Patent Baristas

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a public conference on the legal and policy considerations of intellectual property (IP) in 3D printing on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 at USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital model. 3D printing […]

The USPTO AIR is a new online interview scheduling tool that allows Applicants to request an interview with an Examiner for their pending patent application. The USPTO AIR form is available here. This is the type of 21st Century Government we’ve all been longing for.  You can fill out a very quick, simple form, propose […]

ADVISORY (13Jun2015) USPTO Announces Enhancements to Private PAIR Beginning on June 13, 2015, users will notice several new Private PAIR features that will allow users to self-administer a number of routine administrative tasks that previously required the submission of a paper form.  These requests will be processed immediately. The enhancements include the ability to submit entity […]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the release of the Patent Application Alert Service. This system provides customized, email alerts to the public for free when patent applications of interest are published. Additionally, the system offers direct access to the published applications that meet your search criteria. Third-Party Preissuance Submissions 35 U.S.C. 122(e) provides a […]

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published final rules of practice implementing the first-inventor-to-file provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA). Prior to the passage of the AIA, the USPTO was the only national patent office using a “first-to-invent” system. The AIA authorizes derivation proceedings before the USPTO, which will ensure that a person […]

The USPTO is looking for feedback from the public to help reduce their backlog of patent applications associated with a Request for Continued Examination (RCE).  There is currently a backlog of over 103,000 applications related to RCEs. You can see the past two year trend at the USPTO Dashboard. An RCE is a request by […]

The day after the Supreme Court issued its  decision in Mayo v. Prometheus, the USPTO issued a letter to the Patent Examining Corps that provides preliminary guidance to examiners and promises that more detailed guidance is forthcoming. MEMORANDUM DATE:            March 21, 2012 TO:                 Patent Examining Corps FROM:           Andrew H. Hirshfeld, Associate Commissioner […]

The USPTO is seeking nominations for the 2012 Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI), the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, bestowed by the President of the United States on America’s leading innovators. A nomination form and detailed information about submission requirements can be downloaded here. All completed nominations must be submitted to the USPTO […]