Take a Free Tour

You can now try a free demo version of PTOFlow. Access our Demo Site to get a first-hand look at the power of PTOFlow. There is no need to upload your own confidential documents. Instead, Use the demo service to process sample PTO documents, spot issues, download prior art references, and create reporting letters and shell documents. No email, no licenses, no commitment. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Lawtomata PTOFlow Overview

PTOFlow is developed by patent attorneys who understand the time-consuming task of receiving and reporting communications from the Patent Office. Time is literally money in our business, and PTOFlow can save you time by taking the grunt work out of the document intake process. Our goal is not to kick the human out of the loop. Instead, we strive to create a set of usable shell documents based on the content of the PTO communication. The documents we prepare are populated with relevant case data and issues that we identify in the PTO communication, saving you the time it takes to transcribe that information manually, fetch prior art references, and the like.

When you receive a PDF document from the Patent Office, we help you process it using the following simple steps.

1. Upload your document using drag-and-drop.

After upload, we process the document to identify the document type (e.g., an Office Action, a Notice of Allowance), metadata (e.g., application number, docket number) and issues (e.g., objections, rejections).

2. Confirm case data.

After initial processing, we ask you to confirm the case metadata, such as application number, inventor name, and so on.

3. Review issues.

Next, we walk you through the document. We highlight each issue we discovered in the document window, and give you a chance to edit the issue. You can modify the rejection type, relevant claims, or even delete the rejection entirely. If you spot an issue we missed, simply click on the relevant line in the document window. Our AI will give you its best guess, and you can edit it as required.

4. Generate Documents.

After walking you through the issues we spotted in the document, we generate shell reporting letters and other documents (e.g., office action responses) that are customized based on the document type. We can also fetch US patent references, if they are cited in an Office Action.

We provide all of our work to you in a result bundle formatted as a ZIP file. Here is a ZIP bundle created for an example Office Action. Each result bundle contains shell letters and other documents, prior art references if cited, and the like.

The following is an example of a shell reporting letter prepared by PTOFlow for an Office Action. Notice that many of the fields, including client contact information, application number, fees due, and the like, are already filled in. No more error-prone transcription of application metadata!

Note that the documents we create are not 100% ready to go to the client. Our goal is not to kick the human out of the loop. The expectation is that an attorney and/or paralegal will review the letter, fill in any missing information, and add advice as necessary.

We have created a base set of template letters for many of the most common types of PTO communications. We are happy to work with you to customize those templates or convert your preferred documents into templates for use with your account.

Features/Questions

What kinds of documents can you process?

We provide intelligent processing around the most common documents from the Patent and Trademark Office. When you receive a PDF document from the PTO, drag and drop it on to the PTOFlow intake form. In response, PTOFlow will process the document, produce a reporting letter/email, shell response (if appropriate), and fetch cited prior art references if necessary.

We can recognize a much larger set of document types, and in general will produce a generic reporting letter. But we are adding intelligence around new document types every day!

How much time can PTOFlow save?

PTOFlow creates shell documents and pulls prior art references if present, based on issues we find in an incoming PTO document. We have observed that legal assistants spend at least a half hour, and sometimes an hour or more, processing an incoming office action. With PTOFlow, they can perform this process in half the time or less.

If your firm processes many documents per day, the savings really add up. A boutique law firm that processes 100 PTO communications per week could easily save 50 person-hours. At labor costs in excess of $50/hour, this translates to real savings. Even a solo practitioner who processes 10 PTO documents per week can save a few hours that are better spent billing or having fun doing something else.

How much does it cost?

Monthly subscriptions are priced based on the number of attorneys at your firm. For more information, please contact us at Lawtomata Info.

Can multiple users access my subscription?

Yes, you can add a legal assistant or other users who can process documents using your subscription. Your cost is based on number of attorneys (as a proxy for volume of work), not number of users.

Is my data secure?

All access is password-protected. All network communication is performed via secure HTTPS. If you cancel your subscription, all of your data will be erased. We can also configure your cloud service to further segregate and secure your data, such as by provisioning a single-tenant service, specifying an erase-on-completion document retention policy, etc.

Will you access my data?

We may access your data upon your request, to address a help desk inquiry. We may also access your data to improve the system. If there are documents that we did not process well, we'd like to use those documents to improve our system. We do not share your information with outside parties. We promise to always keep that information confidential.