902.04 Classification Orders [R-5]
Classification orders are issued monthly; each order details the changes resulting from a classification project effective that month.
Since classification projects issue monthly throughout the year, orders are used to bridge the gap between the time a project issues and the time the other search tools (Manual of Classification, Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System, Classification Definitions) are updated.
A classification order includes the following:
- (A) New class schedules and/or changes to existing class schedules necessitated by the project;
- (B) Source and Disposition lists showing how the old art has been distributed into the newly established subclasses;
- (C) A revised concordance showing the relationship between the newly established subclasses and their International Patent Classification (IPC) counterparts; and
- (D) Necessary changes to the definitions that corroborate the changes in the schedules
Copies of classification orders are available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Classification Reports. The Classification Home Page (http://ptoweb:8081/) is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner’s Toolkit.
902.04(a) Reclassification Alert Report [R-5]
The Reclassification Alert Report is updated quarterly and is available online to USPTO personnel from the Classification Home Page under the heading Classification Reports. The Classification Home Page (http://ptoweb:8081/) is accessible from the desktop via the Patent Examiner’s Toolkit. The report numerically lists the classes and subclasses affected by classification orders which issued during the quarter, indicating if the classifications were established, were abolished, or had definition changes.