# MPEP § 901.05: Foreign Patent Documents

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05

## Section

- **Citation:** MPEP § 901.05
- **Heading:** Foreign Patent Documents
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** USPTO MPEP / Chapter 0900 - Prior Art, Search, Classification, and Routing / MPEP § 901.05

## Text

All foreign patents, published applications, and any other published
derivative material containing portions or summaries of the contents of published or
unpublished patents (e.g., abstracts) which have been disseminated to the public are
available to U.S. examiners. See
MPEP §§ 901.06(a)
, paragraphs I.C. and
IV.C and
901.08
. In general, a foreign patent, the contents of its
application, or segments of its content should not be cited as a reference until its
date of patenting or its public availability date (e.g., publication date) can be
confirmed by an examiner’s review of a copy of the document. Examiners should remember
that in some countries, there is a delay between the date of the patent grant and the
date of publication.
Information pertaining to those countries from which the most patent
publications are received is given in the following sections and in
MPEP
§ 901.05(a)
. Additional information can be obtained from the
Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC).
See
MPEP
§ 707.05(e)
for data used in citing foreign references.
I.
OVERVIEW OF FOREIGN PATENT LAWS
This section includes some general information on foreign patent
laws and summarizes particular features and their terminology. Some additional
details on the most commonly cited foreign patent publications may be found under the
individual country in paragraph V., below. Examiners should recall that, in contrast
to the practice in many other countries, under U.S. patent law a number of different
events all occur on the issue date of a U.S. patent
oreign patent
laws and summarizes particular features and their terminology. Some additional
details on the most commonly cited foreign patent publications may be found under the
individual country in paragraph V., below. Examiners should recall that, in contrast
to the practice in many other countries, under U.S. patent law a number of different
events all occur on the issue date of a U.S. patent. These events include the
following:
(A) a patent document, the “letters patent'' which grants and
thereby creates the legal rights conferred by a patent, is executed and sent to
the applicant;
(B) the patent rights come into existence;
(C) the patent rights can be exercised;
(D) the specification of the patent becomes available to the
public;
(E) the patented file becomes available to the public;
(F) the specification is published in printed form; and
(G) an issue of an official journal, the
Official
Gazette,
containing an announcement of the patent and a claim, is
published.
In most foreign countries, various ones of these events occur on
different days and some of them may never occur at all.
The following list catalogs some of the most significant foreign
variations from U.S. practices:
A.
Applicant
In most countries, the owner of the prospective rights, derived
from the inventor, may also apply for a patent in the owner’s name as applicant;
in a few, other persons may apply as well or be joined as coapplicants. Hence,
applicant is not synonymous with inventor, and the applicant may be a company.
Some countries require the inventors’ names to be given and regularly print them
on the published copies. Other countries may sometimes print the inventors’ names
only when available or when requested to do so.
B.
Application
The word “application” is commonly used in the U.S. to refer to
the entire set of papers filed when seeking a patent
nymous with inventor, and the applicant may be a company.
Some countries require the inventors’ names to be given and regularly print them
on the published copies. Other countries may sometimes print the inventors’ names
only when available or when requested to do so.
B.
Application
The word “application” is commonly used in the U.S. to refer to
the entire set of papers filed when seeking a patent. However, in many countries
and in PCT cases, the word application refers only to the paper, usually a printed
form, which is to be “accompanied by” or have “attached” to it certain other
papers, namely a specification, drawings when necessary, claims, and perhaps other
papers. Unless it is otherwise noted in the following portions of this section,
the term “application” refers to the entire set of papers filed.
C.
Publication of Contents of Pending Applications
In general, pending applications are confidential until a certain
stage in the proceedings (e.g., upon patent grant), or until a certain date (e.g.,
18 months after filing), as may be specified in a particular law.
Many countries have adopted the practice of publishing the
specification, drawing, or claims of pending applications. In these countries, the
publication of the contents of the application occurs at a certain time, usually
18 months after filing. The applicant is given certain provisional rights upon
publication even though examination has not been completed or in some cases has
not even begun at the time of publication.
This publication may take either of two forms. In the first form,
some countries publish a notice giving certain particulars in their official
journal, and thereafter, any one may see the papers at the patent office or order
copies. This procedure is referred to as “laying open for public inspection.”
There is no printed publication of the specification, although an abstract may be
published in printed form
cation may take either of two forms. In the first form,
some countries publish a notice giving certain particulars in their official
journal, and thereafter, any one may see the papers at the patent office or order
copies. This procedure is referred to as “laying open for public inspection.”
There is no printed publication of the specification, although an abstract may be
published in printed form. If anyone can inspect or obtain copies of the laid open
application, then it is sufficiently accessible to the public to constitute a
“publication” within the meaning of
pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)
and
102(b)
and
35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
. The full
application is thus available as prior art as of either the date of publication of
its notice or its laying open to public inspection if this is a later date. See
In re Wyer,
655 F.2d 221, 210 USPQ 790 (CCPA 1981). See
MPEP §
2127
, paragraph III.
In the second form, several other countries publish the
specifications of pending applications in printed form at a specified time,
usually 18 months after filing. These documents, of course, constitute references
as printed publications.
D.
Administrative Systems
Patent law administration varies from country to country. In some
countries, all that is undertaken is an inspection of the papers to determine if
they are in proper form. Other countries perform an examination of the merits on
the basis of an extensive search of the prior art, as is done in the U.S. The
former are referred to as nonexamining or registration countries, although some
systems allow for a rejection on matters apparent on the face of the papers, such
as matters of form or statutory subject matter.
Of the examining countries, the extent of the material searched
prior to issue varies greatly. Only a few countries include both their own patents
and a substantial amount of foreign patent material and nonpatent publications in
their search files
untries, although some
systems allow for a rejection on matters apparent on the face of the papers, such
as matters of form or statutory subject matter.
Of the examining countries, the extent of the material searched
prior to issue varies greatly. Only a few countries include both their own patents
and a substantial amount of foreign patent material and nonpatent publications in
their search files. Some countries specifically limit the search by rule, or lack
of facilities, to their own patents with very little or no additional material. An
increasing number of countries are requiring applicants to give information
concerning references cited in corresponding applications filed in other
countries.
E.
Opposition
Some examining countries consider participation by the public an
inherent feature of their examining system. When an application is found to be
allowable by the examiner, it is “published” for opposition. Then there is a
period, usually 3 or 4 months, within which members of the public can oppose the
grant of the patent. In some countries, the opposing party can be any person or
company. In other countries, only those parties who are affected by the outcome
can participate in the opposition. The opposition is an
inter
partes
proceeding and the opposing party can ordinarily raise any
ground on the basis of which a patent would be refused or held invalid, including
any applicable references.
The publication for opposition may take the form of a laying open
of the application by the publication of a notice in the official journal with the
application being then open to public inspection and the obtaining of copies.
Otherwise, publication occurs by the issue of the applications in printed form.
Either way, these published documents constitute printed publications which are
available as references under pre-AIA
35 U.S.C. 102(a)
and
102(b)
and
35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
.
F.
The Patent
Practices and terminology vary worldwide regarding patents
plication being then open to public inspection and the obtaining of copies.
Otherwise, publication occurs by the issue of the applications in printed form.
Either way, these published documents constitute printed publications which are
available as references under pre-AIA
35 U.S.C. 102(a)
and
102(b)
and
35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
.
F.
The Patent
Practices and terminology vary worldwide regarding patents. In
some countries, there is no “letters patent” document which creates and grants the
rights. In other countries, the examiner grants the patent by signing the required
paper. In a few countries, the patent is granted by operation of law after certain
events have occurred. The term “granting the patent” is used here for convenience,
but it should be noted that
35 U.S.C. 102(a)
and
102(b)
or
35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)
do not use
this terminology.
A list of granted patents is ordinarily published in each
country’s official journal and some of these countries also print an abstract or
claims at or after the granting date. Not all countries publish the granted
patent. Where the specifications of granted patents are issued in printed form,
publication seldom occurs simultaneously with the day of grant; instead,
publication occurs a short time thereafter. There also are a few countries in
which publication does not take place until several years after the grant.
The length of time for which the patent is enforceable (the
patent term) varies from country to country. The term of the patent may start as
of the grant of the patent, or as of the filing date of the application.
Most countries require the payment of periodic fees to maintain a
patent in force. These fees often start a few years after filing and increase
progressively during the term of the patent. If these fees are not paid within the
time allowed, the patent lapses and is no longer in force. This lapsing does not
affect the use of the patent as a reference.
G
or as of the filing date of the application.
Most countries require the payment of periodic fees to maintain a
patent in force. These fees often start a few years after filing and increase
progressively during the term of the patent. If these fees are not paid within the
time allowed, the patent lapses and is no longer in force. This lapsing does not
affect the use of the patent as a reference.
G.
Patents of Addition
Some countries issue patents of addition, which should be
identified as such, and when separately numbered as in France, the number of the
addition patent should be cited. “Patents of addition” generally cover
improvements of a patented parent invention and can be obtained by the owner of
the parent invention. Inventiveness in relation to the parent invention need not
be demonstrated and the term is governed by the term of the parent patent.
II.
CORRESPONDING SPECIFICATIONS IN A FAMILY OF PATENTS
Since a separate patent must be obtained in each country in which
patent rights are desired (except for EP, the European Patent Convention, AP, the
African Regional Industrial Property Organization, OA, African Intellectual Property
Organization, GC, Patent Office of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the
Gulf, and EA, Eurasian Patent Office, whose members issue a common patent), there may
be a large number of patents issued in different countries for the same invention.
This group of patents is referred to as a family of patents.
All of the countries listed in paragraph V. below are parties to the
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and provide for the right
of priority. If an application is filed in one of these countries, an application for
the same invention thereafter filed in another country, within 1 year of the filing
of the first application, will be entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the
first application on fulfilling various conditions. See
MPEP §
213
Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and provide for the right
of priority. If an application is filed in one of these countries, an application for
the same invention thereafter filed in another country, within 1 year of the filing
of the first application, will be entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the
first application on fulfilling various conditions. See
MPEP §
213
. The patents or published specifications of the
countries of later filing are required to specify that priority has been claimed and
to give the country, date, and number of the priority application. This data serves
the purpose, among others, of enabling any patent based on the priority application
to be easily located.
In general, the specification of the second application is identical
in substance to the specification of the first. In many instances, the second, if in
another language, is simply a translation of the first with perhaps some variation in
purely formal parts. But in a minority of cases, the two may not be identical. For
instance, sometimes two applications filed in one country are combined into one
second application which is filed in another country. Alternatively, a second
application could be filed for only part of the disclosure of the priority
application. The second application may have the relationship to the first which we
refer to as a continuation-in-part (e.g., the second application includes additional
subject matter discovered after the first was filed). In some instances, the second
application could have its disclosure diminished or increased, to meet the
requirements or practices of the second country.
Duplicate or substantially duplicate versions of a foreign language
specification, in English or some other language known to the examiner, can sometimes
be found
plication includes additional
subject matter discovered after the first was filed). In some instances, the second
application could have its disclosure diminished or increased, to meet the
requirements or practices of the second country.
Duplicate or substantially duplicate versions of a foreign language
specification, in English or some other language known to the examiner, can sometimes
be found. It is possible to cite a foreign language specification as a reference,
while at the same time citing an English language version of the specification with a
later date as a convenient translation if the latter is in fact a translation.
Questions as to content in such cases must be settled based on the specification
which was used as the reference.
If a U.S. patent or U.S. published application being considered as a
reference in an application subject to
pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102
claims the
priority of a previously filed foreign application, it may be desirable to determine
if the foreign application has issued or has been published, to see if there is an
earlier date. For example, it has occurred that an examiner rejected claims on the
basis of a U.S. patent and the applicant filed affidavits to overcome the filing date
of the reference; the affidavits were controversial and the case went to appeal, with
an extensive brief and an examiner’s answer having been filed. After all this work,
somebody noticed that the U.S. patent reference claimed the priority of a foreign
application filed in a country in which patents were issued fairly soon, checked the
foreign application, and discovered that the foreign patent had not only been issued,
but also published in printed form, more than 1 year prior to the filing date of the
application on appeal. If a U.S. patent or U.S. published application is being
considered as a reference in an application subject to
35 U.S.C.
102
, whether the filing date of the foreign priority
application claimed in the reference can be used as the “effectively filed date”
under
35
U.S.C
not only been issued,
but also published in printed form, more than 1 year prior to the filing date of the
application on appeal. If a U.S. patent or U.S. published application is being
considered as a reference in an application subject to
35 U.S.C.
102
, whether the filing date of the foreign priority
application claimed in the reference can be used as the “effectively filed date”
under
35
U.S.C. 102(a)(2)
is determined by
35 U.S.C.
102(d)
. See
MPEP § 2154.01(b)
.
If a foreign patent or specification claims the priority of a U.S.
application, it can be determined whether the latter is abandoned, still pending, or
patented. Even if the U.S. case is or becomes patented, however, the foreign
documents may still be useful as supplying an earlier printed publication date.
If a foreign patent or specification claims the priority of an
application in another foreign country, it may sometimes be desirable to check the
latter to determine if the subject matter was patented or published at an earlier
date. As an example, if a British specification being considered as a reference
claims the priority of an application filed in Belgium, it is known at once that a
considerably earlier effective date can be established, if needed, because Belgian
patents issue soon after filing. In addition, if the application referred to was
filed in one of the countries which publish applications in printed form 18 months
after filing, the subject matter of the application will be available as a printed
publication as of the 18 month publishing date.
The determination of whether a foreign patent has been issued or the
application published is a comparatively simple matter for some countries, but for
some it is quite laborious and time-consuming. Sources for this data which are not
maintained by the Office do exist and can be utilized for locating corresponding
patents
ll be available as a printed
publication as of the 18 month publishing date.
The determination of whether a foreign patent has been issued or the
application published is a comparatively simple matter for some countries, but for
some it is quite laborious and time-consuming. Sources for this data which are not
maintained by the Office do exist and can be utilized for locating corresponding
patents. Two possible sources are the Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) produced by
Thomson Reuters, and the International Patent Documentation Center (INPADOC), which
is produced by the European Patent Office. Additionally, Chemical Abstracts Service
(CAS) publishes abstracts of patents in the chemical arts from a large number of
countries. Only one patent or published specification from a family is abstracted in
full and any related family members issued or published are cross-referenced.
Chemical Abstracts are available online via commercial databases or via
Microfilm/CD-ROM in the Main Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC). To
get access to Chemical Abstracts online, examiners should contact their SPE for
approval and email the STIC-ERC mailbox. The microfilm collection is available from
1907-1987; and the CD-ROM collection is available from 1987-2011. The coverage is for
approximately 83 journals, with the oldest content dating from 1859. Examiners may
also utilize the Global Dossier Public Access which provides online access to the
file histories of related applications from participating IP Offices. This includes
all international applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) as
well as patent applications from World Intellectual Property Organization-Centralized
Access to Search and Examination (WIPO-CASE) participating offices. See
MPEP §
901.08
for additional information. See also
www.wipo.int/case/en/
for
additional information regarding WIPO-CASE
participating IP Offices. This includes
all international applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) as
well as patent applications from World Intellectual Property Organization-Centralized
Access to Search and Examination (WIPO-CASE) participating offices. See
MPEP §
901.08
for additional information. See also
www.wipo.int/case/en/
for
additional information regarding WIPO-CASE.
When an application is filed outside the Paris Convention year from
an earlier application, the later application may not refer to the first application.
It is hence possible that there will be duplicate specifications published without
any indication revealing the fact. These may be detected when the two copies come
together in the same subclass. Because the later application is filed outside the
convention year, the earlier application may be prior art to the latter if it has
been published or issued.
III.
VALIDITY OF DATES DISPLAYED ON FACE OF FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
The examiner is not required to prove either the date or the
occurrence of events specified on specifications of patents or applications, or in
official journals, of foreign patent offices which the Office has in its possession.
In a court action, certified copies of the Office copies of these documents
constitute
prima facie
evidence in view of 28 U.S.C. 1745. An
applicant is entitled to show the contrary by competent evidence, but this question
seldom arises.
The date of receipt of copies by the Office, as shown by Office
records or stamped on the copies, need only to be stated by the examiner, when
necessary.
IV.
NOTES ON INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES
The following table gives some data concerning the published patent
material of a number of countries to assist in their use and citation as references.
This table reflects only the most current patent office practice for each foreign
country specified and is not applicable for many older foreign patent documents. The
STIC staff can help examiners obtain data related to any documents not covered by
this table
g table gives some data concerning the published patent
material of a number of countries to assist in their use and citation as references.
This table reflects only the most current patent office practice for each foreign
country specified and is not applicable for many older foreign patent documents. The
STIC staff can help examiners obtain data related to any documents not covered by
this table. The citation dates listed in the following table are not necessarily the
oldest possible dates. Sometimes an earlier effective date, which is not readily
apparent from the face of the document, is available. If an earlier date is important
to a rejection, the examiner should consult STIC staff, who will attempt to obtain
further information regarding the earliest possible effective date.
How To Use Table
Each horizontal row of boxes contains information on one or more
distinct patent documents from a specified country available as a reference under
pre-AIA 35
U.S.C. 102(a)
and
102(b)
or
35 U.S.C.
102(a)(1)
. If several distinct patent documents are included
within a common box of a row, these documents are related to each other and are
merely separate documents published at different stages of the same invention’s
patenting process. Usually, this related group of documents includes a published
application which ripens into an issued patent. Within each box of the second
column of each row, the top listed document of a related group is the one that is
“published” first (e.g., made available for public inspection by laying open
application, or application printed and disseminated to the public). Once an
examiner determines the country or organization publishing the documents, the name
of the document can be located in the second column of the table and the examiner
can determine if a document from the related group containing the same or similar
disclosure having an earlier date is available as a reference
by laying open
application, or application printed and disseminated to the public). Once an
examiner determines the country or organization publishing the documents, the name
of the document can be located in the second column of the table and the examiner
can determine if a document from the related group containing the same or similar
disclosure having an earlier date is available as a reference. Usually, the
documents within a related group have identical disclosures; sometimes, however,
there are differences in the claims or minor differences in the specification.
Therefore, examiners should always verify that the earlier related document also
includes the subject matter necessary for the rejection. Some countries issue more
than one type of patent and for clarity, in these situations, separate rows are
provided for each type.
ISSUING/ PUBLISHING COUNTRY OR ORGANIZATION
DOCUMENT NAME IN LANGUAGE OF ISSUING COUNTRY (TYPE OF
DOCUMENT)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NAME DESIGNATING THE DATE USED FOR CITATION
PURPOSES (TYPE OF DATE)
GENERAL COMMENTS
EP
European Patent Office
European patent
application
Date application made
available to public
Printing of application
occurs 18 months after priority date.
European patent
specification
Date published
EP dates are in
day/month/year order.
New European patent specification
(above specification amended)
Date published
FR
France
Demande de brevet
d’invention (patent application)
Disposition du public de
la demande (date of laying open application)/date published
Date of
laying open the application is the earliest possible date. This
usually occurs 18 months after the filing or priority date but can
occur earlier at applicant’s request. The application is printed a
short time after being laid open
Date published
FR
France
Demande de brevet
d’invention (patent application)
Disposition du public de
la demande (date of laying open application)/date published
Date of
laying open the application is the earliest possible date. This
usually occurs 18 months after the filing or priority date but can
occur earlier at applicant’s request. The application is printed a
short time after being laid open.
Brevet d’invention
(patent)
Disposition du public du
brevet d’invention (date of publication of the notice of patent
grant)
FR dates are in day/month/year
order
FR
France
Demande de certificat
d’utilite (utility certificate application 1st level publication)
Disposition du public de
la demande (date published)
Certificat d’utilite (utility
certificate, 2nd publication)
Disposition du public du certificat
d’utilite (date published)
DE
Germany
Offenlegungschrift
(unexamined patent application)
Offenlegungstag (date
application printed)
Patentschrift are printed
(up to four different times) after examination and at various stages
of opposition.
Patentschrift (examined
patent)
Veræfentlichungstag der
patenterteilung (date printed)
DE dates are in day/month/year
order
DE
Germany
Patentschrift (Ausschließungspatent)
(exclusive type patent based on former East German application and
published in accordance with E. German laws)
First printing coded “DD” (date of
first publication before examination as to novelty)
Several more printings (up to four)
occur as examination proceeds and patent is granted. Separate DD
numbering series is used.
DE
Germany
Patentschrift (Wirtschaft-patent)
(economic type patent published in accordance with East German
laws)
First printing coded “DD” (date of
first printing before examination as to novelty)
Another printing occurs after
examination. Separate DD numbering series is used.
DE
Germany
Gebrauchsmuster (utility
model or petty patent)
Eintragungstag (date laid
open after registration as a patent)
Copy is supplied only on
request
aft-patent)
(economic type patent published in accordance with East German
laws)
First printing coded “DD” (date of
first printing before examination as to novelty)
Another printing occurs after
examination. Separate DD numbering series is used.
DE
Germany
Gebrauchsmuster (utility
model or petty patent)
Eintragungstag (date laid
open after registration as a patent)
Copy is supplied only on
request.
Bekanntmachung im
patentblatt (date published for public)
Published from No. DE-GM 1
186 500J.
JP
Japan
Kôkai Tokkyo kôhô
(unexamined patent application) Kôhyo Tokkyo kôhô (unexamined patent
application based on international application)
Upper right corner beneath
number (date laid open and printed)
INID codes (41)-(47)
include first date listed in terms of the year of the Emperor. To
convert yrs. prior 1989, add 1925. To convert yrs. after 1988, add
1988.
Tokkyo kôhô (examined
patent application)
Upper right corner beneath
number (date laid open and printed; 1st publication when Kôkai Tokkyo
kôhô or Kôhyo Tokkyo kôhô not published)
Newer documents also
include second date following the first given in OUR Gregorian
Calendar in year/month/day sequence in Arabic numerals intermixed with
their equivalent JP characters.
JP
Japan
Tokkyo shinpan seikyû kôkoku
(corrected patent specification)
Upper right corner beneath number
(date laid open and printed)
JP
Japan
Kôkai jitsuyô shin-an kôhô
(unexamined utility model application) or Kôhyo jitsuyô shin-an kôhô
(unexamined utility model application based on international)
Upper right corner beneath
number (date laid open and printed)
Jitsuyô shin-an kôhô
(examined utility model application)
Upper right corner beneath
number (date laid open and printed; 1st publication when Kôkai or
Kôhyo not published)
JP
Japan
Tôroku jitsuyô shin-an shinpan seikyû
kôkoku (corrected registered utility model)
JP
Japan
Isyô kôhô (registered design
application)
RU
Russian Federation
Zayavka Na Izobretenie (unexamined
application for invention) Patent Na Izobreteniye (Patent)
Date application printe
ion)
Upper right corner beneath
number (date laid open and printed; 1st publication when Kôkai or
Kôhyo not published)
JP
Japan
Tôroku jitsuyô shin-an shinpan seikyû
kôkoku (corrected registered utility model)
JP
Japan
Isyô kôhô (registered design
application)
RU
Russian Federation
Zayavka Na Izobretenie (unexamined
application for invention) Patent Na Izobreteniye (Patent)
Date application printed (1st
publication) Date printed (normally 2nd publication, but 1st
publication when application not published)
RU
Russian Federation
Svidetelstvo Na Poleznuyu Model
(utility model)
Supplied upon request only
RU
Russian Federation
Patent Na Promishlenniy Obrazec
(design patent)
Supplied upon request only
GB
United Kingdom
Published patent application
(searched, but unexamined) Patent Specification (granted examined
patent)
(date of printing the application)
(date of printing)
GB
United Kingdom
Amended or Corrected Patent
Specification (amended granted patent)
(date of printing)
WO
World Intellectual
Property Organization
International application
(PCT patent application)
(date of printing the
application)

## Nearby sections

- [MPEP § 901 Prior Art](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.md)
- [MPEP § 901.01 Canceled Matter in U.S. Patent Files](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.01.md)
- [MPEP § 901.01(a) Ordering of Patented and Abandoned Provisional and Nonprovisional Application Files](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.01(a).md)
- [MPEP § 901.02 Abandoned Applications](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.02.md)
- [MPEP § 901.03 Pending Applications](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.03.md)
- [MPEP § 901.04 U.S. Patents](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.04.md)
- [MPEP § 901.04(a) Kind Codes](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.04(a).md)
- [MPEP § 901.05 Foreign Patent Documents](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05.md)
- [MPEP § 901.05(a) Citation Data](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05(a).md)
- [MPEP § 901.05(b) Other Significant Data](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05(b).md)
- [MPEP § 901.05(c) Obtaining Copies](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05(c).md)
- [MPEP § 901.05(d) Translation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05(d).md)
- [MPEP § 901.06 Nonpatent Publications](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.06.md)
- [MPEP § 901.06(a) Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC)](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.06(a).md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/MPEP_S901.05. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.