USAPat Subscriber Notice

We are pleased to provide you with the fourth set of USAPat back file discs. These 50 DVD-ROM discs hold the facsimile images of the full text and drawings of U.S. patents from 1958 through 1970. You will receive sets of 50-discs, approximately every 4 months, until the entire back file through 1999 has been filled in. The projected date for the final set of discs is 2002 September.

The cumulative index for USAPat has been merged to include both the back file disc information as well as the current disc information. This merged index will be placed on issue USP2001W18, which you should have received prior to this back file shipment. It is not necessary for you to install any of the back file discs when they arrive.

Please be aware that because of this merge, the cumulative index has grown to over 103 megabytes. You will notice that it now takes more than a minute to copy the index to your hard drive.

The cumulative index is in chronological order, so older patent numbers will be listed at the beginning of the index. As each set of 50 back file discs is published, the cumulative index will have patent numbers at the beginning that correspond to the completed sets of discs and then it will jump to the end for the patent numbers contained on the discs from 1994 - date. Eventually, the index will fill in as the back file is completed.

Note that document numbers beginning with an alpha character, "X" patents, for example, will be at the end of the index. To jump to these numbers, begin typing the letter and the index will automatically move to that place in the index.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

2001 May 14