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Copies of the examiner's action are mailed by the Technology Center after the original, initialed by the assistant examiner and signed by the authorized signatory examiner, has been placed in the file. After the copies are mailed the original is returned for placement in the file.
Office actions are sometimes returned to the Office because the United States Postal Service has not been able to deliver them. The examiner should use every reasonable means to ascertain the correct address and forward the action again, after stamping it "remailed" with the date thereof and redirecting it if there is any reason to believe that the action would reach applicant at such new address. If the Office action was addressed to an attorney, a letter may be written to the inventor or assignee informing him or her of the returned action. The period running against the application begins with the date of remailing. Ex parte Gourtoff, 1924 C.D. 153, 329 O.G. 536 (Comm'r Pat. 1924).
If the Office is not finally successful in delivering the letter, it is placed, with the envelope, in the file wrapper. If the period dating from the remailing elapses with no communication from applicant, the application is abandoned.
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