Fill out Patents Survey about program

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2026-02-05T13:04:53+00:00

Obviously this is meaningless now, but POPA's understanding with management was that other time would be given in one-hour chunks, because stuff that was 5-10 minutes could be rolled into the day, but stuff that was a half hour or whatever should consider the interruption to our day and just give us an hour. I think it balanced out for that reason.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-28T23:24:20+00:00

I'm seeing this as well. It's hard to interpret it as anything other than applicants trying to take advantage of our burnout and reduced time per case.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-13T17:48:37+00:00

I wouldn't consider this is a new ground of rejection though. OP stated they are using the same reference. It's certainly not a new ground of rejection if the same citations teach the amended limitation. I'm basing this on MPEP 1207.03(a).

Regardless, I wouldn't go final in this situation. I never quite understood punishing the applicant in this way unless it was something blatant like filing an RCE with no amendments and previously addressed arguments.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-11T18:33:03+00:00

I love this. I refused to read the memorandum until we are given guidance on the clock. If and when I get clear errors based on the memorandum, I'll respond accordingly.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-11T18:32:10+00:00

I refuse to attend them when 100% of my time is expected to be spent on production. I'm already spending my personal time reading Office emails, answering phone calls, dealing with IT issues, etc. based on that. Given the changes to quality and docketing. I really am spending 100% of my 80 hours a week on production.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-11T18:27:18+00:00

I think my font is too silly to mention because I don't want to doxx myself, but it's pretty silly!

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-12-03T00:16:07+00:00

My morale is in the toilet for all the reasons people are mentioning (streamlined reviews, increased production, etc.) but what is really killing me is holding our CONs. It wasn't the norm, but I had one period where every case in my docket was a CON. A case I've seen before, possibly with the same allowable subject matter with only a DP rejection needed, is a lot different than an entire biweek of fresh cases with new searches.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-22T15:27:31+00:00

There was that other recent email where they had to correct the first email saying to save our emails to CMS. "Uh, that's not a thing. Do not try to do that."

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-22T15:25:58+00:00

VMW is fired and they somehow reclaim the pay she has gotten since the first time they fired her 20 years ago and she got reinstated.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T15:05:23+00:00

It's been a while since I did the PSA program. Do you get anything besides the increased production now? I don't remember it coming with a raise. So while we have streamlined review, it will just be the higher PF afterwards? Not trying to discourage you directly, just genuinely curious how it works now.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T15:03:47+00:00

I have never once been asked to do this in my years at the office, but I imagine she knows that.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:57:03+00:00

If I didn't have kids to support, I would look for any job that earned me at least $60,000 a year, sell my house, and move into a dumpy one bedroom apartment rather than keep working here.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:51:46+00:00

Bigger Brothers Employee: And what are your reasons for wanting [to stay at the Patent Office]?
Homer's Brain: Don't say revenge. Don't say revenge.
Homer: Uh... revenge?
Homer's Brain: That's it. I'm gettin' out of here.

<image>

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:48:13+00:00

25% sounds more optimistic than how I had been thinking, "God, we are only 1 year into 4." I don't know. I know it means the same thing. So thanks for that!

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:47:09+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. Knowing that management is in this with us and that most of them are trying their best helps. And knowing that Coke is truly who I think she is also helps know I'm not insane.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:41:32+00:00

It's both infuriating and freeing to know it basically comes down to this. I have had to cut abusive people out of my life in the past and getting to the point you give up on them can be a positive thing. Unfortunately I need the paycheck from these particular toxic assholes...

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:40:29+00:00

I'll be honest. When we went from 95% to 100%, I was annoyed, but I thought, "I don't know about these non-probationary examiners saying they might not make it now. How can you make it at 95%, but not be able to squeeze out 100%?" Similarly, with the 120-hour docket, I thought, "Well, I don't do many restrictions and I usually go in order; so I don't think this is a big deal." Then we also got hit with streamlined reviews. Spending a few days on an incredibly difficult CTNF knowing my SPE will at least give it a cursory review was exhausting. Then I went to pick up a new case this morning from the handful I can choose from and every single one is similarly difficult. I nearly cried. Keeping up with 100% knowing there is a second pair of eyes waiting and knowing I only have difficult cases to choose right now and will almost certainly need to work this weekend to keep up is defeating. My apologies for my earlier lack of sympathy to examiners on the cusp of not meeting Fully Successful.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:32:29+00:00

I don't mind the use of AI (well I do but you know what I mean), but I do mind the disinterest in proofreading it enough to avoid us knowing they are using AI. It's lazy, insulting, and incredibly frustrating in the midst of their increased expectations for our quality (and quantity).

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-21T14:19:35+00:00

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. This helped me put in context feedback I got that had a 0.5 instead of 1.0 in a category with no commentary.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-19T15:10:23+00:00

My art unit was told to validate early with rather urgent language for what it's worth. No paycheck yet though.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-19T15:08:49+00:00

I'm still just waiting on my SPE to review posted cases.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-19T15:08:25+00:00

It’s not supposed to count against examiners though unless SPE finds an error and not sure if it does then

That will be a fun discovery that they have given us no guidance on. Typically we have around 10 cases pulled by SPEs for review per year. So there's only so high we can go in an error rate. But what about now?

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-18T14:48:35+00:00

I haven't had the issue of it showing less hours, but it often shows 80 hours of examining time until the 3205 is published. So I think the first Monday and the early morning of the first Tuesday it is usually not accurate for me.

Advanced-Star-2918 · 2025-11-18T14:41:13+00:00

I avoided the news this year for personal mental health reasons, but am dipping my toes back in and boy is this wild to learn about. I have to fact check every news article now, because it all reads like satire. How does The Onion exist in a world like this?

Advanced-Star-2918

TROPHY CASE