I work with sequence listings on a regular basis though typically the sequences are straight forward and do not require anything fancy for entry into PatentIn, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s sequence software. Recently, however, I came across a sequence with a string of amino acids within the larger polypeptide where each residue in this particular string could be one of several amino acids (Xaa). The Xaa’s could be present in any number, for example, 5 to 13 (n = 5 to 13). I needed an alternative to entering each of the sequences separately.
A quality assurance specialist at the Patent Office had this suggestion: in the sequence listing, include the maximum number of Xaa’s (in the example here, 13) and define Xaa under Feature Data as absent or Pro, Leu, His, etc. The claims and the specification could then include the parameters for the minimum number of Xaa’s, for example, 5.
The Examiner’s reaction, if any, remains to be seen. It would be interesting to know whether others can foresee any particular problems with this approach or have successfully dealt with a similar situation.
As an aside, a computer based training module for PatentIn is in the works and should be available sometime this fall.
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