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Patent EFS
Electronic Filing System - Patents
Patent EFS
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Notice to Our Electronic Filing Customers:

The USPTO is committed to developing and offering quality products to promote electronic filing of patent applications and related documents. Presently, the USPTO supports the acceptance of patent applications authored using PASAT, EFS-ABX (in Beta until August 2004) and from our Electronic Filing Partners (EFPs). It has come to our attention that USPTO customers have prepared and filed applications using other authoring software such as PCT-EASY, PatXML, and PCT-SAFE. Submissions prepared using software designed for other intellectual property offices, such as those products, run the risk of incorrect validation, parsing and/or rendering of the XML information at the USPTO. Additionally, EBC Customer Service Representatives provide electronic filing assistance only with EFS PASAT and EFS-ABX.

Electronic filing of patent applications at the USPTO is conditioned on adherance to the promulgated instructions for EFS see Electronic Filing System Available to Public, 1240 Off Gaz Pat Off 45 Nov 14, 2000. Application and other submissions prepared using other software could lead to delays or increases in the cost of prosecution before the USPTO. Further, filings prepared with other software, as stated above, may prove unreadable, resulting in a loss of filing date or other legal rights. If you have any questions regarding USPTO's Electronic Filing offerings, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) at http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/ or (866)217-9197.

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What is EFS?

EFS is electronic system for submitting patent applications, computer readable format (CRF) biosequence listings, and pre-grant publication submissions to the USPTO via the Internet.

It includes

  • EFS-ABX – an authoring tool which assists the applicant in the preparation of a patent specification in XML and PDF formats
  • ePAVE – (electronic packaging and validation engine) a software package which allows the applicant to assemble the various parts of the application and transmit the application to the USPTO via the Internet
  • USPTO Direct PKI – a digital certificate to secure the transmission of the application to the USPTO

What type of submissions can be filed with EFS?

EFS can be used to submit

  • New utility patent applications
  • Provisional applications
  • Biosequence listings Glossary definition for applications previously filed in paper
  • Pre-grant publication resubmissions for previously filed applications, where the applicant wants an amended, redacted, voluntary, or republication specification to be published rather than the application as originally filed
  • Multiple assignments
  • Electronic Information Disclosure Statements (eIDS)

At this time EFS does not accept

When can submissions be filed with EFS?

EFS Submissions will be accepted between the hours of 6 AM ET Sunday and 11 PM ET Saturday.
KEY: e Biz=online business system fees=fees forms=formshelp=help laws and regs=laws/regulations definition=definition (glossary)

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