611.05(a)    Notice of Incomplete Response when Authority of Person Signing Response Is Unclear

If it appears that a response to an examining attorney’s Office action is signed by an improper party, and the applicant is not required to be represented by a qualified U.S. attorney, the examining attorney must treat the response as an incomplete response, and grant the applicant 30 days, or to the end of the response period set forth in the previous Office action, whichever is longer, to perfect the response, pursuant to 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a)(2).  See TMEP §718.03(b). The applicant must submit a response properly signed in accordance with the guidelines in TMEP §611.03(b). These same principles and procedures apply to responses to Office actions issued by other USPTO employees (e.g., staff in the Post Registration Section, ITU/Divisional Unit, or Office of Petitions).  

See also TMEP §712.03.