Patents Ombuds Office

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The Patents Ombuds Office provides assistance to applicants and attorneys throughout the application process including initial filing, patent examination, and post examination. We assist applicants when the normal processing has stalled and help get applications back on track. The Patents Ombuds Office is not intended to circumvent normal communication between applicants or their representatives and examiners, or supervisory patent examiners, or technology center directors.

We also provide assistance on the merits where there is an issue with case prosecution concerns, such as:

  • Claim objections
  • After-final practice
  • Claim rejections
  • Restrictions

Application status information

To get the status of your patent application or an estimate of when you will receive a first office action, please access the following two links.

Contact us for assistance

  • We can be reached by telephone at 571-272-5555 or 855-559-8589. Our hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET.
  • If you complete the online form below, you will receive a phone call from a Patents Ombuds representative who will ask for additional details about your assistance request.
  • Contact us via email at PatentsOmbudsOffice@uspto.gov

Contact us form

 

For more information

If you have any feedback, questions or comments regarding the Patents Ombuds Office, please email PatentsOmbudsOffice@uspto.gov.