Company Information
-------------------
Company Name: United States Patent and Trademark Office
Website: https://www.uspto.gov/jobs/become-patent-examiner

Job Information
---------------
Job Title: Patent Examiner (Computer Science)
Job Type: Permanent
Job Description:
Patent examiners may choose to perform their duties throughout the United
States and Puerto Rico.

As a patent examiner, you will spend your time:

Searching prior art using specialized technology systems to ensure that an
invention is new and unique. Prior art is information that has been disclosed
to the public about an invention before a given date including related
patents, published articles and public demonstrations.
Reviewing patent applications for potentially new inventions and innovations
to ensure they meet the agency's requirements.
Writing legal office actions on patentability and respond to patent
applications.
New patent examiners receive top-notch training during the first months on
the job that will give you the tools you need to be successful in your role.

GS-7: At the GS-7 level, you will perform basic patent examining tasks with
extensive instructions from your supervisor. You will receive months of
valuable training that will help you do your job well. This training will
develop your ability to apply technical concepts to patent examining. Your
assignments will pair performance of productive work with supervised
on-the-job training.

GS-9: At the GS-9 level, you will independently perform intermediate patent
examining tasks with some supervision. Your assignments will be of average
difficulty and require you to apply technical concepts to patent examining.
You may perform advanced patent examining with supervision (e.g., evaluation
of special claim constructions, requirement of restrictions, recognition and
development of probable interferences, etc.). These advanced activities are
supported by close review.

Almost all of a patent examiner's work is performed using a computer and
requires careful and frequent visual tasks.

This is a Computer Science position. If this is not your area of expertise,
we have openings for patent examiner positions in disciplines such as:
- Electrical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Physics
Please search USAJOBS for "Patent Examiner" or consult our Careers Website
for further information.

Note: If you are a student who will be graduating soon, you can still apply!
Applications will be accepted from students who expect to complete their
qualifying education within 9 months from the date of application. The USPTO
requires verification of successful completion before your start date.



Requirements:
Conditions of Employment
Applicants must be United States Citizens or Nationals.
Your resume and question responses must demonstrate the job-related
competencies.
You must meet the definition of specialized experience.
Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov [1]).
If selected, you may be required to complete a one year probationary period.
You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this
announcement.
You must be suitable for Federal Employment.
Qualifications
You must meet the United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM)
qualification requirements (including specialized experience and/or
educational requirements) for the advertised position. You must meet the
following United States Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) qualification
requirements for the advertised position. OPM's prescribed Group Coverage
Qualification Standard for Patent Examiner Series, GS-1224, can be found at
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications…
[2]
Individual Occupational Requirements for the Computer Science Series can be
found at: Computer Science Series 1550 (opm.gov)

You must meet all eligibility and qualifications requirements by the closing
date of the job announcement.
BASIC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

To be considered for this position, you MUST have successfully completed a
full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to
a bachelor's or higher degree in computer science or a bachelor's degree with
30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer
science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have been any combination
of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral
calculus. All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited or
pre-accredited institutions.

Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental
concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an
introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of
system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable. Courses or
experience in teaching elementary, business or shop mathematics are not
acceptable.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work
done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and
other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual;
community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical
competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and
experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive
credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For documentation requirements, see REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.

GS-7: A) Superior Academic Achievement (SAA). This can be defined by one of
the following:

1) Class standing-Upper third of the graduating class in the college,
university, or major subdivision, such as the "School of Engineering and
Applied Science" or "College of Science and Technology" based on completed
courses.

2) Grade point average (GPA) as recorded on the final transcript-

i) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on the
official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as
computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the
curriculum; or

ii) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average
of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses
in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. The
GPA is rounded to one decimal place. (2.95 = 3.0 and 2.94 = 2.9). The final
transcript must cover the period being used to determine the GPA.

3) Honor Society membership--Election to membership in a national scholastic
honor society. Click here for a list of qualified honor societies.

B) Have at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-5
level in the Federal service interpreting and applying basic engineering
and/or scientific principles, theories, concepts and methodologies used in
the evaluation of technology; planning and conducting research; applying
appropriate references to the claimed invention, etc.

OR

C) Have at least one year of graduate level education from an accredited
college and/or university in the fields of study as described in the Basic
Qualification Requirements. If the number of credit hours representing one
year of full-time study cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours
will be considered an academic year of graduate study.

OR

D) Have less than the full amount of graduate education as described in "C"
above and less than the amount of experience described in "B" above, but have
a combination "B" and "C" above.

GS-9: A) Have at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the
GS-7 level in the Federal service interpreting and applying intermediate
engineering and/or scientific principles, theories, concepts and
methodologies used in the evaluation of technology; planning and conducting
research; applying appropriate references to the claimed invention, etc.

OR

B) Have at least two years of graduate level education leading to a master's
degree or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college and/or
university in the fields of study as described in the Basic Qualification
Requirements. If the number of credit hours representing one year of
full-time study cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will be
considered an academic year of graduate study.

OR

C) Have less than the full amount of graduate education as described in "B"
above and less than the amount of experience described in "A" above, but have
a combination of "A" and "B" above.

Education
If you are substituting education for experience, you must submit an
unofficial transcript or a list of courses that includes the following
information: name of accredited institution, grades earned, completion dates,
and quarter and semester hours earned.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet
the requirements. Please refer to
http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp [3] for
more information. You are not required to submit official documents at this
time; copies are sufficient.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: Qualifying education from
colleges and universities in foreign countries must be evaluated in terms of
equivalency to that acquired in U.S. colleges and universities. Applicants
educated in whole or in part in foreign countries must submit sufficient
evidence, including transcripts, to an accredited private organization for an
equivalency evaluation of course work and degree. A listing of these
accredited organizations can be found on the Department of Education's
website - US Department of Education. Another listing of services that can
perform this evaluation is available at the National Association of
Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website. You must provide a copy of
the letter containing the results of the equivalency evaluation with a course
by course listing along with your application. Failure to provide such
documentation when requested will result in lost consideration.

NOTE: Only education and experience acquired before the filing deadline will
be considered. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited
by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information
If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify
that you have registered with the Selective Service System. If you are exempt
from registration under Selective Service Law, you must provide appropriate
proof of exemption. Please visit the Selective Service System website for
more information.

This is a Bargaining Unit position and represented by Patent Office
Professional Association (POPA)

This is a Public Trust position and has a risk level designation of
"moderate".

Background Investigation - If selected for this position, you may be required
to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306), which includes a
fingerprint and credit check, to determine your suitability for Federal
employment and to authorize a background investigation.

The USPTO participates in E-Verify. For more information on E-Verify, please
visit the Department of Homeland Security Website.

All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by
direct deposit to a financial institution of their choice.

Relocation Expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.

CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is
determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the
position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100.
Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel
Management's Career Transition Resources website at: OPM CTAP/ICTAP.

CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the 'Required Documents'
section of this announcement.

More than one selection may be made from this announcement if additional
identical vacancies in the same title, series, grade, and unit occur within
90 days from the date the certificate was issued.

All application materials become the property of the United States Patent and
Trademark Office.

USPTO Job Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the
application and hiring process should request accommodation(s) from the USPTO
at http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation [4].

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an equal opportunity
employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex
(including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political
affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic
information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation,
parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors. If you believe
that you have been discriminated against and would like to file an EEO
complaint, you must do so within 45 days of the date of the alleged
discriminatory act. Claims of employment discrimination must be submitted to
the attention of the USPTO's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity &
Diversity via email (oeeod@uspto.gov [5]) or phone (571-272-8292).


[1] http://www.sss.gov
[2] 
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/1200/patent-examining-series-1224/
[3] http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp
[4] http://www.uspto.gov/accommodation
[5] mailto:oeeod@uspto.gov


Links to External Job Postings:
Title: Design Patent Examiner
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/686135400
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Physics)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/677835600
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Biology)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695205700
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Electrical Engineering)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/677830700
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Computer Engineering)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/677831600
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Biomedical Engineer)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/677832900
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Chemical Engineering)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/677834600
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Mechanical Engineering)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/692605600
---
Title: Patent Examiner (Chemistry)
URL: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695215700


Resume Information
------------------
Applicants should submit the following:: Resume, Cover Letter, Transcript, Other
Other: Schedule A letter
Majors Desired:: Computing, Engineering, Science
Degree levels accepted:: Bachelor, Graduate

Application Information
-----------------------
Apply online at:: https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/Results?g=7&g=8&g=9&hp=disability&k=UNITED%20STATES%20PATENT&p=1&gs=true&smin=46696&smax=74250