The USPTO has notified us that they will be performing scheduled maintenance this weekend. This maintenance will affect both of their primary patent application filing methods (patent center and EFS-Web) as well as the public pair patent documentation database. An alternative filing method has been provided by the USPTO for those looking to file this weekend. The USPTO’s official statement is as follows:
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will perform maintenance on the Electronic Filing System-Web (EFS-Web) system beginning at 11:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, July 24, and ending at 5:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 25.
During the maintenance period, the following applications will be unavailable:
- EFS-Web for Registered eFilers
- EFS-Web for Unregistered eFilers
- EFS-Web Contingency
- Patent Center
- Private PAIR
- Public PAIR
- Sponsorship Tool
Saved submissions created prior to the maintenance period may not load properly after the maintenance period. EFS-Web applicants should submit their saved submissions prior to the maintenance period or begin a new submission after the maintenance period.
During the maintenance period, applicants can use an alternative filing method to submit patent applications and follow-on submissions.
For assistance and questions, please contact the Patent Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 1-866-217-9197, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to midnight ET, or email ebc@uspto.gov.