UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

 

 

 

OFFICE ACTION

 

RESPONSE TIME LIMIT:  TO AVOID ABANDONMENT, THE OFFICE MUST RECEIVE A PROPER RESPONSE TO THIS OFFICE ACTION WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF THE MAILING OR E-MAILING DATE. 

 

 

Serial Number  76/622066

 

The assigned examining attorney has reviewed the referenced application and determined the following.

 

NO CONFLICTING MARKS

 

The Office records have been searched and no similar registered or pending mark has been found that would bar registration under Trademark Act Section 2(d), 15 U.S.C. §1052(d).  TMEP §704.02.

 

DRAWING

 

Applicant’s drawing contains extensive stippling which reduces legibility and partially obscures the mark’s design element.  If this stippling is NOT intended to be part of the mark, applicant should submit a new drawing with the stippling removed and showing the entire mark clearly and conforming to 37 C.F.R. §§2.52, 2.53(c) and 2.54(e). 

 

 

The requirements for a special-form drawing are as follows:

 

• The drawing must appear in black and white if color is not claimed as a feature of the mark, or in color if color is claimed as a feature of the mark.

 

• Drawings must be made with a pen or by a process that will provide high definition when copied.  A photolithographic, printer’s proof copy, or other high quality reproduction of the mark may be used.  All lines must be clean, sharp and solid, and must not be fine or crowded.

 

• The image must be no larger than 3.15 inches (8 cm) high by 3.15 inches (8cm) wide.

 

• If reduction of the mark to the required size renders any details illegible, then applicant may insert a statement in the application to describe the mark and these details.

 

37 C.F.R. §§2.52(b); TMEP §§807.04 et seq.

 

If submitted on paper, the Office prefers that the drawing be depicted on a separate sheet of non-shiny, white paper that is 8 to 8.5 inches wide and 11 to 11.69 inches long (20.3 to 21.6 cm. wide and 27.9 to 29.7 cm. long).  One of the shorter sides of the sheet should be regarded as its top edge. In addition, the drawing should include the caption “DRAWING PAGE” at the top of the drawing beginning one-inch (2.5 cm) from the top edge.  37 C.F.R. §2.54; TMEP §§807.06 et seq.

 

To submit a special form drawing electronically, applicant must attach a digitized image of the mark to the submission.  The digitized image must be in .jpg format, formatted at no less than 300 dots per inch and no more than 350 dots per inch.  The Office recommends that the digitized image of the mark have a length and width of no smaller than 250 pixels and no larger than 944 pixels.  37 C.F.R. §2.53(c); TMEP §807.05(c).  All lines in the image must be clean, sharp and solid, and not fine or crowded, and produce a high quality image when copied. 

 

The Office strictly enforces these drawing requirements.

 

If the stippling is, in fact, intended as part of the mark, applicant should clarify this point.  In such case, and since reproduction of the original drawing for publication may render the elements of the mark illegible and result in gray shading, applicant also should submit a statement describing the mark and confirming whether the color gray is express claimed as a feature of the mark.  The description statement may be worded as follows:

 

“The mark consists in part of the wording EXPRESS LANE preceded by four parallel lines indicating speed.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

/Steven Perez/

Steven M. Perez

Trademark Attorney

Law Office 101

(571) 272-5888

steven.perez@uspto.gov

 

 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS OFFICE ACTION:

• ONLINE RESPONSE:  You may respond formally using the Office’s Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) Response to Office Action form (visit http://www.gov.uspto.report/teas/index.html and follow the instructions, but if the Office Action has been issued via email, you must wait 72 hours after receipt of the Office Action to respond via TEAS).
• REGULAR MAIL RESPONSE:  To respond by regular mail, your response should be sent to the mailing return address above and include the serial number, law office number and examining attorney’s name in your response.

 

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

 

VIEW APPLICATION DOCUMENTS ONLINE: Documents in the electronic file for pending applications can be viewed and downloaded online at http://portal.gov.uspto.report/external/portal/tow.

 

GENERAL TRADEMARK INFORMATION: For general information about trademarks, please visit the Office’s website at http://www.gov.uspto.report/main/trademarks.htm

 

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