USPTO Declares Postal Service Interruption for Hurricane Wilma

On November 8, 2005, the United States Patent and Trademark Offce (USPTO) announced that it is designating the interrption in servce of the United States Postal Service (USPS) in the areas affected by Hurcane Wilma in Florida on October 24, 2005, as a postal servce interrption and an emergency within the meang of35 U.8.C. § 21(a) and 37 CFR 1.10(i) and 2. 195(e).

Correspondence covered by 37 CFR 1.10 that would have been filed with the USPTO under 37
CFR 1.10 during ths USPS servce interrption, but which was not filed due to the USPS service
interrption, should be filed promptly afer the termation of the USPS service interrption with
a petition in accordance with 37 CFR 1.10(i) using ''Express Mail" servce in accordance with 37
CFR 1.10.

Under 37 CFR 2. 195(e) and 2.198, any person attemptig to file correspondence by ''Express
Mail Post Office to Addressee" servce that was unable to be deposited with the USPS due to the
interrption or emergency in ''Express Mail" servce in the area designated in this notice may
petition the Director to consider such correspondence as filed on a parcular date in the Offce.

According to the notice "As soon as the USPTO receives fuher information from the USPS as to when postal servces in the affected areas wil be resumed, the USPTO will post updated inormation regardig ths situaton on the USPTO Web site (htt://ww.usto.gov) and in the Offcial Gazette."