As of March 2018, U.S. patent matters and PCT applications can be added or updated from Patent Center without the need to download XML files. Click here for instructions on using the new Update Matter button. Please note that this process requires your Patent Center digital certificate file and password to be stored in AppColl.

Updating your patent matters with Patent Center XML files is always a safe thing to do. When importing XML files for existing matters, AppColl updates any fields that don’t contain information and then compares the new information with the existing data. Under no circumstances will existing data be automatically overwritten with data from the USPTO. If differences are found, AppColl will generate a task called “Review Patent Center Differences” and a small yellow triangle next to the field(s) that are different in the Matter Details page. Click on the triangle to show a dialog box that lets you overwrite the data in AppColl with the data from the USPTO. Please Note that AppColl determines if a matter exists in the system using the application/serial number and not the Attorney Reference. Please carefully review the newly imported data for accuracy and completeness.

The process for updating patent matters with XML files is identical to the process of adding matters.