The New Patent Office Patent Center. Episode 135

Recap of Public PAIR

If you listened to Episode 129—as I’m sure you have—that episode was about Public PAIR. PAIR stands for Patent Application Information Retrieval, and there are two versions of it: Private PAIR and Public PAIR.

Private PAIR is for your own applications if you want to review the file history of what you submitted. Public PAIR is for reviewing other people’s patent applications that are not yours.

Why are there two? Because when you file a patent application, it generally doesn’t become public information until 18 months after you file it. You don’t want just anyone accessing your application before then. So you have a login and password for Private PAIR, and anyone in the public can use Public PAIR by entering a patent or application number to access various information.

Why PAIR Was Important

You could get more than just the application itself—which you can find on Google Patents or other sites. The PAIR system provided every rejection, every attorney response, and a lot of other important details about a patent’s prosecution history.

The Retirement of Public PAIR

Well, the Patent Office decided to scrap Public PAIR, so it no longer exists. You can forget everything I told you in Episode 129—well, not everything, but the system has been modernized and renamed. It’s now called Patent Center.

You can access it at patentcenter.uspto.gov.

What’s Different in Patent Center?

Functionally, the information you can access is the same, but the old Public PAIR system looked like it was created on a GeoCities website. If you know what I’m talking about, you’re probably at least 40 years old. It just didn’t look slick at all.

The Patent Office has modernized the system. It’s now easier to view, the drop-down menus are cleaner, and there are big, bold boxes that make navigation more intuitive.

Patent Center Tabs and Features

The main tabs in the new system include a New Submission tab, which is broken down into three subcategories: regular submissions, international applications, and patent initiatives.

Then there’s a Drop-down Menu of Existing Submissions, where you can upload documents, pay fees, file corrected application data sheets, and do other things.

There’s a Petitions drop-down menu, a Post-Grant menu for things you can do after your patent has been granted (like reissues or requests for reexamination), and a Search function where you can enter an application number, patent number, PCT number, publication number, or international design registration number.

Why You Should Create a Login

If you use the system, it’s helpful to create your own login, because you get access to additional features if you’re registered, versus just browsing as a guest.

When Did This Change Happen?

All of this went live on August 1, and the old system was officially retired on July 31, so this is really new.

Is Patent Center Really Different?

In the end, it’s not that different in terms of what you can do—but it’s definitely more user-friendly. The layout makes it easier to find the things you want to do with a patent or patent application.

New Features in Patent Center

There are a few new features that are nice additions. For example, you can now:

• Download multiple documents at once as a single PDF

• Download patent references

• Download documents in DOCX and XML formats

And a few other tools that make interacting with patent files easier.

Try It Out

I encourage you to just play around with it. Find one of your own patents or applications, or look up someone else’s. Just enter that number into Patent Center and see all the information that pops up and all the actions you can take.

I’m Adam Diament, and until next time—keep on inventing.