The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
The USPTO is expanding its Patent Examiner Technical Training Program (PETTP) and requesting voluntary assistance from Scientists, Engineers, Professors, and Industrial Designers to participate as guest lecturers.
Volunteer your time and expertise as a guest lecturer to ensure patent examiners keep pace with state of the art developments.
The USPTO's Patent Examiner Technical Training Program (PETTP) is requesting voluntary assistance from technologists, scientists, engineers, and other experts from industry and academia to participate as guest lecturers and provide technical training and expertise to patent examiners regarding the state of the art.
Guest lecturers provide relevant, historic and current technical knowledge, including industry practices/standards in technological areas of interest. Guest lecturers must also have relevant technical knowledge and industry practices/standards in areas of technologies where such lectures would be beneficial.
Guest lecturers have the option of presenting a lecture in-person or virtually from their own location. In-person presentations can be made at our Alexandria, Virginia headquarters or at one of our regional offices in Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI and San Jose, CA. Training delivered at each location will be broadcast to patent examiners across the entire USPTO.
PETTP is not intended as an opportunity for applicants to discuss pending applications with USPTO employees or to circumvent normal communication between applicants or applicants' representatives and USPTO employees. In addition, PETTP participants are not to provide advice or recommendations to the USPTO. The PETTP is envisioned only as an opportunity to provide patent examiners with necessary training from scientists and experts working directly in the various technologies throughout the USPTO.
For more information you may contact:
PETTP@uspto.gov or view our PETTP flyer.
PETTP is now seeking guest lecturers for several Technology Center Tech Fairs. If you are interested in participating as a guest lecturer, please submit an interest form. Scheduled 2024 Tech Fairs for each Technology Center are provided below.
Please see list of topics that may be of interest to examiners. Additional topics may be proposed by guest volunteer lecturers and considered for presentation.
2024 PETTP Tech Fairs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Technology Center | Technology description | Dates |
| 1600 | Biotechnology and organic chemistry | June 18 and 20 |
| 1700 | Chemical and materials engineering | Sept. 4 - 5 |
| 2100 | Computer architecture and software |
May 6 - 17
|
| 2400 | Networking, multiplexing, cable, and security | |
| 2600 | Communications | |
| 2800 | Semiconductors, memory, optics, photocopying, electrical circuits & systems, printing, and measuring & testing | May 22 - 23 |
| 2900 | Designs | May 9 |
| 3600 | Transportation, construction, electronic commerce, agriculture, and national security | May 20 - 24 |
| 3700 | Mechanical, medical, and gaming technologies | May 6 - 9 |
Requests to serve as a PETTP guest lecturer are granted depending upon resources, training time available, and appropriateness of the topic suggested. For granted requests, audience size will vary.
View the standard operating procedures for interested Patent Examiner Technical Training Program guest lectures.
Invited Speaker Consent Form
Prior to giving a presentation, all PETTP guest lectures must sign the USPTO's Invited Speaker Consent Form. Preferably, PETTP presentations are recorded and made available to employees for viewing or listening at a later time.
View the Invited speaker consent form.
Federal Register Notice
View the September 15, 2010 Federal Register notice (link is external) for the Patent Examiner Technical Training Program.
Sign-up Now to participate in PETTP.
The USPTO would like to thank the following organizations and their representatives who have participated in the Patent Examiner Technical Training Program. Their contributions ensure that patent examiners keep pace with the latest advancements in the state of the art across all disciplines. Their contributions also serve as a keen reminder that, by working together, we can build a stronger intellectual property system.
Inclusion on the lists of specific organizations, attorneys, law firms, individuals, or corporations does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USPTO.
The Site Experience Education program provides commercial, industrial, and academic institutions, within the continental U.S., the opportunity to voluntarily host patent examiner technical site visits. The USPTO funds all SEE travel costs for patent examiner visits to host organizations.
To learn more, visit the Site Experience Education (SEE) Program page.
The Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure program offers those interested training opportunities to better their understanding of the examination process at the USPTO. Training material used is derived from material developed for training patent examiners.
To learn more visit the Stakeholder Training on Examination Practice and Procedure (STEPP) page.
The SOaR program offers:
See a list of SOaR program training sessions and learn how to attend.
For more information on the SOaR program, please contact SOaR@uspto.gov.
