Cassis Currents NO. 5
October 1999

STATUS OF THE FUTURE Cassis PRODUCTS

During the past few months, major product development issues have been resolved and problems that were encountered with the building of databases and indexes have been corrected. Navigation features on the Documents display screen have been greatly improved. Specific documents can be selected for saving or printing and it is now possible to print or save single, multiple, or all records retrieved in a search.

It was also determined that it would be helpful to add a simple search screen for the novice user. This led to the creation of a third search screen option, the Query Short Form. This screen is highlighted in the following article and pictured in Figure 1. Work is continuing on an improved installation package and styling issues as well as other behind-the-scenes production issues.

We anticipate having a test disc ready for your evaluation by the end of 1999 November. The actual product migration will follow after an evaluation of the test disc has been completed.

Figure 1

NEW Cassis USER INTERFACE - THE QUERY SHORT FORM SEARCH SCREEN

The Query Short Form, a third search screen, has been added to the new Cassis user interface. Displayed above in Figure 1, this search screen walks the novice user through the steps involved in submitting a search. This option is very similar to the Boolean Search on the PTO Web site databases.

The past two Cassis Currents issues have featured the other two search screen options, the Query Command and Query Form. The Query Command is the search option for the experienced user to develop complex Boolean search statements. The Query Form provides an easy-to-use form with ten drop-down lists of fields and text entry boxes for search terms. The Query Form most resembles the current Cassis products. As a variation on the Query Form, the Query Short Form offers just two text entry boxes for search terms and field selections. The user is provided with numbered steps to follow in submitting a search query.

First the user selects the appropriate search field from a drop-down list. Examples of fields in a patent document include patent number, inventor name, classification, or terms in the title or abstract. Trademark search fields would include word mark, registration number, class, or owner name.

Next the user enters the search term(s). Multiple search terms in the same field can be entered in the same text entry box. If the user is searching for information in only one field, the query is now ready to be sent to the search engine.

To search for additional search terms in the same or a different field, the user selects the Boolean or proximity operator from the drop-down list.

Then the user selects the second field to be searched and enters the second search term(s) in the text entry box provided.

When the search has been processed by the search engine, the number of answers retrieved is displayed on the screen. If search terms were entered on more than one line, a separate number of hits is displayed for each line, as well as a total for the entire search. The search query, as it was interpreted by the engine, is also displayed. As with the Query Command and Query Form, the search results can be displayed by clicking on the Documents tab.

USAPat PRODUCTION NOW UP-TO-DATE

The discs for weeks 32 through 40 have been mailed and USAPat production is now up-to-date. Please verify that all of these issues have been received and that all discs are functioning properly. If you find that you are missing issues or you are having problems running USAPat, please contact us.

USAPat TO MIGRATE TO DVD-ROM IN JANUARY

Beginning with 2000 January issues, USAPat will be the first Cassis CD-ROM product to migrate to DVD-ROM. CD-ROM production will cease at that time. The migration from CD-ROM to DVD-ROM will reduce the average number of weekly discs from 5 to 1. The DVD discs will be single-sided, dual-layered.

USAPat on DVD-ROM is sold as a calendar-year subscription. Although CD-ROM will no longer be produced, calendar-year back files for 1994 through 1999 on CD-ROM are still available.

Please contact ODPP for the annual subscription price on DVD-ROM. Calendar-year back files are $2400 per year.

UPDATED TRADEMARKS ASSIST DISC PUBLISHED

An updated Trademarks ASSIST disc was published and distributed in September. This disc contains the searchable full text of several trademark search tools including the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP), the Goods and Services Manual, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Manual of Procedure. The Trademark Statute and Rules, including the Trademark Act of 1946 and the Rules of Practice, are also provided.

Trademarks ASSIST is published on an irregular basis as tools are updated. The previous issue was published in 1997 October. The price of a one-time purchase is $50. For more information, please contact ODPP.

USAPat BACK FILE PRODUCTION BEGINS

Preparations are underway for the production of the USAPat back file on DVD-ROM. The contract for the work has been awarded and image formatting and DLT tape production are being tested.

Over the next two to three years, the ODPP will publish facsimile images of the full text and drawings of all U.S. patents issued from 1790 through 1999. Production will begin with 1790 and work forward. The collection will include all utility, design, reissue and reexamined patents, statutory invention registrations (SIRs), and certificates of correction.

The migration to DVD-ROM from CD-ROM will make it possible for the collection to fit on an estimated 400 discs. As discs are filled, the collection will be distributed in sets of 50. The first set is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2000.

The back file is available as a complete set only. Please contact ODPP for more information.

Cassis QUIZ RESULTS

In the last issue of Cassis Currents, readers were asked to identify the backgrounds of two Cassis "mystery discs." Eileen Pernicone, the PTDL Representative from the Broward County Library in Fort Lauderdale, FL was the first to correctly identify the discs. Mystery Disc A was USAPat and Mystery Disc B was Patents BIB. Good work, Eileen!

With the migration to DVD-ROM, USAPat will again change its look. To see the future of USAPat discs, see Figure 2.

Figure 2

CD-ROM/DVD-ROM MASTERING CONTRACTS AWARDED

Two mastering contracts were recently awarded, one to begin DVD-ROM production for USAPat, and one to first continue CD-ROM production, then migrate to DVD-ROM for the other Cassis products.

Zomax, a company located in Silicon Valley, was awarded the contract for USAPat on DVD-ROM. This contract covers both current production and the back file collection.

IPC Communication Services in Foothill Ranch, CA has been awarded the contract for the CD-ROM production of the current searchable Cassis products. IPC will also continue the mastering after the products migrate to DVD-ROM.

SPOTLIGHT ON ODPP STAFF - ED VOCKE

Ed Vocke is one of ODPP's three CD-ROM engineers. Ed joined the staff in 1998 January and has been responsible for the production of the searchable Cassis discs since that time. In addition to the current Cassis products, Ed has been coordinating the development of the new Cassis interface. The development team of Srinivasa Peyyalamitta, Ed, Donna Cooper, and Tom Tiedeman is pictured below.

Figure 3

He also maintains the servers used for ODPP products and is assisting with the DLT tape production for the USAPat back file project. One of Ed's most valuable roles is being our own "Mr. Peabody," answering the OPTI staff's daily computer questions.

Ed has been with the PTO since 1994 and much of his time was spent in network support. Prior to the PTO, he worked for the IRS, Social Security, and maintained the War Games Simulator at the Armed Forces Staff College. While at the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Education Programs, he conducted computer training and support at many of the Indian schools throughout the country.

Born in Germany, Ed came to the U.S. when he was seven. He has lived in ten states including Alaska, Alabama, and California. Ed enjoys working with computers, scuba diving, and hunting for treasures at yard sales in his spare time.

NOTE TO OUR CUSTOMERS IN JAPAN

If you have sent e-mail to us in ODPP and not received a reply, it could be that we have not been able to read your message. We have received several messages from Japanese sources which include characters that our computers are unable to display. When sending messages to us, please be sure to use standard one-byte ASCII characters, not two-byte characters. If you still do not get a response from us, please send your messages via fax or mail.

Thank you.

Cassis SEARCH TIP - BOOLEAN AND PROXIMITY OPERATORS

Boolean and proximity operators establish a relationship between the terms in a search statement. These operators are generally considered more effective when searching a full text database, however, their use can have an impact when searching bibliographic databases, as well. The operator that you select will impact your search results by either reducing or increasing the number of hits.

If you are searching for more than one term using the searchable Cassis products, an operator is necessary in the search statement. If you do not include an operator, the system will default to the Boolean "And" operator. "And" will retrieve documents containing all of the terms.

To retrieve documents with any of the terms, but not necessarily all of them, you should use the "Or" operator, typing "or" between the search terms. "And" will reduce the number of documents retrieved in your search, while "Or" will increase the number.

Proximity operators allow you to search for terms based on their proximity to each other. The current Cassis products offer two proximity operators, "Adj" and "Near." Numbers can be used in conjunction with these operators to represent the number of words that can appear between the terms.

"Adj" (for adjacent) is used to indicate that the terms must appear next to each other in the order specified. This is the most restrictive operator and will retrieve the least number of hits.

"Near" indicates that the terms appear next to each other but in either order. You will retrieve a larger number of hits using "Near."

Below are examples of 6 search statements, and their hit counts**, using the various operators and "coffee" and a truncated "roast*" as search terms:

coffee and roast* 136
coffee or roast* 2249
coffee adj roast* 36
coffee adj3 roast* 56
coffee near roast* 79
coffee near3 roast* 127

** from the 1999 August Patents BIB disc

The new Cassis products will offer the "With" proximity operator, in addition to "Adj" and "Near." This indicates that the terms must appear in the same sentence but in either order.