The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) updated its service status page on 3 November: since its previous update on 29 October, some customers using the Apply for a patent service have been stuck on a blue screen reading "Your documents are being prepared for submission" when trying to review and submit a request. The office says it is investigating and working on a fix.
Eight-hour outage on 7 November
The UKIPO has also announced that on Saturday 7 November, from 09:00 to 17:00 UK time, customers will be unable to file patent applications or check deposit-account balances.
Trade mark and design applications can continue, but filing receipts will not be issued immediately and will be processed once the system is restored. All other IT systems will remain available.
If the screen hangs
The office advises customers who see the "being prepared for submission" screen to save their request as a draft where possible and return to it about 30 minutes later, which typically resolves the problem. Other issues can be reported through the email address or phone number listed on the status page.
J&C recommends not leaving UK patent filings with approaching deadlines to the last day or two, and avoiding the 7 November window altogether. Check each filing against its filing receipt: a saved draft is not a submitted application. The notice does not extend any deadline and does not offer an alternative filing route during the outage.
Source: www.gov.uk
