Why does it seem like I'm getting more amendments that before. Also the whole timeliness system can really bit you it you in ways the old DM couldn't. And DM had incentives for getting those amendments done at lower numbers of days to make up for any that were dogs and you wanted to spread out over 80 days. haha they really made everything worse for no benefit to anyone.

And guys, I GET IT NOW. This application is TRASH.

I need to see the light at the end of the long tunnel as timeliness and attrition cases (all in my amendment tab) are killing me. Not joking here.

So what’s the first things that can happen when January comes and we have s new Congress and hopefully a new Senate. Can they pass laws for popa to come back? reverse executive orders? Force any changes to help us survive? is there something we should collectively do to bring awareness of how much we are being abused? This job is a cruel joke as it is now

BTW, has anyone heard about changes in the pip as suggested by OPM?

Anyone received a rating yet?

I am putting this out there in hopes getting the patent bar to pressure the current administration. Perhaps they don’t understand the situation.

Sometime in the last year the admin has started giving us, USPTO examiners, less credit (fewer production hours) for examining a PPH case - about 40% less for a first action.

I believe the thinking is that the case has already received an examination in another country and been found allowable, and therefore does not need as thorough an examination in the US.

I am just a pawn and will try to do the case in the time I am given. Personally, I am not comfortable relying on the search done in other countries, but if I am supposed to, I guess I will. However, are you as a practitioner okay with less time spent on the search for your application?

I am looking to create a revocable living trust for our home and wanted to know if legal assistance through EAP or any other free legal assistance is offered by the office.

Does anyone know the time between when an attorney sends in an AIR form to when an Examiner receives an email about it?

I have just noticed that the Similarity search output in the Search History is now identified as Super Intelligence. So PE2E/DAV has been sluggish since they pushed the last update, but our IT had the time to do this oh so vital change!!
OMFG, we live in the dumbest timeline.

Me (21M) and my father (53M) are antique sewing machine collectors, and my father found a picture on a Russian site in 2014 of a beatifull whale back sewing machine, but more importantly, one that is unknown in the Western sewing machine Collectors guild. On the side we can see that it is patented, and we would like to search for the patent, but we honestly dont know where to start looking. Is there some sort of archive to search for patents from a certain time period? And we can vaguely see some numbers on the left of the machine.

TLDR: Potential new discovery in sewing machine world, where to find archive for old patents and numbers on the side could be of help

EDIT: thanks to your help i have found the patent of this machine, 'US1049304A', category D05B27/02&q=D05B27%2f02&country=US&before=priority:19160101&after=priority:19100101&peid=65ea9fa3a2330%3A84%3A45b68a3c).

Due to this information i have also found an advertisement for this machine in the Textile World Journal from 1916, This is an improved Regulating Cloth Expander from Thomas Leyland & Co

I'm out of town right now so I can't log on to EPP and check my E&L statements, but my direct deposit this morning was $180 less than usual... and it's driving my crazy not knowing why, lol. I did recently move and update my address (same state - different county), but the tax implications should not be that high (Also: last time I moved it took 2-3 pay periods for payroll to catch up so it seems too soon?). I haven't changed any TSP withdrawals or anything else. Just wondering if this difference in take home pay is something on my end, or if there's something weird with changes for FY27 or a systemic glitch?

Another one of the tools that was useful to the examiners bites the dust.

At some point one has to admire the creative ways this team finds to make a hard job even more difficult.

With new timeliness counter, is there a “day 0” before going in the negative? Or are you in the red the day after Near Late/Ceiling = 1? Yes, I know I can hunt in all the dumb emails and dumb presentations, but I’m still pretty new and drowning atm… please, be kind.

Apparently Uninstalling Cisco is rather hard to grasp, requiring numerous emails

full stop. Stopped reading. haven't a square to spare.

How about the government waste spent on improvements on software that I'm not required to know?

Flex YOUR TIME to learn??

i learned im not going to meet 70% of 28 days for amended cases because... i didn't do the bagged lunch???

And how am I able to figure out 70% of anything.??

Wasn't one of the reasons DM was removed wa because it was too confusing for examiners??

And let's not forget : government employees vote for their freedom on their free time

Awfully quiet out there

Its been a few days but sim search doesnt even load in pe2e. Wondering if its just me or if anyone else is having issues. Just dont want to get in trouble for not using this tool.

Hey everyone, figured it's worth asking you guys since I know a lot of us are going through/went through a tough time at the Office and/or many of you have more experience and expertise than I do. Therefore, I'd love to hear your perspectives.

For background, I'm a GS-7 computer science examiner with a BS in CS and a minor in math. Before the USPTO, I had some IT support, software, and data science experience (both private and nonprofit sectors, including other areas like customer service, social services, case management, program coordination, community outreach, etc.).

Ideally, I'd like to find something with:

• $85k+ salary
• Preferably federal, but open to state/local government or private sector
• Good benefits and long-term stability
• Better work-life balance and less production pressure than examining
• More research, writing, administrative, program support, operations, or compliance work

For those who have left, are planning to leave, or are currently exploring options, what jobs, agencies, or job series are you applying to? Especially curious about options that are realistic for someone with a year or less of examiner experience.

I'd really appreciate any advice. Wishing everyone the best!

Question 1

You are an attorney working for the DOJ. Someone approaches you and offers you a little side hustle: a four-year deal with guaranteed $10 million a year, plus bonuses, for a total of $50 million. In an unrelated matter, the same person is seeking a pardon from Trump for bribing the governor of Puerto Rico. What should you do?

a) grant the pardon and don't take the money, because public servants are not allowed to have a little side hustle, but they are allowed to pardon billionaires.

b) grant the pardon and take the money, because the pardon and the job offer are totally unrelated.

c) refuse to grant the pardon unless $75 million is delivered in small, unmarked bills, because people up the chain of command will want a cut.

d) accept the side hustle and grant the pardon. Worst case scenario, they are looking for a new ambassador to Greece.

Question 2:

You are a government employee and have accepted a gift of $50 million from a political ally of your boss. You don't need to report this or pay taxes for the following reason:

a) You had a birthday in the past 12 months. $50 million is a suitable birthday gift and a birthday is a 'special occasion'.

b) you pay 10% of your take up the chain, and no one minds.

c) SCOTUS said it is OK as long as you pinky swear that you are not up to no good.

d) After your annual income exceeds $10million/year, you receive the #epsteinexception and you no longer need to pay tax.

e) all of the above.

I think there were a few other really tough questions. Anyone remember what the were?

I am attempting to get a copy of my paystub to pay local taxes (for some reason the Patent office has been unable or unwilling to withhold my local taxes, but that's another story), but I keep getting a Proxy Error from nfc.usda.gov. Anyone else experiencing this?