Subscripts and superscripts done right

[Robert K S]

Are there rules regarding how subscripts and superscripts are represented in a specification?

I've done a quick search of the MPEP, and I don't see anything.

I'm working with a specification that, for example, shows the formula for water as:

H.sub.2O

I've never seen this notation before and I'm not sure whether the person who wrote the specification knew something I didn't about PTO-preferred markup, or if this was a sloppy export job from some other word processing program that never got corrected before the specification was submitted.

[JimIvey]

If you look at the text of a patent in the USPTO's search thingy, that's how subscripts and superscripts are represented.  My guess is that someone copied/pasted that or assumed that was the preferred representation of sub/superscripts.

I just format the text as sub/superscript using my favorite word processing program and it seems to work just fine.  I suspect the typesetters at the USPTO use that notation -- or that the .sub./.super. notation is an automatic conversion from the typeset version of the patent/application publication.

Regards.

[Robert K S]

It just seems to me that without a closing tag, the H.sub.2O is ambiguous.  It could be interpreted as having the O subscripted as well.

[smgsmc]

Be aware that the Patent Office has been cracking down on minimum font sizes.  I think there's an internal memo on it.  I deal with complicated math and use the Mathtype add-on with Word.  Early in the year, I had to file two substitute specifications because of font sizes in the equations.  I now set the default size for the main symbols to 16 pt so that the superscripts and subscripts come out a decent size.  The formulas look way out of proportion, but it's been keeping them happy.  Also keep that in mind if you have equations in the drawings.  It gets even crazier with expressions such as integrals, and the limits have superscripts or subscripts.  I then have to really blow things up.

[JustAnotherExaminer]

Are there rules regarding how subscripts and superscripts are represented in a specification?

I've done a quick search of the MPEP, and I don't see anything.

I'm working with a specification that, for example, shows the formula for water as:

H.sub.2O

I've never seen this notation before and I'm not sure whether the person who wrote the specification knew something I didn't about PTO-preferred markup, or if this was a sloppy export job from some other word processing program that never got corrected before the specification was submitted.

You don't want to leave it in that notation.  When the pub is put in our database it gets a "HTML version", a plaintext version, as well as the actual scanned images.  The program that creates the HTML version from your submitted spec will automatically convert subscripts to the correct format (H.sub.2O) for searching by examiners.  I'm presuming you don't want that to be the actual notation in the image version though.

[Robert K S]

Thanks.