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 »

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

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 »

Due to the advances in imaging technology, the patent office should encourage the submission of drawings in greyscale and color.

Allow easier removal/correction of documents submitted via EFS-Web

The SB 08 A to be submitted to the PTO requested that the full month day and year be referenced next to each reference submitted. However when receiving references in an OA from the examiner, only the month and year are referenced. Very time consuming to have to look up each of those references just to find the day of the date to submit the SB 08 A.

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 »

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.

I think when you get the automatic approval of an e-Terminal Disclaimer in EFS, that the approval receipt document should include the patent/application number(s) that were listed in the disclaimer. I think it would also be very helpful if the notice on the front of the patent indicating that the patent is subject to a disclaimer also listed the patents/application number(s) disclaimed.

Currently the Petition for Foreign Filing License must be submitted via FAX. The petition and accompanying documents must be faxed to the appropriate office and, according to the people who process the petitions, the documents are not received in their mailbox until the following day. Follow up to make sure the fax was properly received is thereby delayed.

The usual turn around time to receive the License is 2-3 business... more »

Since I am a beginner, there are things that are obvious to the USPTO personnel but not to me.

An example is filing a petition and discovering a few days later that you can file an ePetition. I was going to file an ePetition, but it was explained to me by a representative at the IAC that it would be very difficult to sort out at the USPTO. When I eventually reached the Petition office, they politely said "do not... more »

Would you please put a link to the Sponsorship Tool on the MyUSPTO home page? As it is now, I have it bookmarked separately.

When we log into MyUSPTO and go to file a patent or check PAIR, we are asked to pick a practitioner. As it stands now, the list is haphazard and in no particular order. I saw another submitter suggest that the practitioners be in alphabetical order. I like that idea but I'd like to take it one step further. How about having favorite practitioners? My firm currently has 48, but the ones I work with the most are less than... more »