eCommerce Modernization Search Ideas

Now that we log into My.USPTO.gov when filing assignments as well, it should be easy to pull data from Public or Private PAIR into the Assignment system (EPAS) to ensure that assignments are correctly recorded. During the validation step, the system should display the title and inventors of the patent/application numbers, so that the attorney can verify that the correct numbers were entered. Erroneous recordations happen ...more »

Under the Domestic Benefit/National Stage Information section, since the first radio button labeled "Remove" does not work, could it be changed to "Add" instead (that works), so that when a Continuation, Divisional, or Continuation-in-part application is filed we can simply use the ADS from the parent application and choose the "Add" button to add our priority application? This would be extremely helpful especially when ...more »

The requirement that s-signatures be placed within slashes (e.g., /John Doe/) is an anachronism that is difficult and time-consuming to explain to inventors and executives, and even harder to achieve in practice. Modern signing services (e.g., such as DocuSign, et al.) provide proof of an intent to sign that can be retained in the practitioner's file. For the 21st century we need to permit signing the way the rest of ...more »

Hi. When you call the USPTO and choose EFS-Web (or any other department/topic) there's this really depressing music that plays while you're on hold. If I turn down the volume on my speaker phone I can miss the person that takes the call. Really, this music makes me down in the dumps. Can it be changed? How about old-fashioned Muzak from the 70s? Was wondering if there were studies done and it was determined that depressing ...more »

When new customer numbers are requested and associated with practitioners, the Office should be able to update registered USPTO.gov accounts to include CNs the practitioner is associated with. I seem to recall this was a plan some years ago, however, it is not something that has been happening with any regularity. It is unreasonable to ask practitioners to send in a form to request their accounts be updated to include ...more »

Currently, if you have a prepared ADS and the client requests to add an inventor to a location other than the end of the list or to change the order of the inventors, the current ADS form does not allow you to easily do that. This same problem exists if you want to change the order of inventors or change inventorship post-filing as well. Or in a child patent application where you want to re-use the parent ADS. It would ...more »

To improve the patent application system and prepare for delivering text to applicants, we are considering asking filers to submit application documents in a Word file format by using a template or structured format (i.e. placing headings in brackets - as seen through the link below). With mechanisms available to ensure document text hasn’t been changed, how do you feel about this method of submission? What technical ...more »

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 public must currently go to the Office or hire a person to do so to get older file wrappers. All of the file wrappers should be scanned and available to the public.

For the entity size indication, when keeping the existing entity size at undiscounted, the resulting form states that it is a request to "change" to undiscounted status. To sharp-eyed clients, this looks like we filed in the incorrect status and are having to change it. Would prefer a wording that includes the statement that we are confirming the current entity size, which is what it says on the form when you are filling ...more »

Maintenance fees are associated with the entity size at the time issue fee is paid. As patents are acquired and company sizes change, the entity size can change during the patent term.

Please let us select entity size change through the fee payment system, rather than requiring a separate communication.

In the new Patent Center tool, we are going to start providing two receipts when filing patent applications. The Submission Receipt will inform users that the filing has been successfully received by the office, followed by a Payment Receipt to inform users that the payment has been successfully submitted. Vote “up” if you prefer to have both submission and payment information on the final Payment Receipt; and vote “down” ...more »

I'd like it if the "Search by Attorney Docket Number" would include an option to search for numbers "containing" the search string (in addition to the "starts with" choice), to allow easier searching on cases where we've got more than one reference number (for example, our number and the client's reference number) Maybe even better would be to provide a way to assign multiple reference numbers to the same matter, and ...more »

Please include all pertinent applicant/application information on the first page of the official Filing Receipt, such as the title of the application and the entity status. Often this information is on second page, which I find a nuisance.

This really is about the new Global Dossier (and PAIR Modernization seemed the closest category to comment in). Specifically, in the new Citation List Beta release, the field to accept application serial numbers is limited to 8 characters, so if you cut and past an application serial number in the format: XX/123,456 the end result will be XX/123,4 with the last two digits truncated (similarly, XX/123456 will be truncated ...more »