With the new IPO digital patents service due to launch soon, we want to make sure that your transition to the new live service goes as smoothly as possible. Here are our top ten tips for using the service.
1. Don't panic!
When the new service launches, nothing will change for people already using it. If you don’t have any account yet, we’ll be inviting more organisation to set-up accounts in the coming weeks.
Our Web Filing Service and the forms@ipo.gov.uk email address will still be around for a while longer.
2. Familiarise yourself with the new service
If you haven’t started using the new service, now is the time to do so. To help you, we’ve published demo videos, blogs, an FAQ and a roadmap of upcoming service improvements. If you need any further support, please get in touch with our team at oneiposupport@ipo.gov.uk.
3. Set your central email address
If you’re an administrator for your firm, you can set a central email address for correspondence to be sent to in ‘Profile and settings’. It’s really important that you do this to ensure that correspondence is forwarded to the correct place in your firm. You can also add you name and contact number which will make it easier for us to contact you if you have a query.
4. Don’t forget to add a representative!
When you’re applying for a patent, there is an option to ‘assign representative’. It’s really important that you do this if you are an attorney representing a client. If you forget to do this, the patent won’t appear in your organisation’s account.
If you see multiple results or no results when you search for your organisation, please contact oneiposupport@ipo.gov.uk. You should see one search result. Don’t create a new entry. That will result in your application not appearing in your account.
Shortly after the service launches, we will be introducing an update that will make your organisation the representative by default. This is listed on our roadmap of planned service improvements.
5. What to do with marked-up documents?
When you respond to an examination report, it’s very helpful if you provide mark-up or tracked changes to help us see what changes have been made.
At the moment, they should be uploaded as one consolidated document as part of your response to examiner feedback. You can see a full explanation of this in our demo of the ‘response to examination’ transaction.
We will be adding the option to add additional documents, which is listed on our roadmap of planned service improvements.
6. Search by application number or your reference
When you’re searching for patents in your account, don’t search by publication number. Search by application number or your reference number.
We will be adding an update to allow you to search by publication number shortly after launch. This is listed on our roadmap of planned service improvements.
7. Understand the changes to filing receipts
When you submit your patent application we will need to do a national security check. This process can take up to two working days, but in practice is usually within 24 hours.
While you’re waiting for your application to be security checked, you will only be able to see limited information about your application in your account – the filing date, your reference and the application number. You won’t be able to see your full filing receipt until the security check is complete.
We have some updates planned to help with this that are detailed on our roadmap of planned service improvements.
8. Use the drafts feature
Drafts are available on the longer, more complicated transactions in the new service, like applying for a patent or responding to an examination report, drafts are available.
As you update our application or response, the draft will automatically save your updates. Colleagues within your organisation can access drafts to either edit them or submit them. We advise that only one person should edit a draft at a time to avoid changes being lost.
You can view all of the drafts for your organisation in the ‘Drafts’ tab on the home screen of your account.
9. Make the most of self service
There are lots of things you will be able to change quickly yourself in the new service, instead of waiting for the IPO to do them for you. These will include:
- changing the name (coming soon – see our service roadmap)
- changing address (coming soon – see our service roadmap)
- changing representative
- transferring ownership of patents
- renewals.
Previously, you would have to submit a form and wait up to ten days for the IPO to make these changes. In the new service, most of these changes are now made automatically within 24 hours. The only won’t happen if we need to check evidence before we can allow the change to proceed.
10. Keep track of when your patent is published
The way that we publish patents is changing. With the new service, we are no longer constrained to a five week publication cycle.
As a result, you will no longer be notified of the specific date when patents are going to be published. Your patent will be published shortly after 18 months from when your application is filed. Patents will still be published on Wednesdays, so your patent will be published on the first Wednesday after your you receive notification of publication.
To prevent publication, you must withdraw your application no later than the day before the 18-month anniversary of the earliest dat
Do you have a question that we haven’t addressed here? Please get in touch with our team at oneiposupport@ipo.gov.uk.
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