THIS IS AN UPDATE OF AN EARLIER BLOG POST
For a full explanation of the law regarding S-Signatures at the USPTO read the accompanying comment here.
In short, the USPTO's current and historical interpretation documents clearly show that:
(1) the slashes are necessary indica that what is between the slashes is intended as a signature, but are not part of the S-signature;
(2) the slashes may be inserted in the document by the practitioner prior to the insertion of the signature;
(3) Document signing services may be integrated into a workflow for electronic signature of documents to be submitted to the USPTO.
