eGrants and eCofCs

Please note that the information on this webpage will continue to be updated, as additional information becomes available.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began issuing electronic patent grants (eGrants) for all patents on April 18, 2023. eGrants are available through Patent Center, the USPTO's electronic patent application filing and management system, which includes patent document viewing.

Patent grants will no longer be issued on paper, and as a result, they will no longer be mailed to the correspondence address of record as part of the patent issuance process. Instead, the patentee will be able to view and print the complete issued patent from Patent Center immediately upon issue. During a transition period, the USPTO will provide a paper copy of the electronic patent grant as a ceremonial copy, delivered to the patentee’s correspondence address of record. The electronic patent grant is the official statutory patent grant.

The USPTO is also issuing electronic certificates of correction (eCofCs) for all certificates with an issue date on or after January 30, 2024. Certificates of correction will no longer be issued on paper, and as a result they will no longer be mailed to the correspondence address of record. Instead, an eCofC will be able to be viewed and printed from Patent Center immediately upon issue. The features and benefits of eCofCs will be similar to those of eGrants. The electronic certificate of correction is the official statutory certificate of correction.

Electronic grants and certificates

Utilize the Portable Document Format (PDF)
Use an encrypted certification/validation technology
eGrants mirror the appearance of the previously produced bound patent grants
eCofCs will mirror the appearance of paper certificates of correction

Benefits

Provides electronic patent grants and certificates of correction to patentee and public as a certified PDF on the day of issue
Streamlines the patent grant process, minimizes paper waste, and provides the opportunity to reduce pendency
Minimizes printing and mailing, potentially reducing patent pendency
Increases printing flexibility and choice for patentee and public

Examples

To fully view and see validation information for the examples, please (1) open the example, (2) download the file to your computer, and (3) open with a PDF-viewing application.
- example of eGrant
- example of eCofC

Additional resources

Contact information

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback for eGrants or eCofCs, please email eGrants@uspto.gov

For technical issues or troubleshooting with accessing eGrants or eCofCs, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center at ebc@uspto.gov or 866-217-9197, Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - midnight ET.