By Christopher P. Singer --
Earlier this month, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent out by e-mail its latest e-Commerce e-Alert, this one entitled "Tips to Improve Your e-Filing Effectiveness." Included in the e-Alert were four general procedures that help to streamline electronic prosecution through the use of EFS-Web and Private PAIR. Patent Docs has discussed most of these tips in previous posts, but it can't hurt to review these tips one more time.
The e-Alert mentioned that most firms are using EFS-Web for prosecution-related matters, and that these regular EFS-Web tips continue to be helpful and encourage increased usage. The tips from the e-Alert include:
Tip 1 – Review Applications in Private PAIR. Simple, preventable errors in patent applications cause unnecessary delays in processing applications. Practitioners can reduce errors and rework in submitted patent applications by reviewing the correctness of submissions directly online in Private PAIR. All patent applications submitted through EFS-Web are entered into Private PAIR and available for secure online viewing generally within minutes of submission if the application is associated with a customer number.
Tip 2 – Use Document Descriptions. Ensure prompt processing of submitted documents by using the correct document description on all electronically submitted documents. For more information and general rules on document description indexing, access the Document Description information via the USPTO website.
Tip 3 – Register for Recovery Codes. Register for recovery codes in the event your Digital Certificate profile becomes expired or corrupt and receive a set of up to seven (7) recovery codes. Access the Digital Certificate Management home page and click on "Register for Recovery Codes" to initiate the process.
Tip 4 – Fully Utilize e-Commerce Tools. Many leading IP firms have practically eliminated the filing of paper patent applications. Those firms have incorporated USPTO's e-Commerce tools, such as EFS-Web and PAIR, in their electronic patent filing process to achieve the most benefits. For firms that are still filing paper applications, it may be time to take full advantage of e-filing (notes on best practices can be found here), and share the benefits of going paperless, including (a) increased productivity and cost savings from reduced paper-based processing, (b) easy online access to important patent information, and (c) increased customer responsiveness and service levels.
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