Public Meeting About Streamlined Patent Reexamination

[Federal Register: April 25, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 79)]
[Proposed Rules][Page 22854-22861]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25ap11-23]

=========================================================
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Patent and Trademark Office
37 CFR Chapter I
[Docket No.: PTO-P-2011-0018]

Streamlined Patent Reexamination Proceedings; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document announces a public meeting to solicit public opinions on a number of changes being considered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to streamline the procedures governing ex parte and inter partes reexamination proceedings. These changes are intended to achieve faster, more efficient resolution of the substantial new question of patentability (SNQ) for which reexamination is ordered. The proposed changes in this document are divided into three categories: changes to both ex parte and inter partes reexaminations, changes specific to ex parte reexamination, and changes specific to inter partes reexamination. After soliciting public opinions regarding this document, the USPTO may seek to adopt one or more of the proposed changes or a modified version thereof, or other changes suggested by the public, through a rule making or through internal operational changes as appropriate.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on June 1, 2011, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Persons interested in attending the meeting must register by 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), on May 25, 2011.
Written comments must be submitted by June 29, 2011.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the USPTO, in the South Auditorium of Madison West, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

Written comments should be sent by electronic mail message over the Internet addressed to reexamimprovementcomments@uspto.gov. Comments may also be submitted by mail addressed to: Mail Stop Comments-Patents, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, marked to the attention of Kenneth M. Schor. Although comments may be submitted by mail, submission via e-mail to the above address is preferable.

The written comments will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, located in Madison East, Tenth Floor, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia, and will be available via the USPTO Internet Web site (address: http://www.uspto.gov). Because comments will be made available for public inspection, information that is not desired to be made public, such as an address or phone number, should not be included.

For Registration to Give a Presentation at the Meeting: If you wish to make an oral presentation at the meeting, you must register by sending an e-mail to reexamimprovementcomments@uspto.gov, by 5 p.m. EST, on May 11, 2011. See the registration information provided below.

To view the full text of this notice, access http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2011_register&docid=fr25ap11-23 .