I'm sure, the headline appears like a joke. In the end, what do you do if somebody inadvertently fed a page upside down into the fax machine? You simply flip the page through or, when you get an electronic version,
Office 2007 Standard Key, utilize the reader application to rotate it. Apparently that is not in the ordinary operating methods on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace. No, if your fax comes in upside down, they deliver you a message in return stating that they can’t accept it and to re-fax. Here’s a copy with the letter that a source, who regularly deals with the USPTO, passed along to me:
I’ve sharpened it a bit with Photoshop, but in case you still find it hard to read,
Windows 7 Enterprise, here’s the text:
SubmitterUnited States Patent and Trademark Workplace
Notice of Document Faxed Upside Down
Your request to record a document in the United States Patent and Trademark Workplace was received via digital fax on [date and time in 2010 omitted].
The faxed submission was received upside down. We are unable to continue processing these images.
Please resubmit your document.
When you have any questions, you may contact our customer service center at [number omitted].
Office of Public Records
Usually when I see something really peculiar,
Office Ultimate 2007 Key, I try to put myself in the place from the person doing what seems inane and think of reasons why perhaps it makes more sense than it seems. Only, I can’t see any possible reason. What,
Office 2007 Professional Plus, it’s faster to send a fax in return and wait for a response? They don’t have technology that allows turning the images around? Maybe the patent for that particular nicety of image processing is lost somewhere,
Microsoft Office 2007, probably filed upside down.
If they get the 15 percent increase in fees, will they at least agree to rotate the images? So much for radical improvement. I still can’t get about that they appear to have a form letter for this.
[UPDATE: Despite the many questions that people have raised, it turns out that the USPTO does not have a good reason for this silliness. You can see more details at my latest coverage of your story.]