a patent application or patent. If you do not furnish the
requested information, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may not be able to process and/or examine
your submission, which may result in termination of proceedings or abandonment of the application or
expiration of the patent.
The information provided by you in this form will be subject to the following routine uses:
1. The information on this form will be treated confidentially to the extent allowed under the

Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C 552a). Records

from this system of records may be disclosed to the Department of Justice to determine

whether disclosure of these records is required by the Freedom of Information Act.

2. A record from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, in the course of
presenting evidence to a court, magistrate, or administrative tribunal, including disclosures
to opposing counsel in the course of settlement negotiations.
3. A record in this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a Member of
Congress submitting a request involving an individual, to whom the record pertains, when
the individual has requested assistance from the Member with respect to the subject matter
of the record.
4. A record in this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a contractor of the
Agency having need for the information in order to perform a contract. Recipients of
information shall be required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as
amended, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(m).
5. A record related to an International Application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in
this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to the International Bureau of
the World Intellectual Property Organization, pursuant to the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
6. A record in this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to another federal
agency for purposes of National Security review (35 U.S.C. 181) and for review pursuant to
the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 218(c)).
7. A record from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to the
Administrator, General Services, or his/her designee, during an inspection of records
conducted by GSA as part of that agency’s responsibility to recommend improvements in
records management practices and programs, under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
Such disclosure shall be made in accordance with the GSA regulations governing
inspection of records for this purpose, and any other relevant (i.e., GSA or Commerce)
directive. Such disclosure shall not be used to make determinations about individuals.
8. A record from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to the public after
either publication of the application pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 122(b) or issuance of a patent
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 151. Further, a record may be disclosed, subject to the limitations of
37 CFR 1.14, as a routine use, to the public if the record was filed in an application which
became abandoned or in which the proceedings were terminated and which application is
referenced by either a published application, an application open to public inspection or an
issued patent.
9. A record from this system of records may be disclosed, as a routine use, to a Federal,

State, or local law enforcement agency, if the USPTO becomes aware of a violation or

potential violation of law or regulation.