Public Records Division (PRD)/Public Search Services Division (PSSD)
Quarterly Public User's Meeting
June 25, 2012
The Public User's Meeting was held at 2:00 p.m. in the Global IP Academy, Madison East, 2nd floor, at 600 Dulany Street on the USPTO campus in Alexandria, Virginia. Martha Sneed, PSSD Director, chaired the meeting. There were two members of the public in attendance. CIO John Owens was in attendance to field any question/concerns from the public.
Public Search Facility Status
Public User Badges:
There is a delay in issuing USPTO Security badges due to vendor difficulties with card stock used for badging. It is expected that badges will begin to be issued again in about two weeks.
Second Floor Space:
The area on the second floor of the Public Search Facility that formerly held public workstations has been completely cleared out and is ready to be converted to offices. This area is now permanently off limits to the public. Construction begins soon.
Universal Public Workstations (UPWS):
UPWS is stable; there have been no failures or complaints about performance. One attendee thanked USPTO for improved EAST functionality with respect to IPC codes.
New name for Public Search Facility:
The Public Search Facility is now known as the Lutrelle F. Parker Sr. Public Search Facility. Signage is being updated to reflect the name change. Also new signage has been added to make it easier to locate the Global IP Academy (GIPA) on the 2nd floor.
Comprehensive Patent Classification (CPC):
The CPC will be launched to the public by January 1, 2013. Training in the use/access of CPC is going to be available to the public users.
Question: WIFI has appears to have been downgraded, maybe about 2 weeks ago? Certain sites are no longer accessible. A site called 'Drop Box' was very useful for downloading information to be transferred elsewhere. Answer: Certain websites may fall under federal guidelines for blocking access within federal facilities. Any website that can be considered pornographic, possible terrorist sites, gambling sites, etc. has access blocked. But please provide a list of what you find missing, and we will check into it.
Public Records Division Status
There is still a considerable backlog in the Certification Section of PTCFB. Mr. Owens has authorized overtime to tackle the issue. Also there will be at least one new vacancy announced for that area within the next month or so.
Question: A member of the public had ordered four design patents, however to date he has only received three. Answer: Donna Cooper will look into the problem with the order.
The Public User's Meeting was adjourned at 2:17pm. Next quarterly meeting date TBD