On November 23, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) launched Global Dossier, which is a secure, online access to the file histories of related applications from participating IP Offices, which currently include the IP5 Offices (USPTO, EPO, JPO, KIPO, and SIPO).
By using this service, users can see the patent family for a specific application, containing all related applications filed at participating IP Offices, along with the dossier, classification, and citation data for these applications. The service also provides Office Action Indicators to help users identify applications that contain office actions, a Collections View for saving documents and applications for review later on in the session, and the ability to download the documents in an application.
“Through Dossier Access, the public will be able to obtain data that is timely, reliable, understandable, standardized, and of high quality,” the USPTO said in a statement.
The Global Dossier Initiative is a set of business services being developed by the IP5 Offices aimed at modernizing the global patent system and delivering benefits to all stakeholders through a single portal/user interface.
Global Dossier will provide a single, secure point of access for the management of dossier and examination information, enabling and encouraging streamlining of office procedures among different IP Offices. This will lead to improved efficiency and predictability of global patent family prosecution with increased cost savings provided to patent applicants.
