Patent Docketing

Manage Patent Records, Deadlines and USPTO Activity in One System

DocketTrak provides a centralized system for managing US and international patent records, prosecution activity, documents, events and deadlines. Automated docketing rules and USPTO integrations help reduce manual data entry while giving your team greater visibility into upcoming requirements and changes to patent records.

Patent Records and Customizable Data

DocketTrak includes dedicated fields for managing patent applications and issued patents throughout their lifecycles. Store bibliographic information, prosecution details, parties, statuses, important dates, events, notes and supporting documents in one record.

Patent information can be organized using subscriber reference numbers, client names, countries, responsible users and other searchable fields. Customizable values and user-defined record information allow subscribers to adapt the system to their own practices and reporting requirements.

Capabilities include:

US and international patent records
Published and unpublished patent applications
Issued patent records
Application, publication and patent numbers
Filing, priority, publication and issue dates
Inventor, applicant and owner information
Status and prosecution information
Events, deadlines and notes
Responsible-user assignments
Supporting file attachments
Subscriber-customizable data

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Automated and Customizable Patent Deadline Calculations

DocketTrak automatically calculates patent events and due dates using Auto Docket Templates. These templates contain rules that generate deadlines from important dates and prosecution activity, such as a filing date, office-action date or patent issue date.

Standard patent templates are included with DocketTrak. Admin users can also create Auto Docket Templates that reflect their own procedures, internal reminders and reporting requirements. A custom template can generate one or multiple events from a specified triggering date and supplement DocketTrak’s standard rules rather than replacing them. Templates can be tested before activation and executed manually or automatically when qualifying patent information is imported or updated.

Calculated dates can be adjusted for weekends, US holidays and selected weekdays. Additional choices can move a calculated deadline to the beginning or end of a month or year, or to the next selected day of the week, giving subscribers greater control over how due dates and internal reminders are scheduled.

Capabilities include:

Standard patent deadline-calculation rules
Automatic generation of events and due dates
Calculations based on filing dates, office actions, issue dates and other triggering dates
Patent maintenance-fee dates
Patent expiration dates
Subscriber-created reminder events
User-customizable calculation templates
Manual or automatic template execution
Internal reminders before statutory deadlines
Foreign-filing and client-reporting reminders
Adjustments for weekends, US holidays and selected weekdays
Start- or end-of-month and year date adjustments
Firm- or legal-department-specific procedures

PAIR Connect with Patent Center and MyUSPTO

PAIR Connect is DocketTrak’s proprietary Windows integration tool for USPTO Patent Center and MyUSPTO. Although its name originated when the USPTO used the PAIR system, PAIR Connect now works with Patent Center and the USPTO’s current authentication process.

PAIR Connect can import an entire portfolio associated with one or more USPTO Customer Numbers or selected applications identified by application number, Attorney Docket Number or a subscriber-provided list. It imports bibliographic and transaction-history data, creates or updates DocketTrak patent records, and then executes applicable Auto Docket Templates to generate events and due dates.

Authorized pre-publication applications are retrieved through the subscriber’s Patent Center account. When the Patent Update Service is enabled, PAIR Connect skips published and public applications because DocketTrak updates those records automatically each day. PAIR Connect can then concentrate on pre-publication applications, reducing import time and how frequently subscribers may need to run the program.

Capabilities include:

Import an entire USPTO Customer Number portfolio
Import selected applications or a subscriber-provided list
Filter applications by Attorney Docket Number or recent status changes
Import pre-publication applications available through the subscriber’s Patent Center account
Import bibliographic and transaction-history data
Create and update DocketTrak patent records
Execute applicable deadline-calculation templates after import
Display download and import results for each application
Retain the latest imported XML file with the patent record
Reduce manual record creation during onboarding and ongoing updates
Skip published and public applications when Patent Update Service is enabled

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Patent e-Office Action Integration

DocketTrak can automatically process patent e-Office Action emails issued by the USPTO. When an email is received, DocketTrak identifies the associated patent application, updates the patent record and applies the appropriate docketing rules.

For office actions requiring a response, DocketTrak can automatically add the applicable response events and deadlines. For communications that do not require a response, it can update the patent’s status and status date. After processing the office action, DocketTrak sends a confirmation email summarizing what was changed. The screenshot shown with this section is an example of the DocketTrak confirmation email issued after DocketTrak processes a USPTO e-Office Action email.

If the application does not already exist in the subscriber’s account, DocketTrak can create a basic patent record so the office action is not overlooked. The record can then be reviewed and completed by the subscriber.

Capabilities include:

USPTO email received and processed
Associated patent record identified
Status information updated
Applicable events and due dates generated
Confirmation email describing DocketTrak’s changes

Patent Update Service

The Patent Update Service automatically checks published and otherwise public US patent records every day and updates DocketTrak when changes are detected at the USPTO. Subscribers receive an automated summary email identifying which patents changed and listing the individual changes made to each record.

When the Patent Update Service is enabled, PAIR Connect can concentrate on importing pre-publication applications available through the subscriber’s Patent Center account. Because published and public patent data is updated automatically by DocketTrak, PAIR Connect imports take less time and may not need to be run as frequently.

The Patent Update Service is included with a DocketTrak subscription at no additional charge and can be enabled upon request.

Capabilities include:

Daily monitoring of published and public US patent data
Automatic updates when USPTO data changes
Emails identifying changed patents and individual data changes
Faster PAIR Connect imports focused on pre-publication applications
Reduced need to run PAIR Connect as frequently
Included with the DocketTrak subscription at no additional charge
Enabled upon subscriber request

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PTO Import

PTO Import allows a user to retrieve current patent information from the USPTO for an individual DocketTrak record. The imported information is displayed for review before the subscriber chooses whether to update the record.

This gives users a convenient way to compare DocketTrak information with current public USPTO data and selectively import updates without leaving the patent record. For published patent records, PTO Import can also retrieve the prosecution history and Image File Wrapper transaction history.

Capabilities include:

Retrieve current USPTO patent data
Review imported information before saving it
Update an individual patent record
Correct or supplement existing patent information
Import prosecution and Image File Wrapper transaction histories for published patent records
Reduce repetitive manual data entry
Open the corresponding public record using View at PTO

Confirmation and Summary Emails

DocketTrak sends confirmation and summary emails for automated patent activity. These messages help subscribers understand what DocketTrak processed and provide an additional review point for automated changes.

These emails complement DocketTrak’s Change Log, Transaction History and other audit tools.

Capabilities include:

Patent records created or updated
Status and status-date changes
Office actions processed
Events and due dates added
USPTO information that changed
Records requiring subscriber review

A Connected Patent Docketing Workflow

DocketTrak’s patent features are designed to work together. Patent information can be imported from Patent Center or public USPTO data, updated as prosecution activity occurs, used to calculate events and deadlines, and communicated to users through reminders and confirmation emails.

This connected workflow helps reduce repetitive data entry while keeping subscribers informed and in control of their patent records.

Related DocketTrak Features

Patent and Trademark Office Integrations
Deadline and Reminder Management
Documents and Communications
Reporting, Search and Dashboards
Audit and Data Integrity
Outlook, Email and Calendar Integration
Client Access and Collaboration

See How DocketTrak Can Support Your Patent Practice

Explore DocketTrak’s patent docketing, automated deadline management and USPTO integration features with a free trial.

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