USPTO launches new version of Private PAIR

The Patent and Trademark Office just finished an online presentation of the major features of the newest version of Private PAIR (dubbed “Private PAIR 6.0”).

Later this afternoon, the presentation will be available here for review:  http://webex.client.ninesystems.com/uspto.

The Office deserves kudos for this release of Private PAIR.  The new version has a great interface, is entirely web-based (goodbye USPTO Direct!  and good riddance!), and has a slew of new features that should prove helpful (including a first action predictor that is pretty slick and appears fairly accurate).

Steve and I watched the presentation (and even skyped messages back and forth during; we are hopeless nerds…).  Our “on the fly” notes are available via Rethink(IP) RSS mojo here.

As an added bonus, the presenters dropped several hints about the soon-to-be-released new electronic filing system (estimated date of arrival is currently March 17, 2006).  If their hints prove accurate, the new system just might be what the community has been looking for – a simple solution to electronic filing of paperwork in patent cases.

Look for an online presentation from the Office on the new e-filing system soon.