An appellant in an ex parte appeal and the parties in an AIA trial may request an oral hearing to explain their position before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). An oral hearing gives the Board an opportunity to ask questions of the parties to aid the Board in deciding the case. An oral hearing may be held in a courtroom with a court reporter present to prepare a transcript of the proceeding.
Hearing schedule
To listen in on any particular oral hearing, please make a request via email to PTABHearings@uspto.gov at least three business days prior to the oral hearing date. Please include any requests for accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including captioning. The Board will respond to the request, and provide any connection information. Transcripts for each oral hearing will subsequently be entered into the record of the relevant proceeding, and be publicly available in P-TACTS for AIA Trials or in Patent Center, unless an exception applies.
NOTE: Due to last minute cancellations or no shows, there are no guarantees that a hearing on a particular proceeding will occur, although it may be posted.
Hearing guidance
- Hearings guide (June 2024)
Hearing locations
- USPTO Headquarters (Alexandria, Virginia)
Hearing rooms are located in Madison East, 9th floor - Southwest Regional Outreach Office (Dallas)
Hearing Room 155 - Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office (Denver)
Hearing Room 14-133 - Midwest Elijah J. McCoy Regional Outreach Office (Detroit)
Hearing Room 2139 - Western Regional Outreach Office (San Jose, California)
Hearing Room 322
Forms and samples
AIA trials
Appeals
- Request for oral hearing forms for appeals
Form PTO/AIA/32 (for applications filed on or after September 16, 2012) [PDF]
Form PTO/SB/32 (for applications filed before September 16, 2012) [PDF] - Notice of oral hearing forms
Notice of hearing for ex parte appeal [PDF]
Notice of hearing for ex parte reexamination appeal [PDF]
Notice of hearing for inter partes reexamination appeal [PDF]