Written by Michael Frechtman, Senior Director, Law Firm Products and Accounts
At the heart of every intellectual property department sits docketing. The docketing team is tasked with overseeing a high volume of incoming correspondence, tracking important deadlines, and managing the accuracy of IP data.
Even in 2021, docketing systems still involve a high level of manual data entry and managing follow up actions. Unfortunately, this means that the possibilities for error throughout the docketing process are myriad, leading to important deadlines being missed.
Docketing can also be inefficient. An error caused by adding the wrong patent number into your docketing system can kick off a workflow in the software that can take weeks or months to identify and correct.
And, while the advent of computerized docketing systems may have happened decades ago, intellectual property practitioners are still searching for ways to help their teams work more efficiently and minimize the risks associated with tracking sensitive patent and trademark data.
How can we help?
One way to improve efficiency is by freeing up your docketing team with software that automates repetitive tasks and gives them back time to focus on more strategic work. AutoDocket® & Download forms part of the PATTSY WAVE docketing software and is a powerful automation feature. It is also a risk management tool that will streamline your docketing processes and help ensure important deadlines aren’t missed.
We know that efficiency and accuracy are crucial for IP departments—AutoDocket® & Download turns a 10-12 step for every e-office action into a 3-step process.
A traditional docketing process consists of having the user download, open and interpret emails from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, decide what needs to be docketed, call up the matter, docket the event, possibly upload a copy of the document, and then share the information with attorneys or clients.
Cutting this time down, the AutoDocket® & Download feature runs an overnight process that detects documents in your Private PAIR portfolio. When specified documents are detected, it will automatically download the corresponding documents to the respective matters and docket the necessary reminders.
The next morning, the docketing team simply reviews the activity from the night before and forwards the information to the appropriate individual in your firm or client, with just a couple of clicks! With the process now cut down to three steps thanks to automation, your docketing team will have more time to focus on reviewing data and other, more strategic work.
Teams using the feature also have peace of mind. Most law firms have a highly reliable and expert docketing person on their team that is always on top of managing their docket and avoiding costly deadline mistakes. But what happens if this person goes on vacation, wins the lottery, or gets an offer from another firm? AutoDocket® & Download assures attorneys that deadlines are being met, even if there is a change on their docketing team.
The future of IP docketing
AutoDocket® & Download is an efficient and accurate docketing tool which improves the productivity of the docketing team and provides attorneys with peace of mind that important deadlines will not be missed. The feature provides huge benefits by itself, but greatly enhances other features such as the Interactive Docket Reports and DMS integration, as well!
Essentially, for those looking to walk into the future armed with technology that improves the efficiency and accuracy of their docketing work, PATTSY WAVE and its AutoDocket® & Download capability, is the ideal software choice for IP professionals.
Interested in learning more? Contact us for a demo of AutoDocket® and Download.
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