To search for more than one term in the
same field, "coffee pots" in the patent titles or abstracts
field, enter (coffee and
pots).TIAB. in the text entry window. Note the use of the
Boolean operator AND and the set of parentheses. It is necessary to
include these when you are combining terms so that the system knows to
search for the terms in the same field. It is also possible to perform
this search using proximity operators.
If you are searching for an exact phrase, you can enclose the search
terms in quotation marks, "coffee
pots".TIAB., for example.
You will notice that the field codes are listed on the bottom half
of the search screen. When a searcher highlights a field, a brief
description and examples of the proper text entry format for that field
are given in the Description window. Once the user determines which
field to search, double-clicking the field name will automatically
insert the field code enclosed in periods into the search window.
The cursor will be placed inside of a set of parentheses to the left
of the field code in the window, prompting the user for input. (If you
choose to type the entire statement, it is not necessary to include
parentheses around the search term unless you are searching for more
than one term in the same field.) To automatically insert Boolean and
proximity operators into the search statement, you can click on the
operator buttons provided.
When you have completed constructing the search statement, click on
the Search button to send the search query for processing. When the
search engine has processed the query, the number of documents
retrieved is displayed in the Documents Found box near the bottom of
the screen. The query, as it was interpreted, is also displayed on the
search screen. Once you have an answer set, the Documents screen
becomes activated and you are able to begin looking at the documents
retrieved with your search. If no documents matched your search query,
a message will be displayed on the screen.
NEW Cassis USER INTERFACE TEST DISC TO
BE DISTRIBUTED FOR COMMENTS
A test disc published using Dataware II and demonstrating the
features of the new Cassis user interface will be distributed
soon. This disc contains a sampling of more than 150,000 records from
the Patents BIB database. Application number information from Patents
SNAP and the inventor information from the Patentee/Assignee file on
Patents ASSIST have been added to Patents BIB's search fields. These
fields have been combined to provide a more comprehensive patent
bibliographic record.
To accompany the test disc, a draft of the Cassis Installation and Reference Manual for Use with Dataware II will be
provided. The manual will include step-by-step instructions in using
the software as well as search examples with screen captures.
An on-line Help system will assist with the use of the software and
provides information specific to each disc.
Comments, questions, and
suggestions about the user interface are welcomed.
NEW USAMark DISCS PRODUCED AND
DISTRIBUTED
USAMark discs USM-102 through USM-122 were produced and distributed
in August. Disc USM-122 is current through trademark registration
number 2,242,299 issued 1999 April 27.
Future USAMark discs will be published as a disc is filled. It is
expected that this will occur approximately every four weeks.
Production and distribution are now on schedule.
A document delivery product using the DocD for Windows software,
USAMark offers facsimile images of trademark registration certificates
from 1870 through the most recent publication date, whether or not the
trademark is still in use. USAMark was first distributed in 1998.
Prices for the USAMark back file, 1870 through 1999 April 27 (122
discs) is $1180. Calendar year front file subscriptions are $200 per
year.
UPDATE ON USAPat BACK FILE ON DVD-ROM
Production on the USAPat DVD-ROM back file will start later this
year. Beginning with 1790 and working forward, the discs will be
distributed in sets of 50, as discs are filled. We anticipate there
being approximately 400 discs in the collection. A tentative price will
be announced in the next issue ofCassis Currents. Specific
information on how to order the collection will be provided as it is
available.
SPOTLIGHT ON ODPP STAFF - JEFF
ALDERSON
Jeff Alderson is one of the ODPP's three CD-ROM engineers and he is
currently responsible for the development and production of the Cassis CD-ROM document delivery products, USAPat and USAMark.
His background with computers, a long history with the ODPP, and an
enthusiastic personality all combine to make him an invaluable member
of the ODPP team.
Jeff began his career with the PTO in 1973, working as a Patent
Advisor in the Patent Search Room. In this capacity, he assisted
inventors with their preliminary patent research. Jeff joined the staff
of what is now the Office for Patent and Trademark Information in 1988.
Since the inception of the Cassis products, he has been a key
player in their design and support. Jeff has also received recognition
for the stellar way in which he has managed the deployments and
maintenance of the PTDL Cassis work stations throughout the
years. In addition, Jeff has been responsible for the collection of
PTDL Cassis usage statistics.
Jeff was born in Washington, D.C. and lives near Annapolis, MD,
where he can be found boating and fishing in his leisure time.
ENHANCEMENTS TO DocDW SOFTWARE
Enhancements continue to be made to the DocDW software. By 1999
October, the images will be published in the TIFF file format and the
DOS and 16-bit Windows software currently available on USAPat discs
will be replaced by 32-bit software. A disc containing samples of
documents in the new file format will be distributed in August.
In addition to these major changes, other recent improvements make
the interface more convenient for the user. These include the ability
to select multiple subsections for both printing and exporting, and a
fix that enables viewing the document in a full screen format.
CANADIAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE NOTICE
- CANADIAN PATENT DOCUMENTS TO BE PUBLISHED ON CD-ROM
Canadian patents and laid-open applications have been available at
no charge from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) Web
site at http://patents1.ic.gc.ca/ since November 1998. CIPO also plans
to start publishing Canadian patent documents on CD-ROM sometime
between September and November 1999.
The CD-ROMs will be produced weekly using the MIMOSA CD-ROM software
under two new titles:
- Canadian Laid-open Applications (2 CD-ROMs/week), and
- Canadian Granted Patents (1 CD-ROM/week).
The annual subscription price is anticipated to be in the range of
CAN$1 500 for laid-open applications and CAN$1 200 for granted patents.
CIPO is also considering the production of a number of other
CD-ROM/DVD products over the next two years. If your business would be
interested in more information or in purchasing any of these products,
please visit CIPO's Web site
(http://cipo.gc.ca/cdrom-e), complete the survey and simply return
it on-line.
Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Place du Portage I
50 Victoria Street
Hull, Quebec K1A 0C9
CANADA
For questions or comments please contact:
Phil Fortier
E-mail: Fortier.phil@ic.gc.ca
Phone: 819-994-4928
Fax: 819-953-7620
TEST YOUR Cassis KNOWLEDGE
The look of the Cassis discs changed from the silver and red,
white, and blue color scheme to a more exotic look in 1996. You've
probably noticed that the patent discs are blue, trademark discs are
green, and the USAMark and USAPat discs have bright splashes of many
colors. But did you know that each disc has a unique background?
To see if you've been paying attention over the years, the
backgrounds from two "mystery discs" are pictured below. Do
you know which two discs these are? If you do, please e-mail your answers to
Cassis@uspto.gov. The first person to send in the correct answers
will have his name published in the next issue of Cassis
Currents.
 |
|
 |
| Mystery Disc A |
|
Mystery Disc B |
=online
business system 
=fees 
=forms
=help 
=laws/regulations 