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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Information Products Division

Data Dissemination

Trademark Daily XML Migration

July 3, 2003

Trademark Daily XML Files - Weekly Status Report

There were 3 new inquiries since the last Weekly Status Report of June 27, 2003. Reference New Inquiries below.

Inquiries can be made to: Ed Johnson at Ed.Johnson@uspto.gov - (703) 306-2621 or Marva Dubar at Marva.Dubar@uspto.gov - (703) 305-1669 or sent to OEIP@uspto.gov.

The following is a status update on outstanding items and new inquiries.

Inquiries that were previously considered outstanding and have been resolved will have the resolution in black and bold.

Any inquiries that require additional research and/or response are considered outstanding items and will appear in red and italicized.
~~~

Outstanding Items:

Inquiry - 5/23/2003

Problems exist over the use of the 'Section Sign' character inside the TTAB xml dated May 15, 2003. I did an UNIX command "od -hc" to dump the contents of the file so I could see what you are sending it as (247) which is causing the SAX parser to error. I think the character should be &#167.

The use of an entity declaration standard is being investigated.
~~~

Inquiry 6/04/2003

Documentation

Our review of the "Trademark Trial and Appeal Board XML DTD Element Mapping Documentation [v .8]" (the most recent version that we are aware of) has found the following problems:

XML Elements - At least four elements that are included in the DTD and in the files that we have received -- <code-type>, <data-available-code>, <day-in-location>, and <int-attorney-number> are not listed as XML Elements and are completely excluded from this document.

TWTF Elements - Despite the use of the word "mapping" in the title, there is none. Most of the items/terminology in the "TWTF Elements" bear no relation to the TWTF document whatsoever. The TWTF includes none of the following terms or equivalent data elements or many others -- Proceeding Information, Proceeding Entry, Proceeding Type, Role, or Country. What appears in the second column of that document is merely an explanation of the XML tag.

Descriptions -- This column contains the only explanatory information in the document. Unhappily much of it is incorrect or incomplete, making it generally unreliable.

· <status-text> is described as the literal that corresponds to the <status-code>. It is, in fact, nothing of the sort, but rather a variety of notes and notations like the following:

A IS 124817
ADDRESS NOT CHANGED; NEED REV & P/A
cl 9, 45, 41, 35
CONSOL W/91125739 & 91152596. NOT PARENT.
EXHIBIT IS ATTACHED TO THIS PAPER AS EXHIBIT A.
EXHIBITS
GRANTED UNTIL 01/26/03
HOLD 30
KL
PARENT
PLEASE PREPARE COMMISSIONER'S ORDER
READY FOR FINAL DECISION
SERVICE BY PUB

· The stated maximum length of data bears no resemblance to the data that actually appears. For example <name> data that is described as "250 position" field is truncated at 40 characters.
· The <country> codes in use are not the 2 position WIPO Standard ST.3 codes that were previously furnished us, but the 3 position FIPS codes that have always been used in the TWTF.
· The definition for <orgname> includes two elements (appearing below in bold type) that simply do not exist.
· Organization and orgname are overflow fields for the Party Name. Instead of saying Party Name Line 1, Party Name Line 2 and Party Name Line 3, we use Name, Company, and Organization to help our users divide/organize party names the (sic) are extremely long.

The documentation for TTAB is being properly updated and will also include the proper mapping back to the TWTF process.
~~~

Inquiry - 6/05/2003

We have been analyzing the most recent set of daily XML files, and have found the following problem in address field mapping. From initial observations, it seems to be consistent for all Assignees when both the Address-1 and the Address-2 fields have values.

Please investigate :

After analyzing the most recent Trademark Daily XML Assignment DTD related data files, we have some issues with the way the ADDR-1 field and the ADDR-2 field, which are both located in the TWTF ASGN record, are being mapped to their appropriate fields located in the <assignee> (assignees) tag.

We understand that the content of the ADDR-1 field should be mapped to the <address-1> field (which is part of the <assignee> field), while the content of the ADDR-2 field should be mapped to the <address-2> field (which is also part of the <assignee> field). But this does not seem to be the case when both the ADDR-1 and the ADDR-2 fields have values. When both of these fields have values, it looks like the ADDR-1 field is being incorrectly mapped to the <address-2> field, while ADDR-2 field is being incorrectly mapped to the <address-1> field. Here are some examples of this issue:

a. For the Assignment record where the Reel Number is 2658 and the Frame Number is 0663, which can be found in Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, there is one assignee related ASGN record. Here are the values of the ADDR-1 field and the ADDR-2 field for this ASGN record where the NAME-1 field is equal to "EMRYS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.":
Field Value
ADDR-1 SUITE 350
ADDR-2 100 N. CENTRAL EXPY.
For the ASGN record described above, the value of the ADDR-1 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-2> field (which is part of the <assignee> field), while the value of the ADDR-2 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-1> field (which is also part of the <assignee> field). This was verified in the Assignment data file called AS030529.xml that contains the most up-to-date version of this Assignment record (which appeared in last Tuesday's TWTF file).

b. For the Assignment record where the Reel Number is 2658 and the Frame
Number is 0731, which can be found in Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, there
is one assignee related ASGN record. Here are the values of the ADDR-1
field and the ADDR-2 field for this ASGN record where the NAME-1 field is
equal to "FOSTER PRODUCTS CORPORATION":
Field Value
ADDR-1 WLB LAW - TRADEMARKS
ADDR-2 1200 WILLOW LAKE BOULEVARD
For the ASGN record described above, the value of the ADDR-1 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-2> field (which is part of the <assignee> field), while the value of the ADDR-2 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-1> field (which is also part of the <assignee> field). This was verified in the Assignment data file called AS030529.xml that contains the most up-to-date version of this Assignment record (which appeared in last Tuesday's TWTF file).

c. For the Assignment record where the Reel Number is 2659 and the Frame Number is 0007, which can be found in Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, there is one assignee related ASGN record. Here are the values of the ADDR-1 field and the ADDR-2 field for this ASGN record where the NAME-1 field is equal to "IMAGEWEAR APPAREL CORP.":
Field Value
ADDR-1 3411 SILVERSIDE ROAD
ADDR-2 201 BAYNARD BUILDING
For the ASGN record described above, the value of the ADDR-1 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-2> field (which is part of the <assignee> field), while the value of the ADDR-2 field was incorrectly mapped to the <address-1> field (which is also part of the <assignee> field). This was verified in the Assignment data file called AS030529.xml that contains the most up-to-date version of this Assignment record (which appeared in last Tuesday's TWTF file).

The current address tags in the daily file are being populated with data exactly as filed by the applicant. Please reference New Inquiries: Inquiry - 6/27/2003.
~~~

Inquiry 6/05/2003

The Trademark Daily XML Process Documentation for Trademark Assignments XML DTD points to the old version (0.1) and not the current (0.2) version.

The Trademark Assignments XML Documentation to be updated with the correct Assignments DTD version number.
~~~

Inquiry – 6/06/2003

In reviewing the country codes for each of the 3 XML files and discovered the following

*Trademark-Applications XML

Uses 3 digit code from TWTF file

*Trademark-Assignments XML

Uses no codes at all, they expand all codes (Spelling out countries)

*Trademark-Proceedings XML

Uses officially designated country as prescribed by the World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO) Standard ST.3

This difference has been presented to management and a decision to adhere to the WIPO Standard ST. 3 should be implemented with the Madrid Protocol.
~~~

Inquiry - 6/09/2003

After analyzing the most recent Trademark Daily XML TTAB DTD related data files, we found the following issues:

1. The <filing-date> field (which is part of the <proceeding-entry> tag) does not always have the correct value. Here are some examples of this issue:

a. For the Proceeding Number 92042024, which can be found in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, the value of the DT-FIL field (which is located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "20030310". In the TTAB data file called TT030529.xml, which contains the most up-to-date version of this TTAB Proceeding, the value of the <filing-date> field is "20030529". This is incorrect since this Proceeding was filed on March 10th, 2003.

b. For the Proceeding Number 92042025, which can be found in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, the value of the DT-FIL field (which is located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "20030430". In the TTAB data file called TT030529.xml, which contains the most up-to-date version of this TTAB Proceeding, the value of the <filing-date> field is "20030529". This is incorrect since this Proceeding was filed on April 30th, 2003.

c. For the Proceeding Number 92042026, which can be found in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, the value of the DT-FIL field (which is located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "20030424". In the TTAB data file called TT030529.xml, which contains the most up-to-date version of this TTAB Proceeding, the value of the <filing-date> field is "20030529". This is incorrect since this Proceeding was filed on April 24th, 2003.

This was reported in the 6/27/2003 Status Report as being corrected. A correction is planned.

2. The <status-update-date> field (which is part of the <proceeding-entry> tag) does not always have the most up-to-date value after the value of the <status-code> field (which is also part of the <proceeding-entry> tag) changes. Here are some examples of this issue:

a. For the Proceeding Number 91154190, which can be found in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, the value of the DT-STAT field (which is located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "20030529" and the value of the STAT field (which is also located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "9" (Terminated). In the TTAB data file called TT030528.xml, the value of the <status-update-date> field is "20030103" and the value of the <status-code> field is "2" (Pending) for this TTAB Proceeding. In the TTAB data file called TT030529.xml, which contains the most up-to-date version of this TTAB Proceeding, the value of the <status-code> field is changed to "9" (Terminated), but the value of the <status-update-date> field remains the same ("20030103") for some reason. Instead, this field should have the value "20030529" just like in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file.

b. For the Proceeding Number 91154593, which can be found in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file, the value of the DT-STAT field (which is located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "20030529" and the value of the STAT field (which is also located in the TWTF TTAB record) is "9" (Terminated). In the TTAB data file called TT030528.xml, the value of the <status-update-date> field is "20030122" and the value of the <status-code> field is "2" (Pending) for this TTAB Proceeding. In the TTAB data file called TT030529.xml, which contains the most up-to-date version of this TTAB Proceeding, the value of the <status-code> field is changed to "9" (Terminated), but the value of the <status-update-date> field remains the same ("20030122") for some reason. Instead, this field should have the value "20030529" just like in last Tuesday's (June 3) TWTF file.

The value of the <status-update-date> is in error and a correction is planned.
~~~

Inquiry – 6/20/2003

The following analysis was conducted by our Database Maintenance staff. It's conclusion, that updates have been made that are reflected on TARR but were never included as updates on the weekly tapes is disturbing. Please respond as to how this discrepancy came to pass, and if possible, some estimate of how frequently this may occur:

We recently ran across a case of a Federal trademark record that contained affidavit information (viewable on TARR) that was not present in our record. Upon analysis, it was determined that the information on filing of said affidavit was never supplied to us on our weekly tape. The record in question was registration 2139349. When viewed in TARR, the record indicates that a Section 8 and 15 has been filed. Our record does not contain such an indication.

Normally, these filings are indicated via flags in the TWTF GENX record . The flags in question (FS8F and FS15F) should indicate T when a filing has occurred. Indications are that although the Sec. 8 & 15 were filed in March, we have not received a record update from the PTO for this record since February of 1998, when the status was changed to Renewed. In the prosecution history in TARR, the filing is indicated (2003-03-20) We have inferred from this discrepancy that not every entry in the PTO's record 'prosecution history' is recorded in our data.

For purposes of equivalency between TARR/PTO data and our current data, it is important for us to ascertain why this filing didn't trigger a record update in TWTF. Is there a reason why we didn't receive this filing?

This inquiry is being investigated.

New Inquiries:

Inquiry - 6/27/2003

A question concerning the closure of the Addr-1/Addr-2 inquiry (6/5) as "The current address tags in the daily file are being populated with data exactly as filed by the applicant"; a comparison and of the examples cited were between the daily files and the relevant weekly file. So if the daily files are correct, that would mean the weekly files are incorrect. Is that the case? Or was a change made between 6/5 and now to correct the problem?

The weekly TWTF file is not in error if one looks at the weekly TWTF documentation, the ASGN record type states that addr1 contains the internal address. The TDXF daily XML assignment documentation posted on the web site states that addr1 "usually" contains internal address. The TDXF daily XML assignment mapping document is incorrect in that the addr1 is more than likely the street address. Variations in the way the address has been captured in the various data entry systems used by assignments was based on requirements of the US Postal Service (USPS) at that time. Years ago, the USPS wanted internal address to precede street address, the understanding is this is no longer true, now they want to see the street first followed by any internal address information. The TDXF daily XML assignment documentation will be updated accordingly.
~~~

Inquiry - 7/1/2003

Beginning with last week's TWTF (wt030624.txt) file, records are present with unspecified entity codes. The weekly TWTF file for 7/1/2003 arrived with about twice as many records with invalid entity codes as the previous week, therefore we are concerned. When viewing these records on TARR, the Legal Entity Type field reads 'LEGAL ENTITY TYPE NOT FOUND'.

Valid Entity Codes are 1-16, 98(unknown), 99(free text).

The following specifies the records with invalid entity codes on the 7/1/2003 TWTF file (wt030701.txt).

SN Party Type Entity Code
1. 78118388 10 19
2. 75113227 40 18
3. 78200458 10 17
4. 76520785 10 19
5. 74232750 40 17
6. 76520786 10 19
7. 73347133 41 17
8. 78199295 10 19
9. 78162712 10 19
10. 76520783 10 19
11. 76520784 10 19
12. 76520789 10 19
13. 78201637 10 17
14. 78201645 10 17
15. 76520788 10 19
16. 78201206 10 19

The following three new codes were added to the Entity Code list without informing all parties. The Trademark Application Daily Documentation will be updated accordingly.

Trademark-Applications-v0.6-xml-dtd-elements.doc

17 -- Trust
18 -- Estate
19 -- Sole Proprietorship
~~~

Inquiry - 7/2/2003

In an email dated May 21, 2003 'TRADEMARK DAILY XML MAY 20, 2003 ANNOUNCEMENT' an issue was raised and answered about TTAB proceeding-address fields. The answer supplied by the PTO states that the address-information contained currently in the TWTF/PARC Correspondent Information would populate the address-information (proceeding-address).

So to clarify what this means is we will no longer receive address information for particular owners within the TTAB action. This seems like we may be taking a step backwards with the XML feed. Using Proceeding Number 92042153 which is included in the weekly TWTF of July 1 2003 and the daily file of tt030624 as an example:

In the TWTF full address information including the Correspondent for both parties included in this action.

In the daily XML file we only receive the (party) name and orgname for role-code = D (where the orgname is overflow of the name) and the address-information of the type-code = C. Also for (party) name for role-code = P and the address-information for type-code = C.

With XML we are loosing the address information of the specific parties involved.

This is indeed how it was stated that it would be, but we just wanted to point out that the TWTF contains more data elements which are being lost with the XML feeds.

This inquiry will be further investigated.

If you have any questions or need additional information please contact one of the following individuals:

Ed Johnson                                                                            Marva Dubar

Information Products Division                                            Information Dissemination

Office of Electronic Information Products                      Systems Division

(703) 306-2621                                                                     (703) 305-1669

(703) 306-2737 Fax                                                             (703) 308-5164 Fax

Ed.Johnson@uspto.gov                                                       Marva.Dubar@uspto.gov


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