#OpUsa #Anonymous

                                         AntiRules
                                      <https://www.uspto.gov/>
                                       Emails leaked




From:	Larry Westrum <ljwestrum@hotmail.com>
Sent:	Thursday, September 04, 2014 6:33 PM
To:	Information Collection; USPTO Info; Larry Westrum
Subject:	0651-New comment

Sir or Madam,

I wish to comment on a serious burden that could be partially ameliorated in the field of
chemical patents. The task of searching the entire body of chemically related patents is made
burdensome by the lack of universal chemical substance identifiers in the body of a given patent.
Chemical substances are identified ordinarily by a structure graphic, a name, or a line formula.
Unfortunately, a graphic structural formula is not currently searchable by any method now
available. Chemical names are subject to wide variations in spelling and syntax rendering
character string searches highly unreliable.  And line formulas are not specific enough to
unambiguously identify a unique chemical substance.

Currently, chemical substances in the patent literature are captured by Chemical Abstracts
Services (CAS) in Columbus, Ohio. While this is useful, each patent has to be manually
abstracted and substances captured in the database. This service, however, carries a substantial
pay wall and presents a searcher with a very expensive barrier for patent searching. A search
through CAS can easily run into many hundreds of dollars.

In the interest of making patent searching more efficient and therefore reducing the paperwork
burden to the public, I would propose that patent applicants be required to disclose both claimed
substances and Markush substances cited in the description in a manner that renders the content
more searchable with currently available and unambiguous identifiers. This could be
accomplished through the use of internationally recognized identifiers such as the Chemical
Abstracts Registration Number, CASRN, and/or through the use of the International Chemical
Identifier, or InChI, or it's derivative, the InChIKey

The proposed change would serve the public in two important ways: 1) reduce the time spent in
chemical patent searching, and 2) assure the unambiguous disclosure of the identity of chemical
substances claimed by the patent. The state of the art in modern cheminformatics has rendered
this proposal extremely feasible and I believe it deserves the attention of the USPTO.

I'm sure there are questions on this topic. I am available for further information and explanation.

Kindest regards,

Larry J. Westrum, Ph.D.
Berthoud, Colorado 80513