Standard ST.30

This recommendation specifies the requirements for a generalized magnetic tape format for the exchange of records, containing bibliographic data, abstracts or full texts of patent documents. It does not define the content of individual records but attempts to standardize the assignment of tags, indicators and identifiers and their use in datafields occurring in such records.

This recommendation describes a generalized structure designed specially for communications between data processing systems and not for use as a processing format within systems. Although this recommendation is designed for magnetic tape, its structure may also be used for other data carriers.

Wherever possible, this recommendation has been based on existing international standards, in particular on existing WIPO Standards and on those elaborated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Due reference has been made to such standards in those parts of the present recommendation for which they are of particular relevance. Standards being of fundamental importance to this recommendation as a whole are given in the following references.

For the purpose of this recommendation, the following specific definitions apply:

(a) RECORD: A collection of fields, including a record label, a directory and data referring to one and the same patent document and being treated as one entity.

(b) SUBRECORD: A group of fields within a record which may be treated as an entity.

(c) STRUCTURE: An arrangement of the parts constituting a bibliographic record.

(d) DATAFIELD: A variable length portion of the record containing a particular category of data, following the directory and associated with one entry of the directory.

Note: A datafield may contain one or more subfields.

(e) (field) TAG: Three characters associated with a field and used to identify it.

(f) SUBFIELD: A part of a field containing a defined unit of information.

(g) RECORD LABEL: A field occurring at the beginning of each bibliographic record providing parameters for the processing of the record.

(h) DIRECTORY: An index to the location of the datafields within a record (See paragraphs 19 to 24, below.)

(i) DIRECTORY MAP: A set of parameters specifying the structure of the entries in the directory.

(j) INDICATOR: The first data element, if present, associated with a datafield supplying further information about the contents of the field, about the relationship between the field and other fields in the record, or about the action required in certain data manipulation processes. (See footnote 4 to paragraph 27, below.)

(k) (subfield) IDENTIFIER: A data element, one or more characters in length, immediately preceding and identifying a subfield. (See footnote 4 to paragraph 28, below.)

(l) FIELD SEPARATOR: A control character used to separate and qualify units of data logically, and in some cases hierarchically.

The directory, record identifier, reserved fields and patent datafields are each terminated by a field separator. The record is terminated by the record separator.

The record label shown in Figure 2 is fixed in length and defined as follows:

The number of character positions in the record including the record label and record separator. The length is a 5‑digit decimal number right adjusted with zero fill if necessary.

A single character describing the status of a record, i.e., new, amended or deleted record. It should be defined by the originator of the record.

Character positions 6 to 9 are reserved for the internal use of the sender or the recipient of the tape.

One decimal digit giving the number of character positions of the indicators.

One decimal digit giving the number of character positions of the identifier. The first or only character of this identifier shall always be IS₁ of ISO 646.

Five decimal digits justified right with zero fill if necessary, and equal to the combined length in characters of the record label and the directory including the field separator at the end of the directory.

Figure 2 – Detailed record structure

Character positions 17 and 18 are used to indicate trailer records and the numbering of trailer records. The total number of trailer records in a set is indicated in character position 18, whilst character position 17 identifies successive trailer records in the set.

Character position 19 is reserved for the internal use of the sender or recipient of the tape.

These character positions are used as follows:

(a) Character position 20: One decimal digit equal to the length in characters of the “length of datafield” part of each entry in the directory;

(b) Character position 21: One decimal digit equal to the length in characters of the “starting character position” part of each entry in the directory;

(c) Character position 22: One decimal digit equal to the length in characters of the “implementation‑defined part” of each entry in the directory;

(d) Character position 23: Reserved for future use.

The directory consists of a variable number of entries each corresponding to its respective datafield (record identifier, reserved and patent datafields). The directory ends with a field separator (fs).

An entry consists of a “tag”, a “length of datafield”, “starting character position”, and “implementation‑defined part”, in that sequence.

The length of the “tag” is three characters. All entries in a directory have the same structure.

A tag consists of three characters, which, according to the definitions given in the Annex to this recommendation, specify the name of any associated datafield.

This length is either:

(a) the total number of characters (including indicator(s) and field separator) in the datafield indicated by the preceding tag;

(b) zero, implying that the directory entry refers to a datafield whose total length is greater than the largest decimal number (n) which can be stored in the “length” of a directory entry. In this case, the datafield is regarded as being divided into a number of parts of which all but the last are of equal length (n). Each part has a corresponding directory entry containing the tag for the datafield and the starting character position of the part to which the directory entry refers. A length “zero” indicates that the directory entry refers to a part of the datafield which is not the final part and that the length of this part is to be taken as (n);

(c) the number of characters (including field separator) in the final part of a datafield which has been treated as described in (b).

In the cases described in (b) and (c), all directory entries which refer to parts of the same datafield shall be adjacent and in sequence.

A decimal number giving the position of the first character of the datafield identified by the preceding tag, relative to the base address of data [i.e., the starting character position of the first datafield following the directory is 0 (zero)].

[To be specified later.]

All datafields shall end with a field separator. There are three types of fields:

• record identifier field: tag 001²;

• reserved fields: tags 002 to 009 and 00A to 00Z³ as required;

• patent datafields: tags 010 to 999 and 0AA to ZZZ as required^4.

Characters identifying the record and assigned by the office creating the record.

A reserved datafield supplies data which may be required for the processing of the record.

The TAGs defined in this Annex refer to bibliographic and textual elements which are considered typical for records on patent documents. These TAGs should always be used as defined.

For defining bibliographic, textual or other information elements which are different from those dealt with in this annex and which the Office creating the respective record considers to be suitable, all three‑digit combinations of numeric and alphanumeric characters can be used which are not defined in this annex and do not start with “00” (double zero). The content of the fields identified by such non‑standardized TAGs should, however, be interpreted by other offices only with the consent and under guidance of the office which created the record. In order to facilitate updating of this annex, the use of non‑standardized TAGs starting with two numerals should be avoided (see also following paragraph).

For reasons of convenience, the standardized TAGs have been chosen in a way that whenever there is an INID code (according to WIPO Standard ST.9) characterizing the given data element, this INID code coincides with the first two characters of the TAG.

If there are specific provisions on how the content of the field identified by a given standardized TAG should be recorded a specific reference is made to the relevant WIPO or ISO Standard.

For fields for which no such specific provision exists, the corresponding datafield will be considered as being of variable length.

It is recalled that only such TAGs should be used in a record for which the length of the corresponding datafield is different from zero, i.e., for which real data exist. There may not be two or more identical TAGs in one and the same record, an exception being in the case of trailer fields used when the specified length is not sufficient.

There are fields which, if occurring together in the same record, will have subfields whose information content is cross‑linked in a well defined way. For instance, in the case of multiple priorities the respective priority dates, priority countries and numbers of priority application may not be combined arbitrarily. Such interlinked fields are identified by “linked tags” which have been marked in the following paragraphs by a numerical index which is the same for all TAGs belonging to one group.

The following TAGs are used for identifying the recorded information:

The following TAGs identify domestic filing data of the industrial property right concerned:

¹: Linked TAGs (see paragraphs 7 and 8, above).

The following TAGs identify priority data and patent family information:

²: Linked TAGs (see paragraphs 7 and 8, above).

The following TAGs identify dates concerned with making available to the public the Industrial Property Right concerned:

The following TAGs identify technical subject matter information:

The following TAGs identify references to other legally related domestic patent documents including unpublished applications therefor:

The following TAGs identify parties concerned with the patent document described by the record:

The following TAGs identify data related to international conventions other than the Paris Convention: