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Trademark FAQ

Will my client have to create a USPTO.gov account just to sign or review a document?

The TEAS e-signature process and the TEASi “send for review” process are exempt from the login requirement. Customers using the TEAS e-signature process can sign and return a document without logging in.

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Trademark FAQ

Will I be logged out for inactivity when filling out the TEAS and TEASi forms?

You will be logged off after 30 minutes of inactivity. You will see a warning when there are five minutes remaining. A countdown timer will appear and you can choose “Yes, continue my session” to keep working. If you do not choose to continue your session, after five minutes you will be timed out of the form. When this happens, you will lose all the data entered in the form if you have not previously saved it by selecting the “Save” button on the validation page. If you are timed out due to inactivity, you will need to start the form again.

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Trademark FAQ

How do I avoid timing out of a TEAS and TEASi form after 30 minutes of inactivity?

Certain actions reset the inactivity timer and keep your session alive. Actions that count as activity include:

  • Changing pages within the form using the “Go Back” or ”Continue” navigation buttons at the bottom of each page.
  • Uploading attachments to TEAS.
  • Choosing “Yes, keep me signed in” on the inactivity pop-up warning.

Actions that do not count as activity include:

  • Typing in a text field. Please consider typing lengthy responses into a separate document first and then pasting them into the form.
  • Browsing the ID manual inside of TEAS and checking the boxes of identifications does not count as activity until you insert the checked entries in the form.
  • Clicking hyperlinks or help text links in the TEAS or TEASi form.
  • Checking boxes and radio buttons. Since some boxes and radio buttons behave differently than others, assume none of them count as activity.
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Trademark FAQ

Is the TEAS login requirement only for new applications?

All TEAS and TEASi forms will require customers to log in starting October 26, 2019, even if they applied before that date. This includes forms for applications in progress and registration maintenance filings.

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Trademark FAQ

Does TEAS work with a Blackberry?

A Blackberry can be used to sign a TEAS form (using the e-signature approach), with certain workaround steps. Do not click directly on the provided link (i.e., at, e.g., “To sign Trademark/Service Mark Application, Principal Register electronically, please CLICK HERE,”); otherwise, an error will result. Instead, you must copy the long link provided beneath the above (i.e., e.g. https://teasplus.uspto.gov/submit250/sign.service?id=USPTO/FTK-10.113.1… ). Then, go to the web browser and paste in the entire link. By way of example, here are specific instructions presented to the USPTO by a Blackberry user: 1). Go into the T-zones web browser (browser provided by this user’s service provider, i.e., T-mobile); 2). Click “Track wheel” and select “Paste;” 3). Click “Track wheel” again, and select “O.K.;” 4). This should result in the signature page being displayed, wherein the signature and date can be entered.

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Trademark FAQ

Can I keep data when backing up in a form?

If you “back up” on a TEAS form after validation, e.g., to correct an error, and your form is now completely blank, your system probably has a “cache” deficiency. Cache is a storage area on your browser that is used to keep track of Internet web pages. Augmenting your cache can enhance your computer system’s performance, and allow you to complete TEAS forms without losing previously-entered data. To accomplish this, you should allocate at least 5-10 megabytes (approximately 5,000-10,000 KB) of your hard drive to the browser. If you have a small hard drive and cannot allocate this amount, you should allocate about 5-10% of your available hard drive capacity to your browser. Also, we recommend that you periodically totally clear your cached files.

Augmenting your Cache:
To increase your cache size, follow the steps under the appropriate browser version:
For Navigator 4-7x:

  • 1. Under the Edit menu, select Preferences, double-click Advanced, and select Cache.
  • 2. Change the disk cache to between 5,000 and 10,000 KB.

For Internet Explorer 4:

  • 1. Under the View menu, select Internet Options and choose the General tab.
  • 2. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings. Under “Amount of disk space to use,” drag the slider all the way to the right and click “ok.”

For Internet Explorer 5-6x:

  • 1. Under the Tools menu, select Internet Options and choose the General tab.
  • 2. Under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings. Under “Amount of disk space to use,” drag the slider all the way to the right and click “ok.”

Clearing your Cache:
To clear your cached files, follow the steps under the appropriate browser version:
For Navigator 4-7x:

  • 1. Under the Edit menu, select Preferences, double-click Advanced, and select Cache.
  • 2. Click the Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disc Cache buttons.

For Internet Explorer 4:

  • 1. Under the View menu, select Options and choose the General tab.
  • 2. In the Temporary Internet Files dialog box, click Settings/Delete Files.

For Internet Explorer 5-6x:

  • 1. Under the Tools menu, select Internet Options and choose the General tab.
  • 2. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click Delete Cookies Delete History files.
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Trademark FAQ

How do I save a TEAS form?

TEAS allows you to save your work as a portable form at the Validation Page. This page appears at the end of the application after you have entered all your information in the form. To download and save the form data, you must click on the “Download Portable Data” button at the bottom of the Validation Page. The information will be saved to your local drive. To begin the submission process with saved data, you must open a new form, and click on the “Browse/Choose File” button displayed on the initial form wizard page, at “[OPTIONAL]” To access previously-saved data, use the “Browse/Choose File” button below to access the file from your local drive.” Clicking on the “Continue” button at the bottom of the first page will then properly open the saved version of the form.

Alternatively, you may create a “dummy” form and enter the “real” data at a later point. You can create a “dummy” form by (1) pulling up the regular TEAS form; (2) entering either an “x” for any mandatory field, or “fake” numbers where a numerical entry is required, or attaching a “dummy” image file; (3) validating this version of the form; (4) using the button on the bottom of the validation page to save the form to your local drive; (5) pulling up the saved form, and (6) entering “real” data for any field wherein an “x” was initially used as a “data placeholder.” WARNING: If you create a “dummy” form, and the USPTO then later upgrades the form, the saved template may not be usable for future filings, and a new template based on the upgraded version of the form may have to be created.

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Trademark FAQ

When is the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) available?

We make every effort to have the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, while TEAS is almost always available, credit card payments cannot be made from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Sundays (although you can create a form during that period and save it for later use).

The site is sometimes down for scheduled maintenance, for which the USPTO generally posts advance notice. We recommend that you check the Current Server Status and Planned Outages page before beginning the filing process. Sometimes the site is also down unexpectedly. Although we try to restore service as soon as possible, this does not always happen as quickly as we would hope. Because of the possibility of an unforeseen problem (such as site downtime or Internet connectivity issues), we encourage you to plan ahead and not wait until the last minute to file time-sensitive forms electronically with the USPTO.

All forms filed via TEAS are time/date stamped when received on the USPTO server, according to Eastern Standard Time (EST) and EST controls for purposes of determining the timeliness of a document. Any submission that arrives as of 11:59 p.m. EST will be given that day’s filing date (i.e., regardless of the USPTO’s “normal” business hours).

If your deadline is today and the document cannot be filed via TEAS due to an outage, you must use an alternative method of filing to ensure that the document is timely received in the USPTO. A deadline that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday within the District of Columbia extends the due date to the next succeeding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday. 37 C.F.R. §2.196. See TMEP §308.

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Trademark FAQ

What controls the filing date for a TEAS filing?

All forms filed via TEAS are time/date stamped when received on the USPTO server, according to Eastern Standard Time (EST). The time/date stamp is applied at the moment the payment process is completed and the success screen is displayed. The time/date stamp applied by the TEAS server is the official time the USPTO received the application or form; the time the transmission began is not a factor considered when assigning the filing date. The official filing date and time can be found at the bottom of your e-mail confirmation. Any submission that arrives as of 11:59 p.m. EST will be given that day’s filing date (i.e., regardless of USPTO’s “normal” business hours).

Categories
Trademark FAQ

When is TEAS available?

We make every effort to have the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, while TEAS is almost always available, credit card payments cannot be made from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Sundays (although you can create a form during that period and save it for later use).

The site is sometimes down for scheduled maintenance, for which the USPTO generally posts advance notice. We recommend that you check the Current Server Status and Planned Outages page before beginning the filing process. Sometimes the site is also down unexpectedly. Although we try to restore service as soon as possible, this does not always happen as quickly as we would hope. Because of the possibility of an unforeseen problem (such as site downtime or Internet connectivity issues), we encourage you to plan ahead and not wait until the last minute to file time-sensitive forms electronically with the USPTO.

All forms filed via TEAS are time/date stamped when received on the USPTO server, according to Eastern Standard Time (EST) and EST controls for purposes of determining the timeliness of a document. Any submission that arrives as of 11:59 p.m. EST will be given that day’s filing date (i.e., regardless of the USPTO’s “normal” business hours).

If your deadline is today and the document cannot be filed via TEAS due to an outage, you must use an alternative method of filing to ensure that the document is timely received in the USPTO. A deadline that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday within the District of Columbia extends the due date to the next succeeding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday. 37 C.F.R. §2.196. See TMEP §308.