What are the meanings of the patent document symbols?

Patent document symbols, or markings, are symbols placed on patent documents to give information about the patent. In Mississippi, patent document symbols are used to show when a patent has expired, been granted, or assigned. The symbols also provide ownership information and can be used to identify the patent document itself. A patent that has been granted will have the symbol “(pat)” next to the patent number, and the corresponding patent number will be listed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) database. The patent expiration date is indicated by the symbol “(exp)” and it will be followed by the date the patent will expire. If a patent has been assigned, it will have the symbol “(ass)” followed by the date it was assigned. In addition, symbols can also be used to indicate ownership of the patent. If the patent is owned by a company, it will have the symbol “(c)” followed by the company’s name. If the patent is owned by an individual, it will have the symbol “(i)” followed by the name of the individual. Finally, symbols can also be used to identify the patent document itself. All patent documents have a unique patent number assigned to them, and this number will be listed next to the symbol “(d)”. The patent number, along with the symbols, can be used to look up the document in the USPTO’s database.

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