[Patentpractice] Unable to connect to any USPTO phone numbers

[Carl Oppedahl]

See 
https://blog.oppedahl.com/how-to-reach-a-uspto-person-if-you-cant-reach-them-by-phone/ 
.  Some folks at the USPTO have private fax numbers.  Just now I sent 
faxes to two Examiners, asking them to call me.

On 3/10/2025 2:39 PM, Randall Svihla wrote:
>
> This was just posted in the r/patentexaminer subreddit about 10 
> minutes ago:
>
> *IT Outage - Phones*
>
> Currently, examiners cannot receive calls from external numbers. If 
> you're expecting a call from an attorney, you should call them.
>
> *From:*Patentpractice <patentpractice-bounces at oppedahl-lists.com> *On 
> Behalf Of *Carl Oppedahl via Patentpractice
> *Sent:* Monday, March 10, 2025 3:35 PM
> *To:* For patent practitioners. This is not for laypersons to seek 
> legal advice. <patentpractice at oppedahl-lists.com>
> *Cc:* Carl Oppedahl <carl at oppedahl.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [Patentpractice] Unable to connect to any USPTO phone 
> numbers
>
> On 3/10/2025 1:14 PM, Carl Oppedahl wrote:
>
>     On 3/10/2025 12:49 PM, Michael Dryja via Patentpractice wrote:
>
>         Is anyone having this issue?  As of 11:47 am PT on Monday,
>         March 10, for the past hour when I’ve 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 Phone.com <http://Phone.com> Voip line).
>
>          - Mike Dryja.
>
>     Yes it's not just you.   I have called an Examiner and the
>     Examiner's SPE.
>
>     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.
>
>     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.
>
>     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.
>
> When I could not get through to the SPE, I dialed the Director of the 
> Tech Center.  Nope.  The call disconnects.
>
> It is impossible to get through on the phone number for Coke Morgan 
> Stewart, the Director of the USPTO.
>
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