How are examiner activities recorded and reported at the USPTO?
The USPTO uses an automated system to record and report examiner activities. According to MPEP 1705:
“Actions prepared by examiners are submitted electronically and sent to their respective legal instrument examiners for entry of the type of Office action into the USPTO’s automated data management system and for mailing. Each examiner’s action that is counted and reported to the USPTO’s integrated examination tools will be listed by application number on their individual time and activity report.”
This system ensures that all examiner actions are properly recorded and credited. Examiners are expected to verify their reports, as stated in the MPEP: “The time and activity report should be checked by the examiner to verify that all applications worked on for the biweekly report period are properly listed.”
If any information is missing or incorrect, there is a correction process involving the examiner’s supervisory patent examiner (SPE) and the integrated examination tools.
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