Offc Action Outgoing

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Office Action (Official Letter) About Applicant’s Trademark Application

 

 

 

NONFINAL OFFICE ACTION

 

The USPTO must receive applicant’s response to this letter within six months of the issue date below or the application will be abandoned.  Respond using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  A link to the appropriate TEAS response form appears at the end of this Office action. 

 

 

Issue date:  April 21, 2021

 

INTRODUCTION

 

On June 12, 2018, action on this application was suspended pending the disposition of U.S. Application Serial No. 87245696.  The referenced pending application has abandoned and is no longer a potential bar to the registration of applicant’s mark.

 

This Office action is supplemental to and supersedes the previous Office action issued on November 21, 2017 in connection with this application.  The assigned trademark examining attorney inadvertently omitted a requirement relevant to the mark in the subject application.  See TMEP §§706, 711.02.  Specifically, applicant’s identification for International Class 9 is not acceptable. The trademark examining attorney apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the delay in raising this issue. 

 

In the November 21, 2017 Office action applicant was required to disclaim descriptive wording in the mark. Based on applicant’s March 3, 2021 filing, this has been satisfied. See TMEP §§713.02, 714.04. 

 

The following is a SUMMARY OF ISSUES that applicant must address:

 

• Amendment to the Identification of Goods Required for International Class 9 Only

 

Applicant must respond to all issues raised in this Office action within six (6) months of the date of issuance of this Office action.  37 C.F.R. §2.62(a); see TMEP §711.02.  If applicant does not respond within this time limit, the application will be abandoned.  37 C.F.R. §2.65(a).

 

AMENDMENT TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF GOODS REQUIRED FOR INTERNATIONAL CLASS 9 ONLY

 

The identification for “computer software for medical imaging and for use with medical imaging equipment” in International Class 9 is indefinite and must be clarified to specify the purpose or function of the software.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §§1402.03(d), 1402.11(a).  The USPTO requires such specificity in order for a trademark examining attorney to examine the application properly and make appropriate decisions concerning possible conflicts between the applicant’s mark and other marks.  See In re N.A.D. Inc., 57 USPQ2d 1872, 1874 (TTAB 2000); TMEP §1402.03(d). While applicant has specified that the software is for medical imaging and for use with medical imagining equipment, applicant has not specified what function the software will actually be performing such as for analyzing medical images.

 

Applicant may substitute the following wording, if accurate. Please note that bolding, italics, and the like are used only to highlight suggested changes to the original language:

 

            International Class 9: computer software for medical imaging and for use with medical imaging equipment, namely, {specify function of software, e.g., software for analyzing, processing, and displaying images on medical imaging machines}

 

            International Class 10: no changes

 

Applicant’s goods may be clarified or limited, but may not be expanded beyond those originally itemized in the application or as acceptably amended.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.71(a); TMEP §1402.06.  Applicant may clarify or limit the identification by inserting qualifying language or deleting items to result in a more specific identification; however, applicant may not substitute different goods or add goods not found or encompassed by those in the original application or as acceptably amended.  See TMEP §1402.06(a)-(b).  The scope of the goods sets the outer limit for any changes to the identification and is generally determined by the ordinary meaning of the wording in the identification.  TMEP §§1402.06(b), 1402.07(a)-(b).  Any acceptable changes to the goods will further limit scope, and once goods are deleted, they are not permitted to be reinserted.  TMEP §1402.07(e).

 

For assistance with identifying and classifying goods and services in trademark applications, please see the USPTO’s online searchable U.S. Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual.  See TMEP §1402.04.

 

RESPONSE GUIDELINES

 

For this application to proceed, applicant must explicitly address each refusal and/or requirement in this Office action.  For a refusal, applicant may provide written arguments and evidence against the refusal, and may have other response options if specified above.  For a requirement, applicant should set forth the changes or statements.  Please see “Responding to Office Actions” and the informational video “Response to Office Action” for more information and tips on responding.

 

If applicant does not timely respond to this Office action, the following class will be deleted from the application: International Class 9.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.65(a); TMEP §718.02(a). 

 

In such case, the application will then proceed with the following class only: International Class 10.  See TMEP §718.02(a). 

 

ASSISTANCE

 

Please call or email the assigned trademark examining attorney to resolve the issues in this Office action.  Although the USPTO does not accept emails as responses to Office actions, communication by phone or email is permissible to agree to proposed amendments to the application that will immediately place the application in condition for publication, registration, or suspension.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.62(c); TMEP §707.

 

 

How to respond.  Click to file a response to this nonfinal Office action.    

 

 

/Danythe Johnson/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 120

Phone: 571-272-4391

Email: danythe.johnson@uspto.gov

 

 

RESPONSE GUIDANCE

• Missing the response deadline to this letter will cause the application to abandon.  A response or notice of appeal must be received by the USPTO before midnight Eastern Time of the last day of the response period.  TEAS and ESTTA maintenance or unforeseen circumstances could affect an applicant’s ability to timely respond.  

 

• Responses signed by an unauthorized party are not accepted and can cause the application to abandon.  If applicant does not have an attorney, the response must be signed by the individual applicant, all joint applicants, or someone with legal authority to bind a juristic applicant.  If applicant has an attorney, the response must be signed by the attorney.

 

• If needed, find contact information for the supervisor of the office or unit listed in the signature block.

 

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

 

USPTO OFFICIAL NOTICE

 

Office Action (Official Letter) has issued

on April 21, 2021 for

U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 87596161

 

Your trademark application has been reviewed by a trademark examining attorney.  As part of that review, the assigned attorney has issued an official letter that you must respond to by the specified deadline or your application will be abandoned.  Please follow the steps below.

 

(1)  Read the official letter.

 

(2)  Direct questions about the contents of the Office action to the assigned attorney below. 

 

 

/Danythe Johnson/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 120

Phone: 571-272-4391

Email: danythe.johnson@uspto.gov

 

Direct questions about navigating USPTO electronic forms, the USPTO website, the application process, the status of your application, and/or whether there are outstanding deadlines or documents related to your file to the Trademark Assistance Center (TAC).

 

(3)  Respond within 6 months (or earlier, if required in the Office action) from April 21, 2021, using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS).  The response must be received by the USPTO before midnight Eastern Time of the last day of the response period.  See the Office action for more information about how to respond

 

 

 

GENERAL GUIDANCE

·       Check the status of your application periodically in the Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) database to avoid missing critical deadlines.

 

·       Update your correspondence email address, if needed, to ensure you receive important USPTO notices about your application.

 

·       Beware of misleading notices sent by private companies about your application.  Private companies not associated with the USPTO use public information available in trademark registrations to mail and email trademark-related offers and notices – most of which require fees.  All official USPTO correspondence will only be emailed from the domain “@uspto.gov.”