Pro Se Education and Customer Service

Pro se 2019
Welcome

OMB Control No. 0651-0080
Expiration Date: 9/30/2021

Thank you very much for volunteering your time and providing your
feedback regarding your experiences with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO). Your voluntary response will be combined with
all other responses and analyzed in aggregated format only. The survey is
designed to measure your opinion about the services that the
USPTO provides for you as an applicant filing without legal representation.
The results from this survey will assist us in guiding improvements and
enhancements in the future.
The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. For general
questions regarding the purpose of the survey, contact Darnell Jayne
(darnell.jayne@uspto.gov). If you encounter any problems with the survey
instrument, contact Michael Easdale (michael.easdale@uspto.gov).

Click 'Next' below to begin the survey.
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, persons are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid
OMB Control Number. The valid OMB control number of this information collection is 0651- 0080. This survey will gather feedback from
applicants who file without legal representation, whose responses will be gathered and aggregated to determine how best to improve
Pro Se services. The USPTO estimates that it will take respondents approximately 10 minutes to complete the survey. This collection
of information is voluntary in accordance with E.O. 12862, “Setting Customer Service Standards.”

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Current Status

* 1. Tell us about your relationship to the last non-provisional patent application you filed with the United
States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):
I am a registered practitioner
I am an inventor applicant, with no legal representation (pro se)
I am a non-inventor applicant, with no legal representation (pro se)
I am an inventor applicant, with legal representation
I am a non-inventor applicant, with legal representation
Other (please specify)

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Pro se History

* 2. Have you at any time filed or prosecuted an application without legal representation (on your own, i.e.
pro se)?
Yes
No

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Experience

3. Indicate your level of experience filing nonprovisional application(s) for patent, on your own (i.e., pro se).
This was the first time that I have filed a nonprovisional patent application.
I have filed up to 3 nonprovisional patent applications.
I have filed 4 or more nonprovisional patent applications

4. Where are you in the patent process with your most recent nonprovisional application for patent?
I have received a notice concerning missing parts of my application and am preparing a response.
My application is assigned to an examiner and I’m waiting for an office action.
I received an office action from an examiner and I’m preparing a response.
I have received a notice that my application is allowed.
My application has been issued as a patent.
I am no longer pursuing my patent application.
I received a notice that my application is abandoned.
I don’t know the status of my application.

5. For your most recently filed nonprovisional application for patent, please indicate what type of private
legal assistance outside of the USPTO, if any, you have received (select all that apply):
I hired an attorney or agent to write my application.
I hired an attorney or agent to file my application.
I hired an attorney or agent for prosecuting my application prior to receiving any USPTO communication.
I hired an attorney or agent after receiving a pre-examination notice from the USPTO.
I hired an attorney or agent after receiving an office action from the examiner.
I received Pro bono assistance (i.e., free legal advice).
I have been accepted into the Law School Clinic Assistance Program.
I have not received private legal assistance outside of the USPTO.
Other (please specify below)

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* 6. If you contacted the USPTO for assistance, please indicate where you received your information (select
all that apply):
Pro se Assistance Program, including Pro se Art Unit (AU) 3649
Visited www.USPTO.gov
Inventor Assistance Center
Help number listed on a notice received from the USPTO
Examiner assigned to my nonprovisional application
Ombudsman Program
I have not received assistance from the USPTO
Other (please specify below)

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Pro se 2019
Pro Se Assistance Program Satisfaction

7. Please, rate your satisfaction specifically with the customer service of the USPTO Pro Se Assistance
Program (incl. AU 3649) with regard to:
Neither
Very
Somewhat dissatisfied
dissatisfied dissatisfied or satisfied

Somewhat
satisfied

Very
satisfied

Received prompt response after initial inquiry
Ability to put you in contact with the right USPTO personnel
responsible for facilitating your inquiry
Keeping you informed of the status of your inquiry
Timeliness to address issue(s)
Knowledge of person who dealt with addressing inquiry
Overall Satisfaction

8. How likely are you to recommend the USPTO Pro se Assistance Program (incl. AU 3649) to others?
Definitely Not

Probably Not

May or May Not

Probably Would

Definitely Would

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Pro se 2019
Action Difficulty

9. How difficult were any of the following actions for you (from very difficult to very easy). If you received
assistance from the USPTO with any of the actions listed, please rate the action's difficulty after receiving
assistance:
Very difficult

Somewhat
difficult

Neither difficult
or easy

Somewhat
easy

Very easy

Preparing a nonprovisional application for patent
Finding forms/information about the patent process
at www.uspto.gov
Understanding the requirements in USPTO
notices/examiner’s office action
Responding completely to USPTO
notices/examiner’s office action
Making amendments to my nonprovisional patent
application
Determining what fees I owe, and why they are
owed

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Action Difficulty Followup

10. Please provide details on why these actions were difficult:
Preparing a nonprovisional application for patent

Finding forms/information about the patent process at
www.uspto.gov

Understanding the requirements in USPTO
notices/examiner’s office action

Responding completely to USPTO
notices/examiner’s office action

Making amendments to my nonprovisional patent
application

Determining what fees I owe, and why they are owed

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Pro se 2019
Overall Patent Process

11. Based on your most recently filed nonprovisional application for patent, please rate your overall
satisfaction with the patent process:
Very Dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Neither Dissatisfied or Satisfied

Satisfied

Very Satisfied

12. Based on your most recently filed nonprovisional application for patent, would you file another patent
application?
Yes
No
Unsure

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Conclusion

13. Please enter any additional comments. We especially would like to hear your ideas on making the
patent process easier.

Thank you for completing our survey!
Clicking 'Done' below will submit your responses, close the survey window, and
redirect you to the public USPTO website.
When you are satisfied your responses are complete, click 'Done' to exit the survey.

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