Due to RAM server maintenance, EPAS will be unavailable beginning Friday,
December 19, 2008 at 11:55 PM and ending Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 6:00 AM.
We apologize for the incovenience.
Electronic Patent Assignment System (EPAS)
The Assignment Services Division (ASD) of the Office of Public Records
presents the Electronic Patent Assignment System (EPAS).
Using EPAS, you create and submit a Patent Assignment Recordation
Coversheet by completing on-line web forms and attaching the supporting
legal documentation as TIFF of PDF (no color please) for submission via the Internet.
Assignment information provided by the user will be recorded as provided and will not
be verified or modified by the USPTO.
SPECIAL NOTES
All forms filed via EPAS will be marked with an U.S. Eastern Time timestamp
when received on the USPTO server. Upon completion of the fee payment
process, a Confirmation of Receipt will be displayed and the EST time stamp
will then be applied to the submission. The time stamp applied
by the EPAS server is the time of official USPTO receipt.
Payments may be made using a credit card, electronic fund transfer (EFT)
or through an existing USPTO deposit account. Credit cards accepted are MasterCard,
Visa, American Express or Discover.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
EPAS works with NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR [Version 4.0 or later] or
MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER for WINDOWS [Version 4.0 or later].
Supporting documentation attached to the Patent Assignment Recordation
Coversheet must be in TIFF image format, letter size (8.5"x11"), 300 dpi,
portrait orientation and black and white.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For general information about electronic filing, please telephone
the Assignment Services Division Customer Service Desk at, 571-272-3350
during regular business hours or e-mail your question(s)
to EPAS@uspto.gov. If you need help in resolving technical problems,
you may also e-mail us at EPAS@uspto.gov. We will respond to your
e-mail inquiry within 2 business days. Please include a telephone
number in your e-mail.
The information collected on these forms allows the ASD to officially
record an assignment. Responses to the requests for information are
required to obtain the requested action. Recorded assignment information
will be made public for assignments related to issued or
published patents.
This collection of information is required by 36 USC §§ 261 and 263 and
is used by the public to submit (and by the USPTO to process) patent assignment
recordation requests using the Electronic Patent Assignment System (EPAS).
This collection is estimated to take 30 minutes to complete, including gathering
the necessary information, filling out the online forms, and submitting the
completed request to the USPTO. Any comments on the amount of time you require
to complete this request and/or suggestions for reducing this burden should
be sent to the Manager of the Assignment Division,
USPTO, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
The Privacy Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-579) requires that you be given certain information
in connection with this request for information. This collection of information
is authorized by 35 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2, 261 and E.O. 9424. This information
will primarily be used by the USPTO for the recordation of assignments related
to parents and patent applications. Submission of this information is voluntary
but is required in order for the USPTO to record the requested assignment.
If you do not provide the information required on the assignment forms,
the assignment will not be recorded.
After the information is recorded, the records and associated documents can be
inspected by the public and are not confidential, except for documents that are
sealed under secrecy orders or related to unpublished patent applications.
Assignment records relating to unpublished patent applications are maintained
in confidence in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 122.
Records open to the public are searched by users for the purpose of determining
ownership for other property rights with respect to patents and trademarks.
Routine uses of the information you provide may also include disclosure
to appropriate Federal, state, local, or foreign agencies in support of
their enforcement duties and statutory of regulatory missions, including
investigating potential of law or contract and awarding contracts or other
benefits; to a court, a magistrate, of administrative tribunal in the course
of presenting evidence; to members of Congress responding to requests
for assistance from their constituents; to the Office of management
and Budget in connection with the review of private relief legislation;
to the Department of Justice in connection with a Freedom Information Act request;
and to general Service Administration (GSA) as part of their records management
responsibilities under the authority of 44 U.S.C. §§ 2904 and 2906.
Such disclosure to GSA shall not be used to make determinations about individuals.
