MPEP § 1606 — MPEP § 1606
Current through: 2022-07-01

1606-Drawings 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Skip over navigation 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 search for patents | search for trademarks 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Search 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 PATENTS 
 
 Patent Search 

 
 Patent Process 

 
 Patent Classification 

 
 Patent Forms 

 
 Statistics 

 
 Electronic Business Center 

 
 Patent Laws, Regulations, Policies & Procedures 

 
 Resources and Guidance 

 
 Office of Data Management 

 
 Announcements 

 
 Initiatives & Events 

 
 International Protection 

 
 Employee Locator 

 
 Contact Patents 

 

 

 
 TRADEMARKS 
 
 Trademark Search 

 
 Trademarks Process 

 
 News & Notices 

 
 Manuals, Guides, Official Gazette 

 
 Laws & Regulations 

 
 Online Filing 

 
 Contact Trademarks 

 

 

 
 IP LAW & POLICY 
 
 Rulemaking 

 
 IP Policy and Enforcement 

 
 Protecting IP Overseas 

 
 Training and Education 

 
 Training Programs & Conferences 

 
 Office of Governmental Affairs 

 
 Office of Chief Economist 

 
 Boards and Counsel 

 

 

 
 PRODUCTS & SERVICES 
 
 Electronic Data Products 

 
 XML Resources 

 
 XML Resources - Retrospective 

 
 USPTO Contact Center Order Form 

 
 Services 

 
 Locate Libraries 

 
 Training/Events 

 
 Online Services Hub 

 

 

 
 INVENTORS 
 
 Patents for Inventors 

 
 Trademarks for Inventors 

 
 Inventors Assistance 

 
 Education and Information 

 
 Scam Prevention 

 
 Pro Se and Pro Bono 

 
 Current Events 

 
 State Resources 

 
 InventorsEye Newsletter 

 

 

 
 NEWS & NOTICES 
 
 Subscription Center 

 
 Press Releases 

 
 Testimony and Speeches 

 
 Director's Forum 

 
 Systems Status 

 
 Emergency Notices 

 
 USPTO Videos 

 
 Official Gazette 

 
 Federal Register Notices 

 
 Event Calendar 

 

 

 
 FAQs 
 
 Patents FAQs 

 
 Trademarks FAQs 

 
 Assignments 

 
 Security 

 
 Musicians and Artists 

 
 Browser Plugins 

 
 Other Web Resources 

 

 

 
 ABOUT US 
 
 USPTO Leadership 

 
 USPTO Organization 

 
 USPTO Offices 

 
 Careers 

 
 Budget, Performance, and Planning 

 
 Statistics 

 
 Vendor Information 

 
 Public Advisory Committees 

 
 National Medal of Technology and Innovation 

 
 IP in Motion 

 
 Contact Us 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 Home Page 

 
 Patents 

 
 Patent Laws, Regulations, Policies & Procedures 

 
 Manual of Patent Examining Procedure 

 Chapter 1600 

 Section 1606 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 1606 Drawings [R-01.2024]

 
 37 CFR 1.165 Plant drawings. 

 
 (a) Plant patent drawings should be artistically and competently
 executed and must comply with the requirements of § 1.84 . View
 numbers and reference characters need not be employed unless required by the
 examiner. The drawing must disclose all the distinctive characteristics of the
 plant capable of visual representation.
 

 (b) The drawings may be in color. The drawing must be in color if
 color is a distinguishing characteristic of the new variety. Two copies of color
 drawings or photographs must be submitted.
 

 
 

 If the drawings, including watercolor renderings, or photographs are in
 color, two color copies of each drawing or photograph are required. If the required copies
 of the drawings are not included, the application will be accorded a filing date, but
 correction will be required before the application is forwarded for examination. 
 

 
 37 CFR 1.84 Standards for drawings. 

 *****

 
 (c) Identification of drawings. Identifying indicia should be provided, and if provided, should include
 the title of the invention, inventor’s name, and application number, or docket
 number (if any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application.
 If this information is provided, it must be placed on the front of each sheet
 within the top margin. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an
 application must be identified as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet”
 pursuant to § 
 1.121(d) . If a marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure
 including annotations indicating the changes made is filed, such marked-up copy
 must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” pursuant to § 
 1.121(d)(1) .
 

 
 *****

 
 (e) Type of paper. Drawings submitted to the Office must be made on
 paper which is flexible, strong, white, smooth, non-shiny, and durable. All sheets
 must be reasonably free from cracks, creases, and folds. Only one side of the
 sheet may be used for the drawing. Each sheet must be reasonably free from
 erasures and must be free from alterations, overwritings, and interlineations.
 Photographs must be developed on paper meeting the sheet-size requirements of
 paragraph (f) of this section and the margin requirements of paragraph (g) of this
 section. See paragraph (b) of this section for other requirements for
 photographs.
 

 (f) Size of paper. All drawing sheets in an application must be the
 same size. One of the shorter sides of the sheet is regarded as its top. The size
 of the sheets on which drawings are made must be:
 
 
 

 

 (1) 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4), or

 (2) 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inches).

 
 

 (g) Margins. The sheets must not contain frames around the sight
 ( i.e., the usable surface), but should have scan target
 points ( i.e., cross-hairs) printed on two cater-corner margin
 corners. Each sheet must include a top margin of at least 2.5 cm. (1 inch), a left
 side margin of at least 2.5 cm. (1 inch), a right side margin of at least 1.5 cm.
 (5/8 inch), and a bottom margin of at least 1.0 cm. (3/8 inch), thereby leaving a
 sight no greater than 17.0 cm. by 26.2 cm. on 21.0 cm. by 29.7 cm. (DIN size A4)
 drawing sheets, and a sight no greater than 17.6 cm. by 24.4 cm. (6 15/16 by 9
 5/8 inches) on 21.6 cm. by 27.9 cm. (8 1/2 by 11 inch) drawing sheets.
 

 
 *****

 
 (i) Arrangement of views. 
 One view must not be placed upon another or within the outline of another.
 All views on the same sheet should stand in the same direction and, if possible,
 stand so that they can be read with the sheet held in an upright position. If
 views wider than the width of the sheet are necessary for the clearest
 illustration of the invention, the sheet may be turned on its side so that the top
 of the sheet, with the appropriate top margin to be used as the heading space, is
 on the right-hand side. Words must appear in a horizontal, left-to-right fashion
 when the page is either upright or turned so that the top becomes the right side,
 except for graphs utilizing standard scientific convention to denote the axis of
 abscissas (of X) and the axis of ordinates (of Y).
 

 
 *****

 
 (t) Numbering of sheets of drawings. The sheets of drawings should
 be numbered in consecutive Arabic numerals, starting with 1, within the sight as
 defined in paragraph (g) of this section. These numbers, if present, must be
 placed in the middle of the top of the sheet, but not in the margin. The numbers
 can be placed on the right-hand side if the drawing extends too close to the
 middle of the top edge of the usable surface. The drawing sheet numbering must be
 clear and larger than the numbers used as reference characters to avoid confusion.
 The number of each sheet should be shown by two Arabic numerals placed on either
 side of an oblique line, with the first being the sheet number and the second
 being the total number of sheets of drawings, with no other marking.
 

 (u) Numbering of views. 
 
 

 

 (1) The different views must be numbered in consecutive Arabic
 numerals, starting with 1, independent of the numbering of the sheets and,
 if possible, in the order in which they appear on the drawing sheet(s).
 Partial views intended to form one complete view, on one or several sheets,
 must be identified by the same number followed by a capital letter. View
 numbers must be preceded by the abbreviation “FIG.” Where only a single view
 is used in an application to illustrate the claimed invention, it must not
 be numbered and the abbreviation “FIG.” must not appear.
 

 (2) Numbers and letters identifying the views must be simple
 and clear and must not be used in association with brackets, circles, or
 inverted commas. The view numbers must be larger than the numbers used for
 reference characters.
 

 
 

 
 *****

 
 (x) Holes. No holes should be made by applicant in the drawing
 sheets.
 

 
 

 Form Paragraphs 16.06, 16.07, and 16.11 may be used to object to the
 drawing disclosure.
 

 ¶ 16.06 Color Drawings Must Be in Duplicate

 The disclosure is objected to under
 37 CFR
 1.165(b) because applicant has not provided copies of the
 color drawing in duplicate. Correction is required.
 

 

 ¶ 16.07 Drawing Figures Not Competently Executed

 The disclosure is objected to under
 37 CFR
 1.165(a) because Fig. [1] not artistically and/or
 competently executed.
 

 

 ¶ 16.11 Drawings in Improper Scale

 The disclosure is objected to under 37 CFR 1.165(a) because the drawings are of an inadequate scale to show the distinguishing features of the plant.
 

 

 [top] 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 1601-Introduction: The Act, Scope, Type of Plants Covered 

 1602-Rules Applicable 

 1603-Elements of a Plant Application 

 1604-Applicant, Oath or Declaration 

 1605-Specification and Claim 

 1606-Drawings 

 1607-Specimens 

 1608-Examination 

 1609-Report of Agricultural Research Service 

 1610-The Action 

 1611-Issue 

 1612-UPOV Convention 

 1613-Right of Priority Based upon Application for Plant Breeder’s Rights 

 

 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
 Accessibility 

 Privacy Policy 

 Terms of Use 

 Security 

 Emergencies/Security Alerts 

 Information Quality Guidelines 

 
 

 
 
 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act 

 Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation (NoFEAR) Act 

 Budget & Performance 

 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

 
 

 
 
 Department of Commerce NoFEAR Act Report 

 Regulations.gov 

 STOP!Fakes.gov 

 Department of Commerce 

 USA.gov 

 
 

 
 
 Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) 

 Careers 

 Site Index 

 Contact Us 

 Submit Feedback 

 
 

 
 This page is owned by Patents.

 Last Modified: 
 
 03/09/2026 20:49:27