FAQ - Mailbox
Questions
General
- What is the Mailbox?
- Who can have a Mailbox?
- How does it work?
- How can we start using our company Mailbox?
Usage
- Who can use the Mailbox and who can receive communications?
- Can mail items be forwarded from the Mailbox?
- Can I reply to the EPO from the Mailbox?
- Which communications can currently be received via the Mailbox?
- Which communications cannot be received by the Mailbox?
- Our company consists of several legal entities. Can we have more than one Mailbox?
- If I choose to receive my mail in electronic form, will I still get a paper copy as well?
- Is it possible to recover mail from trash in the Mailbox?
Troubleshooting
- I cannot view the PDF documents listed in the Mailbox folders. Is this something to do with my browser?
- I cannot find the Mailbox tab. What should I do?
Answers
General
What is the Mailbox?
The Mailbox is a single point of delivery for electronic communications from the EPO. It is a company-based service, which means that items sent to a company's Mailbox are not delivered direct to individuals within the company. Anyone in the company who has a smart card can access the Mailbox.
Who can have a Mailbox?
A Mailbox is created when a new user enrols for a smart card. The Mailbox is associated with the company name given by the user on the smart card enrolment form. It belongs to the company and not the person.
How does it work?
With the My.epoline Mailbox you have access to an inbox where you can receive mail items with links to PDF versions of communications from the EPO. The mail items are addressed to professional representatives registered with the EPO or to so-called associations of representatives. At the moment it is not possible to reply to the EPO using the My.epoline Mailbox.
How can we start using our company Mailbox?
To use the Mailbox you need a smart card. Your company administrator must then give you access to the Mailbox, and one or more associates must be defined and approved by the EPO. These associates must then be activated as mail recipients by the administrator.
The sequence of events is as follows:
- Administrator activates the Mailbox and adds associates
- Status of associates is checked by the EPO
- Administrator activates associates (provided status is resolved) and authorises selected smart card holder(s) to access the Mailbox
- How to become an administrator
Usage
Who can use the Mailbox and who can receive communications?
Anyone who has a smart card (i.e. a user) and who has been given access by their company administrator can access the company Mailbox and read all communications. Associates (i.e. professional representatives) can "receive" communications. That is, communications addressed to them are sent via the Mailbox.
Can mail items be forwarded from the Mailbox?
No, you cannot forward items from the Mailbox. If you wish to forward an item, you must download it to your own computer and send it as an attachment using your own mail system, or place it on a shared drive.
Can I reply to the EPO from the Mailbox?
No, you cannot reply to the EPO via the Mailbox. The current version of the Mailbox allows only one-way communication, from the EPO to the user.
Which communications can currently be received via the Mailbox?
| Form No. | Description of form |
|---|---|
|
1133 |
Information re forthcoming publication |
|
1160 |
Notice re Article 86(1) and Rule 51(3) EPC – renewal fee, divisional |
|
1176 |
Notice re Articles 76(1) and 86(1) and Rule 51(3) EPC – renewal fee, divisional |
|
1185 |
Fee refund |
|
1186 |
Fee refund |
|
1201-1 |
Information re entry into regional phase |
|
1203 |
Information re forthcoming publication |
|
1219 |
Information re forthcoming publication - bibliographic data |
|
1225 |
Notice re Article 86(1) EPC and Article 2 No. 5 RFees – late payment, renewal fee |
|
2057 |
Communication re expiry of time limit for opposition |
|
2522 |
Notice re Rule 51(2) EPC and Article 2 No. 5 RFees – late payment, renewal fee |
|
2907 |
Fee refund |
Which communications cannot be received by the Mailbox?
The following types of communication currently cannot be sent to the Mailbox:
- registered mail items
- search reports
- communications from the examiner
These communications will continue to be sent by post until further notice.
Our company consists of several legal entities. Can we have more than one Mailbox?
Each Mailbox is defined by its company name. If your company has several legal entities within the same country or in different countries, you can ensure that you have more than one Mailbox by indicating different company names on individual smart card enrolment forms, e.g. "EPO The Hague", "EPO Munich", "EPO Berlin" and "EPO Vienna".
If I choose to receive my mail in electronic form, will I still get a paper copy as well?
No. Once your administrator has activated your company Mailbox and authorised your access to it, you will be sent electronic communications instead of paper. Once an item of electronic mail has been received, it is not sent by post.
Is it possible to recover mail from trash in the Mailbox?
The administrator can choose to set the trash to be emptied once a day, once a week, once every four weeks, or once every twelve weeks. Thus, depending on the setting chosen you can recover communications from trash for up to a maximum of twelve weeks.
Troubleshooting
I cannot view the PDF documents listed in the Mailbox folders. Is this something to do with my browser?
My.epoline products have been tested for use with all commonly used browsers, but you should ensure that popup windows from www.epoline.org are not blocked (note: some browsers block pop-ups by default when they are installed).
I cannot find the Mailbox tab. What should I do?
The Mailbox can only be accessed if you have a smart card. Are you logged in with a smart card? If you are, your company administrator needs to give you access rights using the administration function within My.epoline.
- How to give other users access rights.