Have you ever had a question about an application in prosecution but have been unable to find the correct person to assist you? Have you ever been unsuccessful in obtaining assistance from an examiner or Supervisory Patent Examiner? If so, you will want to take note of the USPTO’s new Ombudsman Pilot Program. The Ombudsman…
A Discussion About S-Signatures With Examples
Introduction “S-signatures” have been accepted by the USPTO for several years now. An S-signature is an electronic signature betwen forward slashes and includes any signature made by non-handwritten means (i.e. electronic or mechanical). See MPEP 502.02 and 37 CFR 1.4(d)(2). This type of signature was part of the changes made in the USPTO to support…
The USPTO Announces A New Patent Prosecution Highway Using The PCT
On January 29, 2010, the USPTO began participating in a new Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot program with the European and Japanese Patent Offices, in their capacities as PCT International Searching and/or Preliminary Examining Authorities. Under this new PCT-PPH program, certain PCT work product from either of these patent authorities acting in its PCT capacity…
A Few Ways To Get On The Bad Side Of Your Examiner
It is almost always in an Applicant’s best interest to maintain the best working relationship possible with an Examiner. After all, a happy Examiner is more likely to be a helpful Examiner. Also, despite the high turnover at the USPTO, you may very well be working with an Examiner again. So, staying on an Examiner’s…
The USPTO Requests Use Of A New Version Of EFS-Web Fillable E-IDS Form
Earlier this month, the USPTO announced a new version (2.1.17) of its EFS-Web fillable e-IDS form (Form PTO/SB/08A). This new version permits up to 300 combined citations of U.S. patents and U.S. patent application publications in a single IDS form. The USPTO has requested that practitioners begin using this form starting January 31, 2010. Submission…