The USPTO has announced a new plan to increase the availability of its patent electronic filing system, EFS-Web, by providing a new contingency option when the primary portal to EFS-Web experiences an unscheduled outage. Previously, the entire EFS-Web system was unavailable to the users during such an outage. The new EFS-Web contingency option will permit users to sign-on as unregistered users to file new applications, national stage submissions under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) submitted with the basic national fee necessary to enter the national stage, requests for reexamination, and certain petitions, during unscheduled outages.
This new EFS-Web contingency option will only permit users to electronically file the following items as unregistered EFS-Web users:
1. Provisional patent applications;
2. Nonprovisional utility and design patent applications (including reissue utility and design patent applications);
3. International applications under PCT Article 11 for filing in the United States Receiving Office;
4. National stage submissions under 35 U.S.C. 371 submitted with the basic national fee necessary to enter the national stage;
5. Requests for ex parte and inter parties reexaminations for utility and design patents;
6. Petitions to make special based on age using the EFS-Web SB130 form;
7. Petitions to accept an unintentionally delayed payment of maintenance fee using the EFS-Web SB66 form; and
8. Petitions to make special under the accelerated examination program.
The Federal Register Notice is available here.
If you like this post, why not grab the RSS feed or subscribe by email and get the latest updates delivered straight to your news reader or inbox?
© 2010, Michael E. Kondoudis
The Law Office of Michael E. Kondoudis
DC Patent Attorney
www.mekiplaw.com