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Search Fields
This page contains definitions of search fields and tips on the use of fields in your TESS searches.
The TESS database contains many searchable fields. By narrowing your search to terms in a field that you specify, you can greatly decrease the likelihood of retrieving extraneous documents.
This page shows a list of all the available fields, defines each field, shows the abbreviated field name or code, and provides examples of how do field searching.
[these links currently go to TESS]
[AD] Abandonment Date [AF] Affidavits [AR] Assignment Recorded [AT] Attorney of Record [BI] Basic Index [CB] Current Basis [CC] Coordinated Class [CD] Cancellation Date [CR] Change in Registration [DC] Design Search Code [DD] Design Description [DE] Description of Mark [DM] Decimal Mark [DS] Disclaimer [FD] Filing Date [FM] Full Mark [GS] Goods and Services [IC] International Class [IR] International Registration [LD] Live/Dead [MD] Mark Drawing Code [MI] Mark Index [MN] Mark Non-Punctuated [MP] Mark Punctuated [Word Mark] [OB] Original Filing Basis
[OD] Other Data [ON] Owner Name [OW] Owner Name and Address [PD] Priority Date [PF] Physical Filing Date [PI] Pseudo Mark Index [PM] Pseudo Mark [PO] Published for Opposition [PR] Prior Registrations [RD] Registration Date [RE] Renewals [RG] Register [RN] Registration Number [SF] Section 44 Indicator [SD] Single Design Code [SN] Serial Number [SO] Serial - Other Formats [SR] Date Amended to Current Register [ST] Standard Characters Claimed [TC] TSF Classification Code Index (limited to 8-28-07 through 1-31-11) [TD] Total Designs [TF] Distinctiveness Limitation Statement [TI] Translation Index [TL] Translation [TM] Type of Mark [UD] Update/Load Date [US] US Class
Note: A special COMB index can be searched for the Combined Word Mark index introduced with the New User search screen. The Combined Word Mark includes the word mark and translation fields. Specifically, the BI – Basic Index, TI – Translation Index, MP – Mark Punctuated (word mark), and TL – Translation Statement indexes are searched. (The MP and TL indexes are included as a redundacy to enable highlighting of the search term in the results, as the BI and TI fields are not displayed.)
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Abandonment Date [AD]
This field contains the date the mark was abandoned. This field only applies to dead marks.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with an abandonment date of June15, 1999.
19990615[AD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with an abandonment date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[AD]
199906??[AD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with an abandonment date in January 1999 or later.
`AD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with an abandonment date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`AD > 19800000 < 19900000
Affidavits [AF]
This field contains notations on the types of affidavits filed on registrations. It refers to either or both Sec. 8 and Sec. 15 of the trademark law (Lanham Act, as amended), or to Section 12(c) for pre-1946 registrations.
Section 8: These affidavits are required for both the Supplemental and Principal Registers to show continuous use of the mark since registration. A Section 8 Affidavit must be filed between the fifth and sixth year anniversary of the registration date in order to maintain the registration.
Section 15: These affidavits apply only to the Principal Register. They must be filed within one year of any five-year period of continuous use to confer a status of incontestability in the registration.
Section 12(c): This affidavit may be filed for a registration that registered under trademark legislation that was in effect prior to the Lanham Act which was enacted in 1946. By filing this affidavit the registration takes on the benefits as well as the responsibilities (such as the requirement to file a Section 8 affidavit) of the 1946 Lanham Act.
TIP: Enter one of the following terms (using quotation marks) in the text entry box: “8”[AF] , “12C”[AF] or “15”[AF] .
(This field applies only to Registered marks.)
Assignment Recorded [AR]
This field contains the words Assignment Recorded for those records that having an assignment recorded at the US Patent and Trademark Office. The search ASSIGNMENT[AR] will retrieve marks that have an assignment recorded.
Attorney of Record [AT]
This field contains the name of the attorney as specified in any power of attorney submitted with the trademark application. Note that the power of attorney expires when an application matures into a registration.
TIP: Since this information may be not updated in the database and is often changed prior to registration, you should contact the US Patent and Trademark Office or examine the application file to ensure retrieval of current information.
Basic Index [BI]
The Basic Index field contains the word mark and pseudo mark information indexed for optimal searching efficiency. This field (along with the [TI] field) uses a special * truncation operator for more efficient left and/or right truncation searches. Please note that the * truncation operator cannot be used for internal truncation. The $ or ? truncation symbols are used for internal truncation, but their use may result in truncation overflow.
The search *DOG*[BI] will retrieve marks that have the word segment DOG anywhere in the word mark or pseudo mark. Alternatively, the search *DOG*[BI,TI] will retrieve the word segment DOG occurring anywhere in the word mark, pseudo mark or translation.
This field is not displayed; consequently, search terms for searches of this field will not be highlighted.
The TESS search system has the capability to respond quickly to searches that employ either left or right truncation, but using left and right truncation together presents a problem for any text search system. If you search for WAX$ ($ is the standard TESS multi-character substitution character) the system can go quickly to the part of the index containing words beginning with WAX. If you search for $WAX the system has a reversed index of the words contained in the documents and is smart enough to reverse the search term and go to the reversed index. So it will look for words beginning with XAW in the reversed index. This means a rapid response time to either left OR right truncated search terms.
In the case of a search using left AND right truncation, for example, $WAX$, the system cannot go to a specific in entry in either index because anything could precede or follow WAX. In this case the system must start at the first entry in the index, see if the first entry contains the search term WAX and then proceed to the next entry in the index, and continue this process until it has examined every word in the index. Even with a very fast computer system, this is a time-consuming procedure that results in slow responses to this type of search.
The permuted index accelerates the response time to a combined left and right truncation search by loading the index with all possible left and right truncation variations or permutations of the words in the mark. For example, when the word WAX is permuted the result is the following list of permuted terms:
*W* W* *WA* WA* *WAX* WAX* *WAX *A* *AX* *AX *X* *X
To search for WAX with both left and right truncation, your search would be *WAX*[BI]. The asterisk substitutes for the usual multi-character wildcard character $. In this case the search system goes immediately to the part of the index file that contains terms starting with *WAX* resulting in a much faster response to the query. You can, of course, search for any of the permutations of the word as shown above and get a fast response. If you really want to search for any word mark or pseudo mark that contains the letter A you can search for *A*[BI].
The permuted indexing technique was used only on the Basic Index [BI], Mark Index [MI], Pseudo Mark Index [PI] and Translation Index [TI] fields because of the amount of disk space involved. If it is necessary to use left and right truncation to search the Goods and Services [GS] field, for instance, you will have to use the standard TESS syntax of $WAX$, and the query response time will be longer. Single truncation searches should execute quickly on all fields, but the asterisk is still the preferred method for a single truncation search on the Basic Index [BI], Mark Index [MI], Pseudo Mark Index [PI] and Translation Index [TI] fields.
When it is desirable to specify adjacency of searched terms in a search of the Basic Index (or the other permuted indeses), as in a phrase search, and it is desired to utilize truncation with one or more of the search terms, use of the * truncation operator is not appropriate.
Use of the * truncation operator in the Basic Index is appropriate when searching for single terms. It is also appropriate to use the * in the Basic Index when searching multiple terms within the same search statement and when the desired results do not require that the terms occur adjacent to each other in the mark. Use of the * truncation operator in the Basic Index is not appropriate if it is required that the multiple terms searched utilizing the * truncation operator appear in the mark adjacent to each other as is commonly desired when executing a phrase search.
Searches involving internal truncation in combination with left and right truncation on the Basic Index would employ the standard TESS truncation characters for internal character replacement. For example, *TE$OLOGY*[BI], would return TEKNOLOGY, TECNOLOGY, TELEOLOGY, etc. Another example is *TE?NO*[BI], which uses the single character replacement truncation character, the question mark (?) character. This search returns TEKNOBAG, TECNOBAG and INTERNODE, etc.
For all searches employing left and right truncation on the Basic Index [BI] field using the asterisks as the left and right character substitution operators is always preferable to the standard dollar sign operator.
Current Basis [CB]
The Current Basis field contains the current basis information. Possible entries for this field include:
Entry Meaning
1A Section §1(a) {use in commerce}.
1B Section §1(b) {intent to use}.
44D Section §44(d) {foreign application}.
44E Section §44(e) {foreign registration}.
66A Section §66(a) (Madrid Protocol).
NO FILING BASIS No basis claimed.
More than one basis may occur.
Example: the search 1A[CB] will retrieve all records currently based on use of the mark in commerce under section 1(a).
Note: Section 44(d) provides a basis for receipt of a priority filing date but is not a basis for publication or registration. Section 1(b) is a basis for publication but is not a basis for registration.
Please refer to the TMEP Ch. 800 for additional information on the different filing and registration bases.
Coordinated Class [CC]
Search the Coordinated Class field to retrieve marks from International Classes related to a specific International Class. The search “009”[CC] will retrieve marks in coordinated class 009, i.e., marks related to International Class 009. Usually, this search field is used in conjunction with other search fields.
This field is not displayed; consequently, search terms for searches of this field will not be highlighted.
The Coordinated Class Table (revised April 2006) was designed to automatically include related International Classes in the search results when the primary International Class is searched. For example, a search for the International Class 007 utilizing the Coordinated Class index to designate that the search is for the Coordinated Classes associated with International Class 007 will include results containing any of the following International Class designations: 007, 008, 011, 012, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200.
Primary International Class Related International Classes 001 005, 017, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 002 017, 019, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 003 005, 021, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 004 001, 035, 037, 042, A, B, 200 005 001, 003, 010, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 006 011, 017, 019, 020, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 007 008, 011, 012, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 008 007, 021, 035, 037, 040, 042, 045, A, B, 200 009 010, 016, 028, 035, 038, 041, 042, 044, A, B, 200 010 005, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 011 006, 007, 009, 019, 020, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 012 007, 035, 037, 042, A, B, 200 013 028, 035, 042, 045, A, B, 200 014 025, 026, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 015 028, 035, 041, 042, A, B, 200 016 009, 035, 041, 042, A, B, 200 017 001, 002, 006, 019, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 018 014, 025, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 019 002, 006, 011, 017, 035, 037, 040, 042, A, B, 200 020 006, 021, 028, 035, 042, A, B, 200 021 003, 008, 020, 035, 042, 044, A, B, 200 022 023, 024, 035, 042, A, B, 200 023 022, 024, 026, 035, 042, A, B, 200 024 023, 025, 026, 035, 042, A, B, 200 025 014, 018, 024, 035, 042, A, B, 200 026 023, 024, 035, 042, A, B, 200 027 019, 024, 035, 037, 042, A, B, 200 028 009, 016, 020, 025, 035, 041, 042, A, B, 200 029 005, 030, 031, 032, 033, 035, 042, 043, A, B, 200 030 001, 005, 029, 031, 032, 033, 035, 042, 043, A, B, 200 031 005, 029, 030, 032, 035, 042, 043, 044, A, B, 200 032 005, 029, 030, 031, 033, 035, 042, 043, A, B, 200 033 005, 029, 030, 031, 032, 035, 042, 043, A, B, 200 034 004, 035, 042, A, B, 200 035 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 036 035, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 037 035, 036, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 038 035, 036, 037, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 039 035, 036, 037, 038, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 040 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 041 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 042, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 042 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 043, 044, 045, A, B, 200 043 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 044, 045, A, B, 200 044 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 045, A, B, 200 045 035, 036, 037, 038, 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, A, B, 200 A B, 200 B A, 200 200 041, 042, A, B
Cancellation Date [CD]
Search the Cancellation Date field to retrieve marks that were cancelled on a particular date.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a cancellation date of June15, 1999.
19990615[CD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a cancellation date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[CD]
199906??[CD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a cancellation date in January 1999 or later.
`CD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a cancellation date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`CD > 19800000 < 19900000
Change in Registration [CR]
This field indicates that a change in the registration of a mark has occurred.
The most common changes are:
- a change in the ownership of the mark;
- a change in the name of the owner (for example, International Harvester changes its name to Navistar);
- a change in address; and/or,
- a change in the goods or services classes in which the mark is used.
TIP: This field contains the words “Change in Registration Has Occurred”. Enter any of the words in the expression in this field to retrieve all records for which a change in registration has occurred. For example, the search CHANGE[CR] might be performed.
This field applies only to Registered marks.
Design Search Code [DC]
This field contains a six-digit code (do NOT include the periods) used to identify design elements that comprise a mark that contain a design (drawing). A mark may have more than one design code associated with it. Design search codes are defined in the Design Search Code Manual. (This manual is available on the USPTO Web site, at the Trademark Search Library in Arlington VA, and at all Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries.)
Trademarks which have data design search code field or that have a mark drawing code of 2, 3, 4 or 5 should have an image associated with them. Please note that due to the production processes involved, the availability of trademark images may lag several months behind the availability of text.
Example: Enter 150501[DC] to retrieve records for trademarks incorporating typewriters in the design.
Example: Enter 020119[DC] to retrieve records for trademarks incorporating athletic men in the design.
Example: Enter 080112[DC] to retrieve records for trademarks incorporating pizzas in the design.
Design Description [DD]
For any design code occurring in the record, the DD field include the corresponding entries from the Alphabetical Index of the Design Search Code Manual for that design code. While the DD index can be used for searching design codes, the intention was to display the design code descriptions from the Alphabetical Index with the full text display so that users will more readily see the significance of each design code entry. Additionally, the DD field includes the design code entries with the period format (e.g., 03.01.08 for dogs), so searches can be performed on design code using either the purely numeric format (e.g., 030108[DC]) or the traditional design code format with periods (e.g., 03.01.08[DD]), but note that the DD index must be specified for the traditional design code format with periods (or omit the [DD] index specification, as the traditional design code format with the periods is fairly unique to design code entries).
Example: Enter LION[DD] with the plurals option set to retrieve records for trademarks having design code entries associated with lion or lions in the alphabetical index of the Design Search Code Manual.
Example: Enter HUMANS[DD] with the plurals option set to retrieve records for trademarks having design code entries associated with humans in the alphabetical index of the Design Search Code Manual.
Description of Mark [DE]
This field contains words contained in the written description of the mark.
Example: For the three musical notes that make up the sound mark registered to NBC, this field states, “The mark comprises a sequence of chime-like musical notes …”
Decimal Mark [DM]
Suppose you’re interested in punctuation symbols like ( ) [ ] | \ “ that have special meanings for the search engine and are not available for searching. The DM – Decimal Mark – index provides a means of searching those characters or strings of characters occurring in the word mark entry. The catch: you’ll have to get the decimal value of any character you intend to search in the word mark entry. Those decimal values are readily available in the Standard Character Set listing on the USPTO website at //www.uspto.gov/teas/standardCharacterSet.html.
For example, the decimal value of the [ character is 91 and the decimal value of the ] character is 93. The search
“91”[DM] NEAR2 “93”[DM]
will retrieve word marks like [M] or [A], where the character [ and the character ] must occur in the word mark in any order but with at most a single character between them.
The Decimal Mark index is meant to be a last resort option for word mark searching when traditional search methods fail because the desired search term includes characters like [ or “ that are not indexed for traditional searches.
Disclaimer [DS]
This field contains words in a statement waiving exclusive rights to specific words or elements of a mark. Without this disclaimer, the USPTO would not register the mark.
Example: The trademark for Florida Gold states “no claim is made to the exclusive use of ‘Florida’ apart from the mark as shown.”
Filing Date [FD]
This field contains the date when a complete application was received by the US Patent and Trademark Office, following receipt of all filing material requirements. Contingent upon registration, it constitutes date of constructive use (legal equivalent of actual use).
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a filing date of June15, 1999.
19990615[FD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a filing date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[FD]
199906??[FD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a filing date in January 1999 or later.
`FD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a filing date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`FD > 19800000 < 19900000
Full Mark [FM]
For this index, each Word Mark is a single index entry with any blank space converted to a hyphen. A search for the mark GOOD AS GOLD might be submitted as GOOD-AS-GOLD[FM]. This field provides for exact match searches. Truncation operators such as $ or ? are valid used in this search field,but this index has not been optimized for truncation searches and their use is not recommended. The asterisk (*) can be used for right truncation to help circumvent truncation overflow errors for searching this field. For example, the search GOOD-AS*[FM] could be used to search for marks beginning GOOD AS.
Goods and Services [GS]
This field contains a written description which clearly identifies the nature of the goods and/or services as set forth in the application or registration. See Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual for guidance and suggestions of acceptable descriptions of goods and services. (This manual is available at the Trademark Search Library in Arlington, VA and at all Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries.)
International Class [IC]
This field identifies the class(es) assigned to a mark under the International Classification of Goods and Services (Nice Agreement) based upon the goods or services on which the mark is used. The International Classification has been the primary classification for marks in the United States since September 1, 1973.
TIP: Enter a numeric international class in quotes with leading zeros, if necessary.
Example: Enter “032”[IC] to retrieve documents classified in International Class 032.
Note: This International Class field is included for searching convenience, but the displayed International Class information is actually part of the Goods and Services [GS] text to allow for the searching of specific GS text terms occurring in a specific International Class. For example, the search ((IC WITH “032”) SAME FRUIT)[GS] will retrieve only marks containing the word FRUIT occurring for International Class 032 in the Goods and Services statement.
A list of International Trademark Class Numbers and Short Titles follows. Note that these short titles are not an official part of the International Classification. They are provided here as a means by which the general content of numbered International Classes can be quickly identified. See Section 6.1 of the Trademark Rules of Practice for the full names of the International Classes and Chapter 1400 of the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure for additional trademark classification information.
International Trademark Class Numbers and Short Titles
| |
|---|---|
001 Chemicals 002 Paints 003 Cosmetics and Cleaning Preparations 004 Lubricants and Fuels 005 Pharmaceuticals 006 Metal Goods 007 Machinery 008 Hand Tools 009 Electrical and Scientific Apparatus 010 Medical Apparatus 011 Environmental Control Apparatus 012 Vehicles 013 Firearms 014 Jewelry 015 Musical Instruments 016 Paper Goods and Printed Matter 017 Rubber Goods | 018 Leather Goods 019 Non-metallic Building Materials 020 Furniture and Articles Not Otherwise Classified 021 Housewares and Glass 022 Cordage and Fibers 023 Yarns and Threads 024 Fabrics 025 Clothing 026 Fancy Goods 027 Floor Coverings 028 Toys and Sporting Goods 029 Meats and Processed Foods 030 Staple Foods 031 Natural Agricultural Products 032 Light Beverages 033 Wines and Spirits 034 Smokers' Articles |
035 Advertising and Business 036 Insurance and Financial 037 Construction and Repair 038 Communication 039 Transportation and Storage 040 Material Treatment | 041 Education and Entertainment 042 Computer, Scientific and Legal 043 Hotels and Restaurants 044 Medical, Beauty and Agricultural 045 Personal |
|
International Registration [IR]
This field includes the International Registration number for applications filed under §66(a).
Filed ITU [IU]
This search field no longer exists. With the implementation of the Madrid Protocol, filing basis information was reorganized into the Current Basis [CB] and Original Filing Basis [OB] fields.
Live/Dead [LD]
The field contains either LIVE or DEAD.
The search LIVE[LD] can be used to obtain all live records.
Use this search field in conjunction with other searches to retrieve only live or dead records. For example, the search *DOG*[BI,TI] AND LIVE[LD] will retrieve all live marks containing the word segment DOG in the word mark, pseudo mark, or translation fields, including instances of the word DOG embedded within a word such as HOTDOGS, DOGGIE, DOGHOUSE, BULLDOG, GUARDDOG, DOGMAIL or WATCHDOG.
What does a status of “dead” or “abandoned” mean?
Mark Drawing Code [MD]
This field provides a code to indicate the type of mark drawing.
The following table provides the approximate occurrences of each of the 7 mark drawing codes with their text descriptions.
| Occurrences | Code | Description |
| 38,939 | 0 | UNKNOWN |
| 2,504,964 | 1 | TYPED DRAWING |
| 137,960 | 2 | DESIGN ONLY |
| 724,107 | 3 | DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS |
| 285,604 | 4 | STANDARD CHARACTER MARK |
| 295,015 | 5 | WORDS, LETTERS, AND/OR NUMBERS IN STYLIZED |
| 270 | 6 | FOR SITUATIONS FOR WHICH NO DRAWING IS POSSIBLE, SUCH AS SOUND |
To search in this field, enter the desired mark drawing code number in quotes with the [MD] search field tag.
Example: Enter “2”[MD] for design only marks. Enter “6”[MD] for sensory marks (such as sound and fragrance marks).
Mark Index [MI]
Similar to the Basic Index, the Mark Index field contains word mark, in both punctuated and non-punctuated form, but not the pseudo mark information. MI is indexed for optimal searching efficiency. This field uses a special * truncation operator for very fast left or right truncation searches. Please note that the * truncation operator cannot be used for internal truncation. The $ or ? characters are used for internal truncation but their added use may result in a truncation overflow condition. The MI index was added with the Fall 2005 update to allow for * truncation searches of word mark entries independent of the pseudo mark entries that are included in the BI index.
The search *DOG*[MI] will retrieve marks that have the word segment DOG anywhere in the word mark. Alternatively, the search *DOG*[BI] will retrieve the word segment DOG occurring anywhere in the word mark or pseudo mark.
This field is not displayed; consequently, search terms for searches of this field will not be highlighted.
Mark Non-Punctuated [MN]
This index contains the text for the Word Mark. Punctuation characters have been removed and replaced by a space. This means that a word mark like ARE-TWO is indexed as two separate indexed terms ARE and TWO. G*R*I*T is indexed as the four separate letters G, R, I and T.
This field is not displayed; consequently, search terms for searches of this field will not be highlighted.
We recommend using the Basic Index field for word mark searches.
Mark Punctuated [MP]
This field contains the Word Mark, including any punctuation characters. This is the word mark field displayed in the text output. Search terms for searches of this field will be highlighted in the display of the word mark.
TIP: This field cannot be used to search marks using only a design, fragrance, sound, etc. See field contents for Mark Drawing Code for information on searching these types of marks.
We recommend using the Basic Index field for word mark searches.
Original Filing Basis [OB]
The Original Filing Basis field contains the original basis information as of the filing of the application. Possible entries for this field include:
Entry Meaning
1A Filed under Section §1(a) {use in commerce}.
1B Filed under Section §1(b) {intent to use}.
44D Filed under Section §44(d) {foreign application}.
44E Filed under Section §44(e) {foreign registration}.
66A Filed under Section §66(a) (Madrid Protocol).
NO FILING BASIS No filing basis claimed.
More than one basis may occur.
Example: the search 1A[OB] will retrieve all records originally filed under section 1(a).
Please refer to the TMEP Ch. 800 for additional information on the different filing bases.
Other Data[OD]
This field contains information regarding any concurrent use of the mark, court ordered restriction, or other information which exists for the particular mark.
Owner Name [ON]
This field contains the name of the individual, corporation, partnership, association, etc., having controlling interest in the use of the mark. For example, the search WAL-MART[ON] will retrieve marks owned by Wal-Mart (although there may be variations in the spelling of that name that may not be retrieved by that specific search).
This field is included for improving owner searches by not retrieving irrelevant hits for occurrences of the search terms in the owner address; however, this field is not displayed, so search terms for this field will not be highlighted.
Owner Name and Address [OW]
Address This field contains the name and address of the owner or applicant for the mark including street, city, state or country and zip code. This field also indicates if an owner is an individual, corporation, partnership, association, etc., and state or country of citizenship or incorporation. This field is displayed and search terms for searches of this field will be highlighted.
Priority Date [PD]
This field relates to Section 44(d) applications. It contains the date of filing in a foreign country which becomes the “priority” filing date in the United States.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a priority date of June15, 1999.
19990615[PD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a priority date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[PD]
199906??[PD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a priority date in January 1999 or later.
`PD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a priority date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`PD > 19800000 < 19900000
Physical Filing Date [PF]
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a physical filing date of June15, 1999.
19990615[PF]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a physical filing date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[PF]
199906??[PF]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a physical filing date in January 1999 or later.
`PF > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a physical filing date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`PF > 19800000 < 19900000
This field is not displayed.
Pseudo Mark Index [PI]
Similar to the Basic Index, the PI index contains pseudo mark but not the word mark information. PI is indexed for optimal searching efficiency. This field uses a special * truncation operator for very fast left or right truncation searches. Please note that the * truncation operator cannot be used for internal truncation. The $ or ? characters are used for internal truncation but their added use may result in a truncation overflow condition. The PI index was added with the Fall 2005 update to allow for * truncation searches of pseudo mark entries independent of the word mark entries that are included in the BI index.
For some marks, the USPTO has added a pseudo mark to the search data to assist TESS users in identifying relevant marks related to their search term. Pseudo mark entries are not displayed or printed in the search results and are not part of the official application or registration. Pseudo marks provide an additional search tool for locating documents whose word mark may contain an alternative or intentionally corrupted spelling for a normal English word. The pseudo mark field often contains spellings that are very similar or phonetically equivalent to the word mark.
Examples:
- A document with the word mark 4U might contain a pseudo mark of FOR YOU.
- Searching the pseudo index field for *QUICK*[PI] should retrieve marks whose word mark field contains words like KWIK, KWIX, QUIK, etc.
Pseudo Mark [PM]
For some marks, the USPTO has added a pseudo mark to the search data to assist TESS users in identifying relevant marks related to their search term. Pseudo mark entries are not displayed or printed in the search results and are not part of the official application or registration. Pseudo marks provide an additional search tool for locating documents whose word mark may contain an alternative or intentionally corrupted spelling for a normal English word. The pseudo mark field often contains spellings that are very similar or phonetically equivalent to the word mark.
Examples:
- A document with the word mark 4U might contain a pseudo mark of FOR YOU.
- Searching the pseudo mark field for QUICK should retrieve marks whose word mark field contains words like KWIK, KWIX, QUIK, etc.
We recommend using the Basic Index field for word mark/pseudo mark searches.
Published for Opposition [PO]
This field contains the date that the application was published for opposition in the Trademark Official Gazette.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a published for opposition date of June15, 1999.
19990615[PO]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a published for opposition date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[PO]
199906??[PO]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a published for opposition date in January 1999 or later.
`PO > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a published for opposition date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`PO > 19800000 < 19900000
Prior Registrations [PR]
This field contains the registration numbers of other US registrations owned by the applicant or registrant.
TIP: Enter as a seven-digit number in quotes with leading zeros if necessary, as in “1800144”[PR] or “0040006”[PR].
Registration Date [RD]
This field contains the date on which a mark was registered by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
This field applies only to registered marks; pending marks will have a registration date of 0.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a registration date of June15, 1999.
19990615[RD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a registration date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[RD]
199906??[RD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a registration date in January 1999 or later.
`RD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a registration date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`RD > 19800000 < 19900000
Renewals (RE)
This field contains the date on which a renewal for a trademark was registered by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Trademarks may be renewed indefinitely for ten-year periods provided certain conditions are met.
Following are examples of entries for this field.
1ST RENEWAL 19991028 2ND RENEWAL 19970102 3RD RENEWAL 19990920 4TH RENEWAL 19991013
All records with a renewal entry might be retrieved by the search RENEWAL[RE]. Renewals for a particular date can be retrieved by the search of that date. For example, the search 199906??[RE] will retrieve all records with a renewal date in June, 1999. Searches of this field can be performed on any of the keyword, such as “1ST”[RE] to retrieve all records with a 1st renewal entry.
This field applies only to Registered marks.
Register [RG]
This field identifies the mark as being either on
- the Principal Register
- the Principal Register with a Section 2(f) claim of acquired distinctiveness, or
- the Supplemental Register.
The Principal Register is where most marks are registered. The Supplemental Register exists to allow registration of marks that are not distinctive but are “capable” of becoming distinctive. Principal Register marks which have acquired distinctiveness through long use are registered based on a claim under Section 2(f) of the Lanham Act. Usually, at least five years of use is sufficient to support a Section 2(f) claim. Registration on the Supplemental Register does not bar later registration on the Principal Register once the mark has become capable of distinguishing the owner’s goods or services from those of others.
There are 4 unique entries in this field, namely
(a) PRINCIPAL,
(b) PRINCIPAL-2(F)-IN PART,
(c) PRINCIPAL-2(F) and
(d) SUPPLEMENTAL.
The search PRINCIPAL[RG] retrieves only occurrences of (a) PRINCIPAL.
The search PRINCIPAL-2[RG] AND PART[RG] retrieves only occurrences of (b) PRINCIPAL-2(F)-IN PART.
The search PRINCIPAL-2[RG] NOT PART[RG] retrieves only occurrences of (c) PRINCIPAL-2(F).
The search SUPPLEMENTAL[RG] retrieves only occurrences of (d) SUPPLEMENTAL.
This field applies only to Registered marks.
Registration Number [RN]
This field contains the unique number assigned to applications that have received approval for registration. To search this field, use the seven-digit registration number. If the registration number does not contain seven digits, pad with leading zeros.
Examples: “1371604”[RN] or “0916522”[RN]
TIP: The registration number is 7 digits. Do not include any commas in the registration number.
The search `RN > “0” will retrieve all registered marks.
The search `RN = “0” will retrieve all pending marks. Note that marks with serial numbers beginning with the series code 89 are marks protected by treaties or international agreements.
Section 44 Indicator [SF]
This search field no longer exists. With the implementation of the Madrid Protocol, filing basis information was reorganized into the Current Basis [CB] and Original Filing Basis [OB] fields.
Single Design Code [SD]
The [SD] field has been deactivated. Single Design Search Code searches can be performed using the [TD] search field. See the [TD] Total Designs search field to search for marks based on the number of design codes occurring in the record.
Serial – Other Formats [SO]
Serial numbers are sometimes displayed in the XX-XXXXXX or XX/XXXXXX formats. To help simplify serial number searching, those alternative formats for the serial number were loaded into this SO field. Searches of serial numbers in the hyphenated or slashed formats may be performed using the [SO] index. For example, “71-060158″[SO] will retrieve the mark with serial number 71060158, as will “71/060158″[SO].
Since the hyphenated and slashed format are fairly unique to serial numbers, you might choose for convenience to omit the [SO] index tag, searching that rather unique serial number format across all X-Search indexes.
Serial Number [SN]
This field contains the unique identification number assigned by the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark applications which have received a filing date. Search for a specific record by entering its full 8-digit serial number, e.g., 70011210[SN] to retrieve the record for serial number 70011210.
The serial number consists of a 2-digit series code and 6 digit application number. If the application number does not contain 6 digits, leading zeros must be entered.
| Series Code Designations | |
|---|---|
| 70 | indicates filing dates ranging from 1881 through 3-31-1905 |
| 71 | indicates filing dates ranging from 4-01-1905 through 12-31-1955 |
| 72 | indicates filing dates ranging from 1-01-1956 through 8-31-1973 |
| 73 | indicates filing dates ranging from 9-01-1973 through 11-15-1989 |
| 74 | indicates filing dates ranging from 1989-11-16 through 1995-09-30 |
| 75 | indicates filing dates ranging from 1995-10-01 through approximately 2000-03-20 |
| 76 | indicates paper filings from approximately 2000-03-20 to present |
| 77 | indicates Internet filings from approximately 2006-09-14 to present |
| 78 | indicates Internet filings from approximately 2000-03-20 through 2006-09-13 |
| 79 | indicates §66(a) filings from approximately 2003-11-02 to present |
| 80-81 | indicates a pseudo serial number |
| 89 | indicates a Non-Registration Document |
Standard Characters Claimed
This field has the entry STANDARD CHARACTERS CLAIMED for standard character drawings.
The search STANDARD[ST] will retrieve all records with the standard characters claim.
Date Amended to Current Register[SR]
This field contains the date that the application was amended for placement on the Supplemental Register.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with an amendment to current register date of June15, 1999.
19990615[SR]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with an amendment to current register date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[SR]
199906??[SR]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with an amendment to current register date in January 1999 or later.
`SR > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with an amendment to current register date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`SR > 19800000 < 19900000
Trademark Search Facility Classification Code Index [TC] (limited to 8-28-07 through 1-31-11)
WARNING: Searching by TC code will only retrieve registrations coded from August 28, 2007 through January 31, 2011. The USPTO continues to code all pending applications that contain a design element using a numerical design code system modeled after the International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Marks. Searches performed using these codes in the Design Search Code [DC] field retrieves pending applications and active registrations for marks that include the design element(s) searched.
This field has the classification codes used at the Trademark Search Facility for organizing trademarks for searching. The * (asterisk) wildcard character may be used for right truncation with this search field to avoid truncation overflows on TESS. The Table of TC Entries lists the possible codes for the TC index.
LET*[TC]
This example search uses the TC index to retrieve all marks with TC entries like LETTER.
Total Designs [TD]
The TD index in a numeric index of the number of design codes occurring in the record. Search “0”[TD] for marks with no design codes, “1”[TD] for marks with a single design code entry (a theme previous performed via the SD index, such as the 030108[SD] search to retrieve marks with the 030108 design code only), “2”[TD] for marks with two design code entries, etc. Alternatively, perform a numeric range search like the following.
030108[dc] AND `TD < 4
This example search uses the DC and TD index to retrieve all marks with the simple dog design code 03.01.08 and no more than 2 other design code entries.
Distinctiveness Limitation Statement [TF]
This field contains statements such as AS TO “SANTA FE”. An example search is “SANTA FE”[TF].
Translation Index [TI]
This field contains English equivalents to foreign words or characters used in a trademark.
This field, along with the [BI] field, uses a special * truncation operator for more efficient left and/or right truncation searches. Please note that the * truncation operator cannot be used for internal truncation. The $ or ? truncation symbols are used for internal truncation, but their use may result in truncation overflow. The search *DOG*[BI,TI] will retrieve marks that have the word segment DOG anywhere in the word mark, pseudo mark, or translation.
For example, the search wolf[TI] will retrieve documents containing the words “lupo”, “ookami”, “lobo”, and other language equivalents to the word wolf, provided an appropriate entry has been included in the translation statement.
Translation (TL)
This field contains English equivalents to foreign words or characters used in a trademark.
For example, the search wolf[TL] will retrieve documents containing the words “lupo”, “ookami”, “lobo”, and other language equivalents to the word wolf, provided an appropriate entry has been included in the translation statement.
Type of Mark (TM)
This field indicates the type of mark: trademark, service mark, collective mark, collective membership mark, or certification mark.
- Trademark: Any word, name, symbol or device, or any combination thereof, used or intended to be used by a person to identify and distinguish his goods from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of those goods.
- Service Mark: Any word, name, symbol or device or any combination thereof, used or intended to be used by a person to identify and distinguish his services from the services of others, to indicate the source of the services (i.e., banking activities).
- Collective Mark: Any trademark or service mark used or intended to be used by the members of an association, cooperative, or other collective group to identify and distinguish their goods or services. For example, the FTD mark is used by member florists of the Florists’ Transworld Delivery Association.
- Collective Membership Mark: A mark adopted or intended to be adopted for the purpose of indicating membership in an organized group. For example, the letters AAA inside an oval indicates membership with the American Automobile Association.
- Certification Mark: A mark which is used or intended to be used to certify that goods or services of others meet certain standards established by the owner. The most common types of certification marks are those which: (1) originate from a specific geographic region, such as Roquefort cheese; (2) meet standards in relation to the quality, materials, or mode of manufacture, such as Underwriters Laboratory approval; or (3) were performed by an individual who has met certain standards or belongs to a certain organization or union, such as a union label in clothing
Update/Load Date [UD]
This field contains the date of the last update for the serial number record. This field is not displayed.
Dates are stored in the format YYYYMMDD for the four-digit year YYYY, the two digit month MM and the two digit day DD. The $ (unlimited) and ? (single character) truncation operators are appropriate for use in date searches.
For example, the following search will retrieve all marks with a update/load date of June15, 1999.
19990615[UD]
Either of the following searches will retrieve all marks with a update/load date any time in June, 1999.
199906$[UD]
199906??[UD]
Alternatively, the ` operator can be used for numeric range searches on date fields. The following search will retrieve all marks with a update/load date in January 1999 or later.
`UD > “19990000”
The following search will retrieve all marks with a update/load date from January 1980 through December 1989.
`UD > 19800000 < 19900000
Please refer to TSDR to obtain the most up-to-date status for any record retrieved by TESS.