<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.gmailsignatureprefix
{mso-style-name:gmail_signature_prefix;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>I don’t have a filing receipt for a national phase case filed in May 2024. I called and inquired, I was told to give it a couple of more weeks. Any time this year would be great… <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'>Maria<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>--------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Maria Eliseeva<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'>Patentbar International<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'><a href="mailto:maria@patentbar.com"><span style='color:#0563C1'>maria@patentbar.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual'><a href="http://www.patentbar.com/"><span style='color:#0563C1'>www.patentbar.com</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Pct <pct-bounces@oppedahl-lists.com> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Carl Oppedahl via Pct<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, April 2, 2025 11:55 AM<br><b>To:</b> For users of the PCT and ePCT. This is not for laypersons to seek legal advice. <pct@oppedahl-lists.com><br><b>Cc:</b> Carl Oppedahl <carl@oppedahl.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Pct] PCT help desk phone number is dead<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p>Rick's question is not idle. As I have blogged <a href="https://blog.oppedahl.com/sluggishness-of-uspto-workflow-for-inbound-faxes/">here</a>, the USPTO has staffed the Central Fax Number so poorly that it is commonplace for an inbound fax to languish untouched for two months or more.<o:p></o:p></p><p>It is difficult to imagine that the fax number at PCT Operations would be even more poorly staffed.<o:p></o:p></p><p>On the other hand, the EO/DO/US is so poorly staffed that it takes half a year just to get a Filing Receipt after entering the US national phase.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On 4/2/2025 9:29 AM, Rick Neifeld via Pct wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal>Carl - Thanks, as usual. <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Update: The PCT Help Desk vm message now states "The Patent Cooperation Treaty Help Desk. ... is temporarily unavailable to take your call...." <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Also: MPEP 502.01 provides various telephone numbers for FAX, including the central fax (571) 273-8300 and also for PCT Operations, that is for "Correspondence subsequent to filing in an international application before the U.S. Receiving Office, the U.S. International Searching Authority, or the U.S. International Preliminary Examining Authority" (571) 273-3201.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>QUESTION: Does anyone know if (as I suspect) a FAX to the PCT Operations fax number will result in quicker action than a fax to the central fax number? (I would ask PCT Help desk this question if they were available.)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Rick<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Wed, Apr 2, 2025 at 10:44<span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span>AM Carl Oppedahl <<a href="mailto:carl@oppedahl.com">carl@oppedahl.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p>Keep in mind that if nothing else works, you could fax Form 2038 to the Central Fax Number.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On 4/2/2025 8:33 AM, Rick Neifeld via Pct wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I called and did get through to EBC, so that phone number works. The PCT Help Desk number still goes to a dropped call, after the transfer from the USPTO phone system's (stupid and time wasteful) intro message. <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>My issue is paying additional ISA/US search fees within PatentCenter. I had checked in PatentCenter (by uploading a response to an Invitation to pay additional search fees and searching for an entry for additional ISA/US search fees) and found no option to specify additional ISA/US search fees. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I want to have the client use their cc number to effect payment, instead of my deposit account. I see the only option to do that is via an SB17 form (which is a bad option because it believe that will eventually expose the client's cc number in PatentCenter. (That is, assuming PatentCenter makes its file for the PCT application in the international stage public, which I assume it will do 18 months after the priority date. This is a ... - <b>FLASH UPDATE - </b><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>********Micheal from WIPO called me in real time in response to my post on this listserve, trying to help. ... I spent the last 20 minutes are so on the phone with Michael from WIPO, where he was trying to help me with my USPTO centric problem. Michael said he was in a panic (I am paraphrasing), thinking that perhaps it was the IB's phone numbers that were not working. I told him it was laughable how good the IB's service was, he would call me in response to a listserve email post, whereas I spent literally hours trying to get help from the USPTO to resolve the same problem. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Sigh.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Any help via email reply appreciated. Have to get to a client meeting now.******<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> Rick<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Wed, Apr 2, 2025 at 10:00<span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span>AM Rick Neifeld <<a href="mailto:richardneifeld@gmail.com" target="_blank">richardneifeld@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Is it just me, are all calls to PCT help desk this morning dead? For me, the call rings, then ends. It worked yesterday. <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmailsignatureprefix>-- </span><o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Best regards<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Rick Neifeld, J.D., Ph.D. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Neifeld IP Law PLLC<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>9112 Shearman Street, Fairfax VA 22032<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Mobile: 7034470727<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Email: <a href="mailto:RichardNeifeld@gmail.com" target="_blank">RichardNeifeld@gmail.com</a>; <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This is NOT a confidential and privileged communication. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this email and notify the sender you have done so.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></body></html>