News Item
e-Petitions(4/5/11)
The United States Patent and Trademark Office announced that it is automating filing and decision-making for eight types of patent-related petitions through the new e-Petitions process. Petitioners file e-Petitions through a secure website interface and the petitions then are decided automatically.
The patent-related petitions added to the e-Petitions process are for:
1. withdrawal of attorney;
2. withdrawal from issue after payment of the issue fee;
3. withdrawal from issue after payment of the issue fee under 37 C.FR. § 1.313(c);
4. withdrawal from issue after payment of the issue fee under 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.313(c)(1) or (2) when patent number is assigned;
5. withdrawal from issue under 37 C.F.R. § 1.313(c) (3);
6. accept late payment of issue fee – unintentional standard under 37 C.F.R. § 1.155(c) or 37 .C.F.R § 1.316;
7. revival under 37 C.F.R. § 1.137(f) of an application abandoned for failure to notify the office of a foreign filing after having filed a request for non-publication; and
8. revive an unintentionally abandoned application under 37 C.F.R. § 1.137(b) for continuity purposes only.
Applicants will benefit from the speed with which these petitions will be decided, particularly in time-sensitive matters such as a withdrawal from issue, and the Office will be able to reassign the personnel that currently handle these petitions to deal with the backlog of undecided petitions.
These patent-petitions join two other types of patent-related petitions that are decided electronically, namely petitions to make special on the basis of age and petitions to accept the unintentionally delayed payment of a maintenance fee.