INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Notice from the European Patent Office dated 9 December 2003 concerning the My.epoline® portal
1. The European Patent Office (EPO) has now added My.epoline® to its epoline® range of products and services.
2. My.epoline® is a secure, personalised portal through which users in possession of a smart card issued or recognised by the EPO can access My Files, Secure File Inspection, WebRegMT (which is also accessible using a self-defined username and password) and the Mailbox. To access the Mailbox, users require the authorisation of their portal administrator.
3. Smart cards can be obtained free of charge from the EPO using the enrolment tool on the My.epoline® login page.
4. My Files
4.1 My Files allows users to organise their files in folders and to search and sort these files by date, title, IPC, etc.
4.2 My Files automatically compiles filter folders for the user's own published and unpublished files. Furthermore, it allows users to compile a portfolio of folders containing their favourite files.
5. Secure File Inspection
5.1 Secure File Inspection allows users to access the public part of their files prior to publication (Article 93 EPC; Article 128 EPC, by implication).
5.2 Secure File Inspection can also be used to view published files.
5.3 Files can be inspected by keying in the relevant application or publication number or by selecting a file from a My Files folder. The individual documents in a file are clearly listed. A hyperlink to the Online European Patent Register also provides access to bibliographic and procedural data.
5.4 Frequently viewed files can be bookmarked and kept in specially created favourites folders under My Files. Users can also create their own customised view of their files by selecting the information they want to display and the order in which it is presented.
6. Mailbox
6.1 Professional representatives (Article 134(1) EPC), legal practitioners (Article 134(7) EPC) and employees (Article 133(3) EPC) who inform the EPO via their epoline® portal administrator that they wish to receive communications online will receive mail items in their company Mailbox containing a link to the corresponding communication in one of the EPO's databases.
6.2 Only users authorised by the portal administrator may access the Mailbox.
6.3 An online communication is deemed to have been received when:
- the mail item details are viewed.
- the mail item is moved to another folder.
- the communication is viewed.
- the communication is downloaded.
6.4 If an online communication is not collected within five days of dispatch, it is removed from the Mailbox and a paper copy is sent by post.
6.5 A list of the communications which may be sent online can be found on the EPO website (www.european-patent-office.org) under epoline®.
7. WebRegMT
7.1 WebRegMT is a Web Register Monitoring Tool which allows users to elect to receive automatic e-mail alerts of changes occurring in the Online European Patent Register. It can be accessed with a smart card or by logging in with a self-defined username and password.
7.2 Users can monitor pending published European patent applications and patents by entering the relevant application or publication number. If the automatic e-mail option has been selected, in the event of a change the system triggers an e-mail alert containing a hyperlink to the corresponding application or publication number in the Online European Patent Register, where the most recent event is displayed in the top left-hand corner.
8. My.epoline® is available free of charge from the EPO via
Further information can be obtained from:
EPO Customer Services
European Patent Office
Patentlaan 2
NL - 2288 EE Rijswijk
Tel.: (+31-70) 340 4500
Fax: (+31-70) 340 4600
e-mail: epoline@epo.org
Open: Monday to Friday, 08.00 to 18.00 hrs.