Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

The USPTO uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology to support electronic commerce between the USPTO and its customers. In order to access secure online systems offered by the USPTO for transactions such as electronic filing of patent applications and retrieving confidential patent application information, customers must first obtain a digital certificate. The public uses this collection to request a new digital certificate, the revocation of a current certificate, or the recovery of a lost certificate. This collection includes the Certificate Action Form (PTO-2042), which is provided by the USPTO to ensure that customers submit the necessary information for processing certificate requests. The accompanying subscriber agreement explains the regulations governing the use of the digital certificates and the software that creates and validates the encryption keys.

The latest form for Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) expires 2021-06-30 and can be found here.