Annex F


Florence
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:21 am
Location: France

Annex F

Post by Florence » Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:03 pm

In PCT form, we often received now the following error message with a Yellow light saying :

At least one of the attached PDF files is not Annex F compliant....

We did not change our way to enter PDF file or to save them, we file anyway because it is only a yellow light :roll: but would like to understand more ..

Nice day
Flo


helen.jordan
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 4:47 pm
Location: Farnborough, Hants, GB

Annex F compliance

Post by helen.jordan » Wed Jun 21, 2006 11:23 am

We have also had problems with the Annex F Message, it appears that Adobe Acrobat v6.0 and above use PDF version 1.5 and Annex F requires PDF version 1.4. We have queried this by e-mail with the epo and are awaiting a response. If this is the case we may have to use PDF Version Converting Freeware.


Omega
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 12:09 pm

Re: Annex F compliance

Post by Omega » Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:01 pm

[quote="helen.jordan"]We have also had problems with the Annex F Message, it appears that Adobe Acrobat v6.0 and above use PDF version 1.5 and Annex F requires PDF version 1.4. We have queried this by e-mail with the epo and are awaiting a response. If this is the case we may have to use PDF Version Converting Freeware.[/quote]

You will be told to ask WIPO.
Wipo tells you to check margins but seems to be unable to debug its own
program to give a better hint.
Before you try: PCT-Safe has exactly the same warning.

I do not beliebe this PDF 1.4 thing since I assume that PDF 1.3 should be working then but it does not.


pivdstee
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Location: Brussels
Contact:

Post by pivdstee » Wed Jul 26, 2006 8:11 am

Can epoline support shed their light on this problem please? Or do we have to take this up with WIPO?

I decided not to file PCTs online anymore because of this problem! I would like to know if this is necessary and which steps should be taken to avoid Annex F problems!!

Thank you

Pieter Vandersteen


alexthurgood
Posts: 58
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 9:29 am

Re: Annex F compliance

Post by alexthurgood » Wed Jul 26, 2006 5:17 pm

Omega wrote:
I do not beliebe this PDF 1.4 thing since I assume that PDF 1.3 should be working then but it does not.
There are however differences in each of the specifications. The Amunyani software that was bundled with eOLF used to produce non-compliant PDFs. I was under the impression that this had since been fixed, but it may have reared its head again in the versions being used currently, assuming of course, that the EPO still bundles this software with the application.

Alex


Omega
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 12:09 pm

Re: Annex F compliance

Post by Omega » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:04 am

[quote="alexthurgood"][quote="Omega"]

I do not beliebe this PDF 1.4 thing since I assume that PDF 1.3 should be working then but it does not.[/quote]

There are however differences in each of the specifications. The Amunyani software that was bundled with eOLF used to produce non-compliant PDFs. I was under the impression that this had since been fixed, but it may have reared its head again in the versions being used currently, assuming of course, that the EPO still bundles this software with the application.

Alex[/quote]

If it is really a Problem from the Converter (which I still do not believe, I guess it is Color-Images) then we have a real Problem:

Amyuni does 1.3, Our Acrobat 1.5. Both do not work and it is not likely that any PDF-Converter will stay on 1.4 for long time, so the requirements by wipo are strange. If you need a fixed format then we have to go back to tiff.

Amyuni itself has multiple Bugs but the EPO-Version is outdated and really
needs to be updated.


pivdstee
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Location: Brussels
Contact:

Post by pivdstee » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:36 am

The amyuni convertor from EPO converts colour to gray scale. Maybe it should be to black & white images (so I'll try with setting the image compression to CCITT fax group 4, see if it makes a difference...).

My guess was that the check is very simple: if it is not 1.4, it's not annex F compliant, but I think we have already filed Amyuni converted applications as PCTs before without the error message! Another possibility is the fonts.

The error message in OLF mentions that the rec.off. or the IB may request a resubmission of the international application.

Basically, as I am interested in filing PCTs with EPO as receiving office, my question is the following:
-Does the EPO care about this problem if the PDF was created with the for EP applications completely acceptable Amyuni converter, and
-does the IB care if the EPO doesn't?

I don't mind error messages nobody cares about anyway... but i'd really like to know!
Pieter Vandersteen


pivdstee
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Location: Brussels
Contact:

Post by pivdstee » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:44 am

Setting the compression to CCITT group 4 didn't work, actually there was an extra error message complaining that the image should be set to pure black & white (I thought that was always the case in CCITT group 4...)

I think we really need some epoline developers input!
Pieter Vandersteen


pivdstee
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Contact:

Post by pivdstee » Thu Jul 27, 2006 10:47 am

Well I've been experimenting a bit with an application where there was this problem.

In this application, the specification was the problem. You can relativly easily identify the culprit document by removing all except one and looking at the validation messages, and then add all other oduments one by one until the annex F noncompliant document turns up.

I have downloaded a different pdf writer, actually the one recommended on the USPTO website for their e-filing, ABXPDFWriter.

you can find this program here: http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/portal/efs/too ... writer.htm

the created with this program, in contradistinction with the Amyuni pdf, does not generate an Annex F problem...

So I compared the properties of both pdf files and came up (besides the obvious like file name and creating program differences): with the following differences:

Amyuni:
Size: 82 kb
Document ID: something...
Page width & height: 595 x 841
Embedded objects: 56
ImageElements: Yes (Imagecount: 0 though?!?)
Colourscheme: Gray
Embedded Fonts: MEAYLN + CourierNew+ MEAYLN + CourierNew,Bold + Symbol

ABXPDF:
Size: 62 kb
Document ID: nothing
Page width & height: 595 x 842
Embedded objects: 77
ImageElements: No
Colourscheme: nothing
Embedded Fonts: nothing

So my guess is it's either the Grayscale scheme or the embedded fonts that do the damage...

I can't really guarantee that the ABX produced pdfs are compliant with any other requirements though...
Pieter Vandersteen


Omega
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 12:09 pm

Post by Omega » Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:26 pm

I don't thnik that epo will help in this case because it is pct only and the plugin is developed by wipo.

Annex-F (http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/texts/index.htm):

All documents in PDF format must meet the following requirements:
(a) Adobe Portable Document Format Version 1.4 compatible;
(b) non-compressed text to facilitate searching;
(c) unencrypted text;
(d) no embedded OLE objects;
(e) all fonts must be embedded and licensed for distribution.

Nothing about Images any Embedded Fonts are allowed.
The Parts about text-compression is like Version 1.4 somehow strange and does not really seem to be checked.


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