The USPTO has tried to make signing an electronic form submitted through TEAS as easy as possible. The electronic forms have three signature options.
1. SIGN DIRECTLY: The individual completing the application may, if he or she so chooses, sign directly at the end of the application form. The application will not be “signed” in the sense of a traditional paper document. To verify the contents of the application, the signatory will enter any alpha/numeric character(s) or combination thereof of his or her choosing in the signature block on the application form, preceded and followed by the forward slash (/) symbol. The USPTO does not determine or pre-approve what the entry should be, but simply presumes that this specific entry has been adopted to serve the function of the signature. Most signatories simply enter their names between the two forward slashes, although acceptable “signatures” could include /john doe/; /jd/; or /123-4567/.
Note: The appropriate person (i.e., (1) a person with legal authority to bind the applicant; or (2) a person with firsthand knowledge of the facts and actual or implied authority to act on behalf of the applicant; or (3) a U.S.-licensed attorney who has an actual or implied written or verbal power of attorney from the applicant) must personally sign the form by keying in the combination of characters preceded and followed by the forward slash symbol (/) that the signatory has adopted as his or her “signature.” Someone else on behalf of the proper signatory should not key this in.
2. E-MAIL TEXT FORM TO SECOND PARTY FOR SIGNATURE: Through this method, the “text form” may be e-mailed to the proper signatory as a “hyperlink” (no “downloading” of a portable form is required). The signatory will enter the signature between two forward slashes (e.g., /john smith/). The signed form is then returned to the original preparer, who can then complete the submission process to the USPTO.
To use this approach select the “E-mail Text Form to second party for signature” method in the Signature Information section. Enter the signatory’s name, position, and phone number and click “Validate.” At the Validation page, click the link for “Text Form for E-Signature.” Next, click the link for “Send this Text Form to the authorized signatory(ies) to request e-signature(s).” The requestor should enter his/her name and e-mail address and click “Send Email.”
TEAS will send the e-signature request directly back to the requestor, and then the requestor must forward the resulting e-mail to the intended signatory. With this approach, the requestor will receive any possible “undeliverable” notice, and as such, immediately be aware when a problem exists with the signatory’s e-mail that requires possible correction and re-sending. All “reply” communications will be directly between the signatory and the requestor.
To sign the form, the intended signatory must click the link in the e-mail and enter the signature between two forward slashes. After completing all the mandatory fields, the requestor must click the “Sign” button to return the signed form to the originator of the request. The requestor will receive an e-mail with a “Submit” link, to allow access to the Validation page wherein the final steps of the process are completed.
Note: The form must be signed and the filing to the USPTO completed within 14 days. The clock starts running as soon as the requestor clicks “Send this Text Form to the authorized signatory(ies) to request e-signature(s)” and it is not based on when the requestor then forwards the e-mail to the intended signatory. Please also note that the period is calculated to the minute, and is not based on the “end of the day” for the 14th day (e.g., a request originated at 2:00 p.m. must be filed no later than 2:00 p.m. 14 days later. If the final submit button is clicked at 2:01 p.m., an error message will be displayed indicating that the time period for filing has expired and the entire process must then be started from the beginning). You can, however, download and save the portable form (available from the Validation Page) indefinitely.
3. HANDWRITTEN (“PEN-AND-INK”) SIGNATURE: Through this method, the “text form” may be printed out and then mailed or faxed to the signatory, who will sign the form in the traditional “pen-and-ink” manner. Once the signed form has been mailed or faxed back to the preparer, this signed declaration must be scanned and re-attached as a JPG image file (the only image formats acceptable) to the original electronic application; the complete application can then be validated and filed electronically.
Note: Under this option, the original application must be saved using the Download Portable form button on the Validation Page.