[Patentpractice] How to file office action responses / POAs without customer number

[Timothy Snowden]

Just went through this. Your old USPTO.gov login is yours, not your 
firm's. You can still use it. You can use it to instantly create a new 
customer number that's just you. You can also remove it from your 
previous firm's customer number.

CLICK PATH: PatentCenter -> Manage -> Manage Customer Numbers

You also want to ASAP mail in a notarized form changing your email 
address on your old USPTO.gov login. I don't remember the form, but if 
you overnight it, it's usually handled in a few days, based on my 
limited experience of a couple of times.

Hopefully you set a 2FA other than email so that you can continue to 
access your old USPTO login until your email address is changed.

Hope that helps!

On 3/7/2025 2:43 PM, Justin Miller via Patentpractice wrote:
> I have left my previous law firm andam starting my own law firm. This 
> happened a bit faster than I had anticipated, so I was not quite ready.
>
> A number of clients with pending patent applications have transferred 
> their matters to my new firm. I need to respond to numerous office 
> actions, and need to update the POAs first.
>
> Based on conversations withthe AAU, my first step is to file a request 
> for customer number, PTO/SB/125A:
> https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0125.pdf
>
> My understanding is this takes 2 weeks.
>
> I am told that I then need to file the Patent Electronic System 
> Verification Form, PTO‐2042a:
> https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pto-2042a.pdf
>
> It seems that this form will connect the new customer number to 
> aUSPTO.gov login.
>
> I imagine that's going to take another 2 weeks.
>
> My question is how to file the new POAs and office action responses 
> while I wait.
>
> I see that I can file a POA using contact information rather than a 
> customer number, but I cannot see how to file the POA electronically.
>
> I created a new USPTO.gov login using my new email address, but it 
> does not appear to have permission to file into any existing patent 
> applications (I receive a 401 error).
>
> I have access to my old USPTO.gov login, but of course it is 
> associated with the customer number of my previous law firm.
>
> Am I stuck using fax (which seems slow based on what you have all 
> shared) or mail?
>
> Sincerely,
> Justin P. Miller
> Distinct Patent Law
> Office: 727.513.4590
>
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