Working for the USPTO

Started by JTripodo, 01-31-05 at 10:02 PM

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fewyearsin

Quote from: ChEv on 01-21-18 at 11:01 PM
Any thoughts on the next application / hiring window for examiners at the USPTO?
Just a guess that they are done hiring for this year.  Or at least that any more hiring will be based on applications submitted to the last openings from the end of 2017.  I'm guessing that, absent a huge change in examiner attrition or filing volume, the PTO may be back to kind of a steady-state hiring where they post new openings at the beginning of the fiscal year (October-November-ish) and hire from that to replace the examiners that quit and match any filing growth, usually just a few hundred examiners.  So hopefully more postings at the end of this year.
This comment does not represent the opinion or position of the PTO or any law firm; is not legal advice; and represents only a few quick thoughts. I'm willing to learn, let me know if you think I'm wrong. Seek out the advice of a competent patent attorney for answers to specific questions.

steelie

President Trump promised to "streamline the federal workforce" (make it smaller).

Last year, while the military and border patrol were adding employees; BLS reported that the total federal workforce shrunk by 16,000 people.

I suspect there's some push-back if a civilian agency wants to increase their staff.

snapshot

I am sure the PTO's hiring slowdown has less to do with Trump and more to do with the fact that they massively over hired during the quest to take a bite out of the backlog.

MYK

Quote from: snapshot on 01-19-18 at 06:31 PM
To misinterpret my original comment to place the blame on USPTO not knowing its operating status on Democrats in Congress is patently absurd.
I wasn't misinterpreting your comment;  your comment was unclear.  No wonder people complain about Office actions being vague!

In any event, it sounds like you already had a reasonable expectation of staying open from knowing what was done during previous shutdowns. :)
"The life of a patent solicitor has always been a hard one."  Judge Giles Rich, Application of Ruschig, 379 F.2d 990.

Disclaimer: not only am I not a lawyer, I'm not your lawyer.  Therefore, this does not constitute legal advice.

EngineeringStudent

Can someone give me examples of patents that an industrial engineering patent examiner would examine ?  I am not sure how to define industrial in the context of patent examination...
Thanks

abc123

IE is a hard fit for patent examining. Sometimes IE's have expertise in manufacturing, which might put you in either class 29, one of the arts that involves molding plastics (whose number escapes me), or one of the semiconductor classes that deals with manufacturing. If you are an operations research guy or gal, good luck. Maybe business methods. Otherwise, while most of the mechanical arts may require an engineering degree, they are common-sense enough that even the Ace Hardware Man could probably examine them. For example, arts like containers don't require a knowledge of differential equations. You just have to be able to visualize hidden lines. So go for it.

ThomasPaine

There are examiner positions for indstrial engineering posted on indeed right now.

https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=industrial%20engineer%20patent&l&vjk=d648b1e27b319841

fewyearsin

Quote from: ThomasPaine on 01-26-18 at 11:44 PM
There are examiner positions for indstrial engineering posted on indeed right now.

https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=industrial%20engineer%20patent&l&vjk=d648b1e27b319841
Go to USAJobs, search for USPTO, sort by "open date," and there are a few openings in Dallas and Alexandria.  Rumors are that hiring will be very light for the next few years after the huge hiring sprees a few years back.
This comment does not represent the opinion or position of the PTO or any law firm; is not legal advice; and represents only a few quick thoughts. I'm willing to learn, let me know if you think I'm wrong. Seek out the advice of a competent patent attorney for answers to specific questions.

bluerogue

Quote from: fewyearsin on 01-26-18 at 11:46 PM
Rumors are that hiring will be very light for the next few years after the huge hiring sprees a few years back.

Yeah, it seems to be mostly attrition hiring and filling up empty offices in the regional offices as examiners start hoteling.
The views expressed are my own and do not represent those of the USPTO. I am also not your lawyer nor providing legal advice.

EngineeringStudent

What do you think of patent Examiner as a career ? I am talking about job security only. Will the PTO ever run out of business due to lack of economic value of obtaining a patent ? 

bluerogue

#7135
Quote from: EngineeringStudent on 01-28-18 at 05:53 PM
What do you think of patent Examiner as a career ? I am talking about job security only. Will the PTO ever run out of business due to lack of economic value of obtaining a patent ?

I find it doubtful that the PTO will ever shut down from lack of work.  Assuming it does, then so goes the career of basically everyone in the IP industry, including a whole host of patent attorneys/agents and you'd have much worse problems to worry about like a wholesale economic collapse in the US because that's probably what's happening. That's just not a realistic scenario.  The law tends to swing back and forth between too much protection and too little protection as it tries to find the right balance. 

If work at the PTO dries up, and assuming we get to RIF, which to my knowledge has never happened at the PTO, then it's done by seniority.  Your seniority is determined by grade followed by time in grade. The office also tries to reassign you to places with work if possible.  If you're also career tenured with the government, you have better options of being rehired at the PTO and potentially at a different job elsewhere in the govt without having to go through the whole hiring process again.  Once you're off probation, you have all the protections that government employees get from being fired.  Job security is better at the government than the outside, IMO.
The views expressed are my own and do not represent those of the USPTO. I am also not your lawyer nor providing legal advice.

EngineeringStudent


steelie

Pendency (how much work there is to do) varies by art-type.

TABLE 4:  Patent Pendency Statistics (FY 2017)
UPR Pendency Statistics by Technology Center (in months)   Average First Action Pendency  Total Average Pendency
Total UPR Pendency                                                                         
Tech Center 1600—Biotechnology and Organic Chemistry                  16.3                                   24.2
Tech Center 1700—Chemical and Materials Engineering                     12.1                                   23.2
Tech Center 2100—Computer Architecture, Software and Inform        18.5                                   27.5
Tech Center 2400—Networks, Multiplexing, Cable and Security           21.3                                   28.5
Tech Center 2600—Communications                                                 12.0                                   21.7
Tech Center 2800—Semiconductor, Electrical, Optical and Comps        13.6                                   22.3
Tech Center 3600—Transport, Construction, Agr and e-Commerce       18.2                                   25.5
Tech Center 3700—Mechanical Engineering, Manufact and Products     19.7                                   28.9

see chart on page 170 in https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USPTOFY17PAR.pdf

EngineeringStudent

If you apply for 2 Positions ( electrical and computer) patent examiner, and get hired for one. Does that mean this is the final placement?
or final placement happen after completing patent training academy?

johnthatcher

Did you get hired for one in Alexandria ? 



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