PTAB Replaces Patent Review Processing System
Guest Blog by David P. Ruschke, Chief Judge for the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
The USPTO deployed an e-filing system known as the Patent Review Processing System (PRPS) for trials under the America Invents Act (AIA) on September 16, 2012. Since then, usage of PRPS has exceeded our expectations, and the time has come to transition to a new system to better serve the needs of the public.
That new system is called Patent Trial and Appeal Board End to End (PTAB E2E). PTAB E2E uses a web browser (Chrome is the preferred browser) and a step by step filing program to enable petitioners and patent owners to provide metadata and upload pdf documents to the system. PTAB E2E also provides an interface to the USPTO Next Generation financial system (FPNG) for paying fees.
The target date to deploy PTAB E2E is July 9, 2016. Upon initial deployment, PTAB E2E will be used for Inter Partes Review (IPR), Covered Business Method Review (CBM), and Post Grant Review (PGR). Derivations (DER) will still be processed in PRPS until they are migrated into PTAB E2E later in 2016. During this initial deployment both PRPS and PTAB E2E will be unavailable beginning Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 12:01 AM until 5:00 AM, Monday, July 11, 2016.
The new features of PTAB E2E include:
For all external users, with or without a login email address:
• full text document search
• metadata search
• additional search filters
For external users with a login email address:
• a dashboard that includes the most recent document upload activity and status of filed cases
• an improved docket
• easier navigation of AIA review papers and exhibits
• filter search on the docket
The PTAB E2E system link, a user manual, FAQ, and quick reference guides will be available on July 11, 2016 at http://www.uspto.gov/ptab in the upper right portion of the web page.
In the near future, an Application Programming Interface (API) will make PTAB trial data available for bulk data downloads.
As the system is deployed, we encourage you to provide feedback about the PTAB E2E system by sending your comments to [email protected].
Customer support will be available Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM EST at 571-272-7822. Additional transition coverage will be available during the week of July 11th until 12:30 AM EST.
Posted at 04:22PM Jul 05, 2016 in patents |