By Christopher P. Singer --
In an e-mail notification sent today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provided its latest e-Commerce Update, which included information regarding how to change attached files in a saved EFS-Web submission, EFS-Web 1.2 training updates, and the recurring theme of proper completion of Form PTO/SB/39 for successful electronic exchange of priority documents (the PDX program).
Form PTO/SB/39
This form is necessary to submit if an applicant requests that the USPTO release a copy of an unpublished U.S. patent application to a participant foreign office. The Patent Office noted that a common mistake made when completing this form is that signatures often fail to comply with the requirement of 37 C.F.R. § 1.14(c). An improperly signed form cannot be acted upon by the Office. These forms can be signed by any of the following persons: a) the applicant; b) an attorney or agent of record; c) an authorized official of an assignee of record; or d) a registered attorney or agent named in the papers accompanying the application papers under 37 C.F.R. § 1.53 or the national stage documents filed under 37 CFR § 1.495, if an executed oath or declaration pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 1.63 or § 1.497 has not been filed.
The USPTO suggests that early submission of the PTO/SB/39 form will help to ensure the successful transmission of the priority document to the EPO or JPO. The forms can be submitted using EFS-Web, faxed to the Central Fax number at 1-571-273-8300, or mailed to: Commissioner of Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450. For additional information regarding PDX, you can visit the FAQs page or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. If you prefer to speak with someone by phone, contact persons include: the patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 1-866-217-9197 (toll free); Diana Oleksa, Patent Legal Advisor at 1-571-272-3291, and Hung Vuong, Computer Specialist at 1-571-272-5727.
EFS-Web 1.2 Training Updates Posted
Since the release of EFS-Web, the USPTO has maintained a viewable on-line training course. This on-line training course now includes content pertaining to the latest EFS-Web version (1.2). This presentation can be viewed here.
Updating an Attached File in EFS-Web
Filers wanting to make a change in a document that has been uploaded and saved for later filing in an EFS-Web submission must upload and validate the updated file before submitting. If you fail to upload the updated document, EFS-Web will not automatically load the newly-attached file into the Image File Wrapper (IFW). To correct this problem, the USPTO has to manually correct the IFW, which will likely delay viewing in Private PAIR by up to two weeks.
Public PAIR Verification System
Users of PAIR have no doubt noticed that the USPTO has implemented a verification system for those wishing to access Public PAIR. The verification system is named reCAPTCHA, which is based on the industry accepted CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) security feature, which ensures that humans and not bots are accessing computer systems. The USPTO's system uses a two-word access code, which must be entered without spaces between the words. There are no plans to implement this system in Private PAIR, as users of Private PAIR must be registered and already access the site using a digital certificate.
What are the advantages of using such a system?
Posted by: Sally, designer | January 31, 2008 at 10:53 AM