UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

PRIORITY ACTION

 

OFFICE SEARCH:  The examining attorney has searched the Office records and has found no similar registered or pending mark which would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. Section 1052(d).  TMEP section 704.02. 

 

TO AVOID ABANDONMENT, WE MUST RECEIVE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS OFFICE ACTION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF OUR MAILING OR E-MAILING DATE.  This case will be given priority as an amended case if you respond to the requirements stated below within two months.

 

FOR INQUIRIES OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS OFFICE ACTION, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSIGNED EXAMINING ATTORNEY.

 

Serial Number  76/547154

 

The following issues were discussed in communication with Angela M. Washelesky on March 31, 2004.  The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and determined the following.

 

 

SEARCH OF THE RECORDS

 

The examining attorney has searched the Office records and has found no similar registered or pending mark which would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. Section 1052(d).  TMEP section 1105.01.

 

 

RECITATION OF SERVICES

 

The recitation of services is unacceptable as indefinite because the precise nature of the services is unclear from the present wording.  The applicant must amend the recitation to specify the common commercial name of the services.  If there is no common commercial name for the services, the applicant must describe the services and indicate their nature.  TMEP §1402.11.

 

Applicant must amend the identification of services to delete the term "sale(s)" and to indicate with greater specificity the nature of the service, e.g., retail store services featuring parking access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry, mail order services featuring parking access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry, or on-line retail store services featuring parking access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry.  The term "sales" in the identification of services is unacceptable because selling is not considered a service that is rendered for the benefit of someone other than applicant.  In re Canadian Pacific Limited, 754 F.2d 992, 224 USPQ 971 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Betz Paperchem, Inc., 222 USPQ 89 (TTAB 1984); In re Integrated Resources, Inc., 218 USPQ 829 (TTAB 1983); TMEP §§1301.01 et seq.

 

The applicant may adopt the following recitation, if accurate: 

 

            Class 35

__________ [applicant must specify the type of retail services using common commercial terms, e.g., retail store services] featuring access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry, in International Class 35.

 

Class 37

Repair and maintenance of parking access and revenue control equipment, in International Class 37.

 

Class 39

Parking consultation services regarding the use of access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry, in International Class 39.

 

Class 42

Design for others of parking access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry;  research and development for others in the field of access and revenue control equipment utilized in the parking industry, in International Class 42.

 

TMEP section 1402.11.

 

Applicant may wish to refer to the on-line identification manual on the PTO homepage for acceptable names of goods and services.  The web page address is:

 

            http://www.gov.uspto.report/web/office/tac/doc/gsmanual/

 

Please note that, while an application may be amended to clarify or limit the identification, additions to the identification are not permitted.  37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06.  Therefore, the applicant may not amend to include any services that are not within the scope of the services recited in the present identification.

 

 

PROSECUTION OF MULTIPLE CLASS APPLICATIONS – Use Application  - Section 1(a)

 

If the applicant prosecutes this application as a combined, or multiple‑class, application based on use in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(a), 15 U.S.C. §1051(a), the applicant must comply with each of the following:

 

(1)  The applicant must specifically identify the services in each class and list the services by international class with the classes listed in ascending numerical order.  TMEP §1403.01.

 

(2)  The applicant must submit a filing fee for each international class of services not covered by the fee already paid.  37 C.F.R. §§2.6(a)(1) and 2.86(b); TMEP §§810.01 and 1403.01.  The fee for filing a trademark application is $335 for each class.

 

(3)  The applicant must submit: 

 

(a) dates of first use and first use in commerce and one specimen for each class that includes goods or services based on use in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(a).  The dates of use must be at least as early as the filing date of this application, 37 C.F.R. §§2.34(a)(1) and 2.86(a), and the specimen(s) must have been in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application, and/or

 

(b) a statement of a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce on or in connection with all the goods or services specified in each class that includes goods or services based on a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(b), where such statement was not included for the goods or services in the original application.

 

(4)  The applicant must submit an affidavit or a declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20 signed by the applicant to verify (3) above.  37 C.F.R. §§2.59(a) and 2.71(c).

 

The applicant has only submitted one specimen of use.  Pursuant to item 3(a) above, the applicant must submit a specimen of use for each of the classes of services listed.

 

 

SPECIMEN OF USE REQUIRED

 

For each class of services listed, the applicant must submit (1) a specimen (i.e., an example of how applicant actually uses its mark in the sale or advertising of its services) showing the mark as it is used in commerce, and, (2) a statement that “the specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application,” verified with a notarized affidavit or signed declaration under 37 C.F.R. §2.20.  37 C.F.R. §2.59(a); TMEP §904.09.  The applicant has only submitted one specimen of use.  If the applicant wishes to proceed with the four classes of services currently listed in the application, the applicant must submit three additional specimens of use.

 

A specimen showing use of the mark in the sale or advertising of the identified services is required for an application based on use of the mark in commerce under Trademark Act Section 1(a), 15 U.S.C. §1051(a).  TMEP §904.  The instant application does not include a specimen.

 

Examples of acceptable specimens for services are signs, photographs, brochures, website printouts or advertisements that show the mark used in the sale or advertising of the services.  TMEP §§1301.04 et seq.

 

The statement supporting use of the substitute specimen must read as follows: 

 

The substitute specimen was in use in commerce at least as early as the filing date of the application.

 

The applicant must sign this statement either in affidavit form or with a declaration under 37 C.F.R. Section 2.20.  The following is a properly worded declaration under 37 C.F.R. Section 2.20.  At the end of the response, the applicant should insert the declaration signed by someone authorized to sign under 37 C.F.R. Section 2.33(a).

 

The undersigned, being hereby warned that willful false statements and the like so made are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both, under 18 U.S.C. 1001, and that such willful false statements may jeopardize the validity of the application or any resulting registration, declares that the facts set forth in this application are true; all statements made of his/her own knowledge are true; and all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true.

 

 

_____________________________

                (Signature)

 

_____________________________

(Print or Type Name and Position)

 

_____________________________

                    (Date)

 

 

 

GENERAL INQUIRY ON SIGNIFICANCE

 

The applicant must indicate whether SETUP has any significance in the relevant trade, any geographical significance or any meaning in a foreign language.  37 C.F.R. Section 2.61(b).

 

 

 

Electronic Responses

 

Applicant may respond to this Office action using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) at <http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html>.  When using TEAS the data the applicant submits is directly uploaded into the Office’s database, which reduces processing time and eliminates the possibility of data entry errors by the Office.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to use TEAS to respond to Office actions.  Applicants using TEAS should not submit a duplicate paper copy of the response.

 

 

Fee increase effective January 1, 2003

Effective January 1, 2003, the fee for filing an application for trademark registration will be increased to $335.00 per International Class.  The USPTO will not accord a filing date to applications that are filed on or after that date that are not accompanied by a minimum of $335.00. 

 

Additionally, the fee for amending an existing application to add an additional class or classes of goods/services will be $335.00 per class for classes added on or after January 1, 2003.

 

 

If the applicant has any questions or needs assistance in responding to this Office action, please telephone the assigned examining attorney.

 

 

 

 

/Sharon A. Meier/

___________________________________

Sharon A. Meier

Trademark Attorney, Law Office 116

703-306-7927 - w

703-746-8116 - f

 

 

 

How to respond to this Office Action:

 

To respond formally using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), visit http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html and follow the instructions.

 

To respond formally via regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing Return Address listed above and include the serial number, law office and examining attorney’s name on the upper right corner of each page of your response.

 

To check the status of your application at any time, visit the Office’s Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR) system at http://tarr.gov.uspto.report/

 

For general and other useful information about trademarks, you are encouraged to visit the Office’s web site at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm