Checking for the USPTO DOCX conversion issues


The USPTO requires filing your new applications in DOCX.  During the e-filing process in Patent Center, you will submit the ADS form, the DOCX of the specification (i.e., one or more DOCX files containing the specification, claims, abstract) and drawings in PDF format. For each submitted DOCX document, the USPTO's DOCX engine will check the uploaded DOCX documents for many conversion issues related to improper document sections, fonts, formatting, and various stored metadata. Documents with such issues may be rejected until the identified problems are fixed.  ClaimMaster can check your documents for most of the same DOCX conversion issues that would be checked by the USPTO's DOCX engine during application upload, thus allowing you to avoid delays when filing your patent applications in DOCX format


For best outcomes for your patent application filings in DOCX, please see this best-practices for DOCX filings guide.


Getting Started

To identify various DOCX conversion issues in your document, click on the Individual Proofing Tools menu, then select Check Document for the USPTO DOCX Conversion Issues:



Feature Options


Once you select the feature above, ClaimMaster will check your Word documents for various conversion issues related to improper document sections, fonts, formatting, and various stored metadata.  



    1. Click on the "Re-check document" button to rerun all of the proofreading reports on the document.  This could be done, for example, after making edits to the document to correct the issues. Clicking this button will re-run the reports with the same options as originally selected.
    2. You can also quickly export the identified issued to HTML, PDF, or Word formats by clicking on any of the above buttons.  Clicking on these buttons will not re-run the proofreading check, so the report generation will be fast. 
    3. Shows various DOCX errors and warnings. Each DOCX report message is clickable. A full list of DOCX issues is available from the USPTO's DOCX site.
    4. This window provides explanations/suggestions for fixing the reported problems. In addition, any errors associated with the loaded scripts will be shown in this window. 
    5. Use this button to launch Word's Document Inspector that will allow you remove/modify hidden metadata and XML issues in your document.  Click here for more information on Document Inspector.
    6. Pressing this button removes either all or only ClaimMaster-specific bookmarks from the document.


For best outcomes for DOCX filings, please see this best-practices for DOCX filings guide.