		     Status of Document Delivery Services
   
   The Office of Public Records (OPR) processes and fills orders for both
certified and uncertified copies of Patent and Trademark Office
documents. This is an update of actual processing time for orders filled
during the month of September 1999:

Certified Documents        		Goal         	Actual
							Processing
							Time

Patent Application-As-Filed,		 7 days          6 days
Expedited        
Patent Application-As-Filed,		17 days         10 days
Regular        
Patent Related File Wrapper        	25 days         51 days*
Patent Copy         			10 days          6 days
Patent Assignments        		10 days          8 days

Trademark Application-As-		 7 days        	 6 days
Filed, Expedited        
Trademark Application-As-		17 days         12 days
Filed, Regular        
Trademark Related File			25 days         29 days*
Wrapper        
Trademark Assignments        		10 days          9 days 
Trademark Registration,			 5 days          6 days
Expedited        
Trademark Registration,			14 days          8 days
Regular         

Uncertified Documents        		Goal            Actual
						        Processing
							Time

Express Patent Copies        		 3 hours         3 hours
Special Patent Copies        	       	24 hours        22 hours
Regular Patent Copies        		 3 days          4 days
Plant Patents        		         3 days          8 days
Patent Assignments        	        10 days         14 days
Patent Related File Wrapper        	25 days         46 days*
Express Trademark Copies                 3 hours         7 hours
Special Trademark Copies        	24 hours        21 hours
Regular Trademark Copies        	 3 days          4 days
Trademark Assignments        		10 days          1 days
Trademark Related File			25 days         22 days*
Wrappers        

* Includes turnaround times for files on official search and file
reconstruction.

During the month of September 1999, a total of 24,199 public orders
(34,449 copies) were filled and closed, or 5,509 orders more (21,621
copies less) than the FY-99 planning number of 18,690 orders (56,070
copies) to be closed for this month. The fiscal year-to-date totals for
both orders and copies filled are at about 69% of the expected workload,
principally due to lower volumes of uncertified patent copies sold. The
average turnaround times for products remain in expected ranges.

Due to varying availability of media, customers will not be advised when
orders are not delivered within the published goal periods. However,
customers will be advised if any unexpected delay in their order has
been identified. Customers should use the above actual days to mail for
each product as a guide as to when they can expect their orders. In
determining expected delivery times, the day an order is received in the
Office is calculated as "day zero." The next business day is "day one."
   
Delivery of any specific copy will vary based on the availability of
scanned images, microfilm products, and/or file accessibility. On June
10, 1997, the Office published an Official Gazette Notice entitled
"Changes in Practice in Supplying Certified Copies and Filing Receipts"
(1199 OG 39) which advised customers who place orders for certified
copies of patent applications-as-filed not to request them until the
official filing receipt is received; images and related bibliographic
data are not available to Certification Division until the filing
receipt is generated by the Office of Initial Patent Examination.
Customers are encouraged to fax orders for copies directly to
Dissemination Support Division at (703) 308-9759 and to pay by PTO
Deposit Account, MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover.
Information on the status of pending orders may be obtained by calling
(703) 308-9726 or 1 (800) 972-6382 (outside the Washington, DC Metro
area), or via E-mail: certdiv@uspto.gov.

October 6, 1999                       			   WESLEY H. GEWEHR
					      Administrator for Information
							      Dissemination
