USPTO to Host Patent Quality Community Symposium

Washington – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a Patent Quality Community Symposium on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia and across the agency’s regional offices in Dallas, Denver, Detroit and Silicon Valley. The event will feature interactive segments and implementation updates on the Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative (EPQI).

WHAT:

Patent Quality Community Symposium

WHEN:

Wednesday, April 27 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET

WHERE:

Madison Auditorium (Alexandria location)
USPTO Campus
600 Dulany Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

The Patent Quality Community Symposium will update the public on various efforts that the USPTO is undertaking to enhance patent quality. In particular, the agency is pursuing eleven programs to improve clarity of the prosecution record, enhance examiner training, improve applicant-examiner interactions, and re-define ways to capture and measure data about quality. The symposium will feature lectures on these topics, an interactive workshop demonstration on how the Master Review Form will be applied, and a panel discussion with experienced patent practitioners about ways applicants can contribute to our efforts.

Agenda in Alexandria
Time (ET)	Topic	Speakers
9:00-9:10	Welcome	Valencia Martin Wallace, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality
9:10-9:20	Opening Remarks Before and After: How Is Enhanced Patent Quality Making a Difference	Michelle Lee, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO
9:20-10:00	Search & Training Enhancements Highlights include: Global Dossier and Clarity of the Record Training	Maria Holtmann, Director of International Programs Don Hajec, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations
10:00-10:30	Prosecution Enhancements Highlights include:  Clarity of the Record Pilot	Robin Evans, Director, Technology Center 2800
10:30-10:45	MORNING BREAK
10:45-11:05	Post-examination Enhancements Highlights include:  Post Grant Outcomes	Jack Harvey, Acting Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations
11:05-11:45	Improving Evaluation of Examination Highlights include:  Topic Submission for Case Studies and Big Data	Brian Hanlon, Director of the Office of Patent Legal Administration
11:45-12:45	LUNCH BREAK (on your own)
12:45-1:00	Quality Metrics Improving Patent Quality Measurement	Marty Rater, Chief Statistician, Office of Patent Quality Assurance
1:00-2:30	Master Review Form (MRF) Hands-On Workshop Reviewing for Correctness, Clarity, and Consistency	Sandie Spyrou, Supervisory Review Quality Assurance Specialist Kathleen Bragdon, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality
2:30-3:00	MRF Report Out From the workshop
3:00-3:15	AFTERNOON BREAK
3:15-4:15	Panel Discussion How Applicants Can File and Prosecute a Quality Application	Russ Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Bill Bunker, Knobbe Marten Rick Nydegger, Workman Nydegger Kevin Noonan, MBHB Laura Sheridan, Google Tim Wilson, SAS
4:15-4:50	Q&A with Panel	Moderated by Russ Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director
4:50-5:00	Closing Remarks USPTO’s Commitment to Quality	Drew Hirshfeld, Commissioner for Patents

For more information, including RSVP details, please visit: www.uspto.gov/patent/patent-community-symposium. For more information on the Dallas, Denver, Detroit and Silicon Valley locations, please visit: www.uspto.gov/about-us/events.

For non-press inquiries, please contact Jolyn Eley, (571) 272-2546 or email WorldClassPatentQuality@uspto.gov.