Here are some things about Patentcenter that users like better than EFS-Web and PAIR.
You can also see the page of Critical Problems in Patentcenter. You can see Feature requests. Please join the Patentcenter listserv. See Patentcenter blog postings.
- With EFS-Web, you can upload only one file at a time. With Patentcenter, you can upload multiple files at once.
- With EFS-Web if you are uploading a file the only way you can do it is by navigating to it. With Patentcenter, there is an additional approach available namely you can “drag and drop”.
- With EFS-Web there are many file names that are okay in the computer operating system but that will be refused by EFS-Web. This includes a space in a file name or a period in a file name. With Patentcenter there are still some things about file names that are okay in the computer operating system that will lead to a file being refused but not as many as with EFS-Web.
- In EFS-Web, the fee selection page always defaults to “large entity” no matter what might have been indicated in an ADS or in previous filings in a particular application. In Patentcenter, the fee selection page takes into account a previously established entity size or the entity size claimed in a just-uploaded ADS.
- In EFS-Web when you are filing a new patent application, you must enter several pieces of bibliographic data into the web-based user interface (for example name of first inventor, docket number, title) even if a moment later you are going to be uploading an ADS that provides those same pieces of bibliographic data. In Patentcenter, you upload the ADS first, and the system extracts those same pieces of bibliographic data. This offers at least two benefits over EFS-Web. As a first benefit, it saves the user having to unnecessarily provide some pieces of information twice and instead the user only needs to provide them once. As a second benefit, this permits the user to visually preview some of the information that Patentcenter extracted from the ADS, and this allows the user to catch it immediately if, for example, the user had accidentally uploaded the wrong ADS for a particular file. (2 Patent Center Users reported that this feature was not functional on May 25, 2020.)
- In PPAIR when you select the provided link to view maintenance fee history the Patent Maintenance Fees page populates the Application # data field. However, the operator is forced to type to complete the Patent # data field. With Patentcenter the Application Data panel changes the color of the the Maintenance Fee pushbutton as a fee due date is approaching and when selected directs the browser to the Patent Maintenance Fees page with both the Patent # and Application # data fields populated.
- In Private PAIR and Patent Center, IDS forms are viewable as PDF, and foreign and NPL references are available. However, Patent Center offers an additional beneficial feature: under “U.S. Patent Documents,” there’s a link to access the list of U.S. references cited in each IDS form and to download/view each as a PDF document.
- In Private PAIR, multiple documents can be downloaded only as a single PDF document, which subsequently be split after download if it’s desired to save each document separately. However, Patent Center allows the user to download multiple documents either as a single compiled PDF document or as individual PDF files in a .zip folder.
- The Web ADS in Patent Center is nicer than the EFS-Web version. It’s a true web interface, instead of just a web fillable PDF. The Web ADS in Patent Center lets you navigate directly to individual sections, so you don’t have to scroll through the entire form to get to the parts you want to fill in.
- If you try to pay a fee code in a particular patent application that matches a fee code and a quantity that you previously paid within the past hour, Patentcenter will ask you if you really want to pay again. See blog article.