How to e-file a PASAT/XPort application-body with PCT-SAFE FM

Today our firm successfully filed, through PCT-SAFE, a PCT application based upon an XML file created using PASAT and XPort. We filed it on the IB "demo" server, and as far as we can tell, it would likewise have worked just fine if we had filed it on the IB "production" server. We received a serial number of PCT/IB2004/030042.

Note that these comments apply to PASAT version 1.1 build 40 and to PCT-SAFE FM version 3.50, build 0001.418.

If you want to try this yourself (and I recommend you do so as part of becoming familiar with the PCT-SAFE IB e-filing server) there is one edit that needs to be made. You need to open the XML application body using Notepad, and locate the image file path in the image tags. Here is a sample of what such a tag looks like:

<img he="279.4" wi="0" file="file:///C:/clients/test/p022/fig1.tif" img-format="tif" img-content="drawing" orientation="portrait" inline="no">

In this example the image path is "file:///C:/clients/test/p022/". What you need to do is a global search and replace, searching for "file:///C:/clients/test/p022/" and replacing it with "" (nothing). Stated differently, the portion shown in red needs to be eliminated from the XML file.

After making this change to the file created by PASAT/XPort, you will probably have no difficulty attaching it to a PCT-SAFE project and filing the application.