Suspension Letter

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

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

 

 

 

SUSPENSION NOTICE

No Response Required

 

 

Issue date:  October 16, 2019

 

 

This Office action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on September 14, 2019.  The reliance on the foreign registration and the substitute specimen are acceptable.

 

The application is suspended for the reason(s) specified below.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.67; TMEP §§716 et seq. 

 

Application suspended until submission of foreign registration or proof that foreign registration was renewed.  Applicant is required to provide a copy of a foreign registration from applicant’s country of origin; the foreign registration must be valid when the U.S. registration issues.  15 U.S.C. §1126(e); 37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(3)(ii)-(iii); TMEP §§1004, 1004.01(a).  Action on the application is suspended until the USPTO receives a copy of such foreign registration or proof that the foreign registration was renewed.  TMEP §§716.02(b), 1003.04.  Applicant must also provide an English translation if the foreign registration or renewal document is not in English.  37 C.F.R. §2.34(a)(3)(ii)-(iii). 

 

If the foreign application abandons or the foreign registration is not renewed, applicant should promptly notify the trademark examining attorney.  See TMEP §§1003.08, 1004.01(a).  In such case, applicant may amend the application to rely on another filing basis, if appropriate, and will retain the priority filing date, if applicable.  TMEP §§1003.08, 1004.01(a).

 

Refusal and requirement resolved.  The following refusals are WITHDRAWN: 

 

          • Section 2(d) – Likelihood of Confusion

          • Specimen – Substitute specimen is acceptable.

 

See TMEP §713.02.

 

The following requirement is continued: 

 

Goods

 

The amendment to the identification of goods is partially indefinite and must be clarified because “thermal energy transfer activated hold and cold compresses; thermal energy transfer activated hot compresses; thermal energy transfer activated cold compresses” is confusing as written because  “hot” is misspelled as “hold” and the applicant must specify what activates the thermal energy.  See 37 C.F.R. §2.32(a)(6); TMEP §1402.01. 

 

Applicant’s goods and/or services 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 and/or services or add goods and/or services 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 and/or services 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 and/or services will further limit scope, and once goods and/or services are deleted, they are not permitted to be reinserted.  TMEP §1402.07(e).

 

Applicant may adopt the following identification, if accurate:

 

(Based on Use in Commerce) (Based on 44(d) Priority Application) Chemically activated hot and cold compresses; therapeutic hot and cold compression wraps; thermo-electric activated hot and cold compresses; chemically activated hot compresses; therapeutic hot compression wraps; thermo-electric activated hot compresses; chemically activated cold compresses; therapeutic cold compression wraps; thermo-electric activated cold compresses; (Based on Intent to Use) (Based on 44(e)) electromedical rehabilitative and pain management products for clinical and home use, namely, trans cutaneous electrical stimulators, muscle stimulators and electrical muscle stimulators; electric massage apparatus.  International Class 10.

 

See id.  This requirement will be made final once this application is removed from suspension, unless a new issue arises.  See TMEP §716.01.

 

Suspension process.  The USPTO will periodically check this application to determine if it should remain suspended.  See TMEP §716.04.  As needed, the trademark examining attorney will issue a letter to applicant to inquire about the status of the reason for the suspension.  TMEP §716.05. 

 

No response required.  Applicant may file a response, but is not required to do so. 

 

 

/D. Beryl Gardner/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 117

571-272-9162 (O)

571-273-9162 (F)

beryl.gardner@uspto.gov

 

 

 

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

 

USPTO OFFICIAL NOTICE

 

Office Action (Official Letter) has issued

on October 16, 2019 for

U.S. Trademark Application Serial No. 88237809

 

Your trademark application has been reviewed by a trademark examining attorney.  As part of that review, the assigned attorney has issued an official letter.  Please follow the steps below.

 

(1)  Read the official letter.  No response is necessary.

 

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

 

/D. Beryl Gardner/

Trademark Examining Attorney

Law Office 117

571-272-9162 (O)

571-273-9162 (F)

beryl.gardner@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).

 

 

 

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.”