Can Labview output source code in text format?

[Casey]

I am trying to file a patent that includes some Labview code. The patent office recommends attaching code (either source code or machine code) to show reduction to practice.

However, it appears that the USPTO only accepts CD-Rs that have ASCII text on them. Is there a way to export Labview source code or machine code (from application builder?) to text?

Does anyone have any advice for dealing with the PTO when Labview code is involved?

Thanks,
Casey

[unDees]

As of version 6.1 (and probably 7 Express), LabVIEW does not support saving a VI as text. However, I've seen lots of patents with pictures in them; you could save your VI diagram as a PNG, JPEG, or GIF image file using the Print option on LabVIEW's File menu. This technique will even allow you to print all frames of your sequence and case structures.

What types of image files with the USPTO accept?

[Pepe]

Use a floe chart

Casey wrote:
> I am trying to file a patent that includes some Labview code. The
> patent office recommends attaching code (either source code or machine
> code) to show reduction to practice.
>
> However, it appears that the USPTO only accepts CD-Rs that have ASCII
> text on them. Is there a way to export Labview source code or machine
> code (from application builder?) to text?
>
> Does anyone have any advice for dealing with the PTO when Labview code
> is involved?
>
> Thanks,
> Casey

[Casey]

As far as I can tell the only type of files the PTO will accept is ADCII compatible files. I'm pretty sure that means text, and text only.

I have a book that talks about submitting machine code, but I don't know how that would work with the ASCII requirement.

In addition to the CD, you also get to submit the actual patent (which is on paper), so you can include any type of image (or whatever else) that you want, so long as it is actually printed out.

The whole thing seems pretty arcane to me, but I don't really understand it very well yet either.

[Casey]

A flow chart is a good idea, but it doesn't demonstrate reduction to practice.

I have several flow charts already, but I'd like to actually include the code too.

[unDees]

Hmmm... you could create image files from your VI diagrams as described above, but leave them out of the CD version and just include them as figures in the print version. It's either that, or just include a hex dump of the binary .vi file, and that's probably a lot less instructive for the reader. I guess a third possiblity would be to render parts of the block diagram as ASCII art, but if it were me, I'd probably lean towards putting LabVIEW-generated screenshots in the print copy.

[unDees]

Ooh. One more thing on putting your LabVIEW code in a figure in the patent. I've been told that images in a patent are not protected by copyright, so I don't know whether or not that gives someone else the right to use your code from the patent. I am not a lawyer, so you'll probably want to check with one--just one more thing to think about....

[Greg_McKaskle2]

> I am trying to file a patent that includes some Labview code. The
> patent office recommends attaching code (either source code or machine
> code) to show reduction to practice.
>
> However, it appears that the USPTO only accepts CD-Rs that have ASCII
> text on them. Is there a way to export Labview source code or machine
> code (from application builder?) to text?
>
> Does anyone have any advice for dealing with the PTO when Labview code
> is involved?
>

I believe this has been done before. I did a quick search on
www.uspto.gov, and found lots of them referencing LabVIEW -- meaning
that LabVIEW was mentioned in the patent, and probably that LV code was
the mentioned embodiment of the patent. I didn't browse all of them to
see if or how they i
ncluded source, but surely you can find a precedent
for including a pdf or rtf with your diagrams.

If you can't find anything else, print your VIs to RTF and see about
submitting that.

Greg McKaskle