Image quality is better with EFS Web as compared with faxing to the Central Fax Number

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scanned by USPTO personnel at the Central Fax Number in October 2005	e-filed via EFS Web in December 2005

We recently needed to file a paper in a US patent application having an exhibit with a bit of gray scale to it. We filed the paper in October of 2005 (before EFS Web was available) and thus our only options at that time were to file by fax or by mail. We chose fax (the USPTO Central Fax Number). Even though we faxed the paper in "photo" mode, by the time USPTO personnel scanned it into IFW, it was essentially unreadable. You can see the actual image from IFW quoted in the table.

In December of 2005 we heard from the Examiner, who said he was unable to read it. And we looked in IFW and indeed we could see why.

So in December of 2005, we e-filed another copy of the exhibit, using EFS-Web. To do this, we scanned the exhibit with a scanner set for gray scale. The resulting PDF looked pretty clear in the "preview" feature of EFS Web, and looked about the same when we viewed it in IFW. You can see the actual image from IFW quoted in the table. The Examiner was able to read it.

Other differences can be seen. Somehow the image that passed through the Central Fax Number had its aspect ratio changed. It is just as tall but less wide, as compared with the original. The image that passed through the Central Fax Number also got skewed.

The conclusion we have reached around our office is that whenever we are filing a paper with gray scale in it, we will want to use EFS Web rather than faxing to the Central Fax Number.