eCommerce Modernization Search Ideas

In addition to collecting text information from applicants, the USPTO would also like to send and display patent application documents in a text format. If your application documents are provided to you in text, will that help you in future electronic filings?

Allow law firms to optionally submit a Microsoft Word format document along with their PDF copy of the patent application filing to reduce the cost and errors associated with typesetting of patent applications.

When applications are filed and published pre-grant, they have paragraph numbers, and those paragraph numbers are also used during prosecution to make any amendments to the specification When the patent issues, those paragraph numbers disappear and are replaced with column/line numbers. Wouldn't it be easier for the PTO and the reviewing public to have a consistent specification appearance by simply staying with the... more »

In a trial ".docx" filing of a pair of patent applications, we received several instances of the above "This document contains multiple application parts" error, flagged as a fatal error, all for the Specification part. (The Claims and Abstract sections were apparently acceptable.) Needless to say, we eventually filed both of these .pdf.

None of these errors indicated what specifically triggered this error, so what... more »

Automation coupling with a Human subject matter requires a procedure identifying and verification of the connectivity between Intelligent Information Services and Human Interoperator Distributor. It is clear to see policy formation oversight has implemented strict procedures which enable "organizational" catalyst promoting aggressive disassembling of a targeted jurisdictional subject matter. This subject matter should... more »

It appears the only information on acceptable equation formats is in "Quick_Start_Guide_DOCX_Intake.docx", as an off-hand reference to "Unsupported OLE Objects", which states:
"(Supported OLE Objects include Visio.Drawing.11, Equation.DSMT4, ACD.ChemSketch.20, ChemDraw.Document.6.0, Equation.3)"

The one used with most versions of MS Word is "Equation.3". "Equation.3" had not been maintained for a number of years.... more »

PTO pronouncements on this subject are inconsistent. If the DOCX is not the official text, why force us to use it? If it is, why is there a message warning us that the converted PDFs will be considered the official text?

Page numbers are reset on conversion to start at 1 in each split file component. The original page numbers should be retained.

If there is an online chat available to communicate with the Patent Electronic Business Center, would you use it?

Get with Carnegie Mellon University and get in line to use their Captcha methodology to correct some of the horrendous typos found in some of the image-to-text conversions that have been done.

The side menu bar, for me, takes up screen real estate that seems so unnecessary. I feel that having those shortcuts are important to have,I certainly use them all the time, but I think that maybe they can just be combined with the top menu (Home, Patents, Trademarks etc,) that is already there. Some of the shortcuts are already there anyway and it's a little redundant. I think it they could just add the few other... more »

The format used for application numbers, dates and patent documents are inconsistent in PAIR, assignments, EFS, etc.. All areas of the office should utilize the same format for this data, or the software should be modernized to accept all of the common formats. e.g., 14/999,999 and 14999999 or

2015-01-23 and 1/23/2015 and 01/23/2015 etc.

Practitioners and their assistants who used EFS, PAIR, Assignment recording, Maintenance fee payments, Fees, Forms, etc. frequently have to navigate clicking and scrolling through the PTO web site to get to the locations we need. How about a practitioner tab or shortcut that takes us straight to the most common links used by attorneys/agents/staff. Then we could make a single bookmark that takes us to Private PAIR,... more »

I suggest modifying the first page of PTO communications to include the title of the invention. This can help attorneys and agents quickly and easily remember the nature of the invention in question, and also makes for easy reference in filling out PTO forms that include a space for the title. It also puts the title in front of the attorney so as to note any typos that need correction. It is practically free and may... more »