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<p>Thank you for posting this. It is very helpful.<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 3/10/2025 2:39 PM, Randall Svihla
wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>This was just posted in the r/<span
class="SpellE">patentexaminer</span> subreddit about 10
minutes ago:</span></p>
<blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>IT Outage - Phones</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Currently, examiners cannot receive
calls from external numbers. <span> </span>If you're
expecting a call from an attorney, you should call them. <br>
</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span>From:</span></b><span>
Patentpractice
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:patentpractice-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com"><patentpractice-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com></a>
<b><span>On Behalf Of </span></b>Carl Oppedahl via
Patentpractice<br>
<b><span>Sent:</span></b> Monday, March 10, 2025 3:35 PM<br>
<b><span>To:</span></b> For patent practitioners. This
is not for laypersons to seek legal advice.
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com"><patentpractice@oppedahl-lists.com></a><br>
<b><span>Cc:</span></b> Carl Oppedahl
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:carl@oppedahl.com"><carl@oppedahl.com></a><br>
<b><span>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Patentpractice] Unable
to connect to any USPTO phone numbers</span></p>
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</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>On 3/10/2025 1:14 PM, Carl Oppedahl
wrote:</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span>On 3/10/2025 12:49 PM, Michael
Dryja via Patentpractice wrote:</span></p>
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<blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Is anyone having this issue? As
of 11:47 am PT on Monday, March 10, for the past hour
when I\u2019ve tried calling any Examiner it either gives me
three fast beeps (using my T-Mobile cell phone) or rings
and rings and rings and hangs up (using my
<a href="http://Phone.com" moz-do-not-send="true">Phone.com</a> Voip
line). </span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> - Mike Dryja.</span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p><span>Yes it's not just you. I have called an Examiner
and the Examiner's SPE.</span></p>
<p><span>From my office phone direct extension, the call to
the SPE rings and rings, and clicks to a different ring
cadence, (maybe migrating to voice mail?) and then hangs
up on me.</span></p>
<p><span>From a personal phone number (VOIP), the call to the
SPE rings a while and then says "the number you are
calling from has been flagged as spam. If you believe
this to be in error, please press 1 to report the
problem." I press 1 and it hangs up on me.</span></p>
<p><span>I call from my cell phone and the recorded message is
"the number you have dialed has calling restrictions and
so the call cannot go through". And it hangs up on me.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span>When I could not get through to the SPE, I dialed the
Director of the Tech Center. Nope. The call disconnects.</span></p>
<p><span>It is impossible to get through on the phone number for
Coke Morgan Stewart, the Director of the USPTO.</span></p>
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