INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT InternialApplicationNo PCT/US00/10235 C.(Continuation)DOCUMENTSCONSIDEREDTOBERELEVANT Category Citabonofdocument,withindication,whereappropriate,oftherelev antpassagesRelevanttoclaimNo. XCHEMICALABSTRACTS,vol.70,no.25,1-3,7,8, 23June1969(1969-06-23)10,13-15 Columbus,Ohio,US; abstractno.115551, SHIBNEV,V.A.ETAL:"Synthesisof monomersthataretripletsofthe "crystalline"partofthecollagen molecule" XP002149260 abstract &IZV.AKAD.NAUKSSSR,SER.KHIM.(1969), (2),392-7, XPATENTABSTRACTSOFJAPAN1-3,7,8, vol.013,no.549(C-662),10,13-15 7December1989(1989-12-07) &JP01226898A(AJINOMOTOCOINC), 11September1989(1989-09-11) abstract XPATENTABSTRACTSOFJAPAN1-3,7, vol.1995,no.10,10-15 30November1995(1995-11-30) &JP07188282A(YOKOSUETSUNA), 25July1995(1995-07-25) abstract XCHEMICALABSTRACTS,vol.112,no. 8, 21May1990(1990-05-21)10,13-15 Columbus,Ohio,US; abstractno.192024, HENDERSON,DAVIDE.ETAL: "Physicochemicalstudiesofbiologically activepeptidesbylow-temperature reversed-phasehigh-performanceliquid chromatography" XP002149556 abstract &J.CHROMATOGR.(1990),499,79-88, XCHEMICALABSTRACTS,vol.87,no.19,1-3,7,8, 7November1977(1977-11-07)13-15 Columbus,Ohio,US; abstractno.146142, OKADA,YOSHIOETAL:"Synthesisof bradykininfragmentsandtheireffecton pentobarbitalsleepingtimeinmouse" XP002149261 abstract &NEUROPHARMACOLOGY(1977),16(5),381-3, 3 3 INTERNATIONALSEARCHREPORT InterrialApplicationNo PCT/US00/10235 C.(Continuation)DOCUMENTSCONSIDEREDTOBERELEVANT C g Reievant to claim No,X BORDUSA, FRANK ET AL :"The specificity of 1-3, 10,Category° Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages Ftelevant to claim No. XBORDUSA,FRANKETAL:"Thespecificityof1-3,10, prolylendopeptidasefromFlavobacterium13-15 meningoseptum:mappingtheS'subsitesby positionalscanningviaacyltransfer" BIOORG.MED.CHEM.(1998),6(10), 1775-1780, 1998,XP000946718 page1777,right-handcolumn XDESLAURIERS,R.ETAL:"Steric effectsof1-3,5,7, cis-transisomerismonneighboring10,12-15 residuesinprolineoligopeptides:a carbon-13NMRstudyofconformational heterogeneityinlineartripeptides" BIOPOLYMERS(1979),18(3),523-38, 1979,XP000946722 page527,paragraph1 XKOLASKAR,A.S.ETAL:"Conformational1-3,9, propertiesofpairsofaminoacids"10,13-15 INT.J.PEPT.PROTEINRES.(1983),22(1), 83-91, 1983,XP000946709 page89,right-handcolumn XEP0412595A(MERCK&COINC)1-3,9, 13February1991(1991-02-13)10,13-15 example19 XLADRAM,ALIETAL:"Characterizationof1-3,7, receptorsforthyrotropin-releasing13-15 hormone-receptorspotentiatingpeptideon ratanteriorpituitarymembranes" J.BIOL.CHEM.(1992),267(36),25697-702 25December1997(1997-12-25), XP002149258 page25700,right-handcolumn,last paragraph-page25701,left-handcolumn, paragraph1;tableII XUS5439821A(BOROVSKYDOVETAL)1,2,4, 8August1995(1995-08-08)11-18, 20-32, 34-38 column3,line3-line40;claims; example XUS5501976A(BOROVSKYDOVETAL)1,2,4, 26March1996(1996-03-26)11-18, 20-32, 34-38 column2,line43-column3,line14; claims;examples 3 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTINUED FROM PCT/ISA/210 Continuation of Box 1.2 Present claim 1 relates to a compound defined by reference to a desirable characteristic or property, namely being a'TMOF compound'.

The claim covers all compounds having this characteristic or property, whereas the application provides support within the meaning of Article 6 PCT and/or disclosure within the meaning of Article 5 PCT for only a very limited number of such compounds. In the present case, the claims so lack support, and the application so lacks disclosure, that a meaningful search over the whole of the claimed scope is impossible. Independent of the above reasoning, the claims also lack clarity (Article 6 PCT). An attempt is made to define the product/compound/method/apparatus by reference to a result to be achieved. Again, this lack of clarity in the present case is such as to render a meaningful search over the whole of the claimed scope impossible. Consequently, the search has been carried out for those parts of the claims which appear to be clear, supported and disclosed, namely those parts relating to the compounds prepared in example 1 and table 2.

Present claim 2 relates to an extremely large number of possible compounds. In fact, the claims contain so many options that a lack of clarity (and/or conciseness) within the meaning of Article 6 PCT arises to such an extent as to render a meaningful search of the claim impossible. Consequently, the search has been carried out for those parts of the application which do appear to be clear (and/or concise), namely the compounds prepared in example 1 and table 2.

The above mentioned restrictions of the scope of search apply to the dependent claims as well; they also apply to the independent claims 20, 26,32 accordingly and to the claims dependent thereon.

The applicant's attention is drawn to the fact that claims, or parts of claims, relating to inventions in respect of which no international search report has been established need not be the subject of an international preliminary examination (Rule 66.1 (e) PCT). The applicant is advised that the EPO policy when acting as an International Preliminary Examining Authority is normally not to carry out a preliminary examination on matter which has not been searched. This is the case irrespective of whether or not the claims are amended following receipt of the search report or during any Chapter II procedure. INTERNATIONALSEARCHREPORT Intern ; al AppiicationNo ,... ormation on patent family members PatentdocumentPublicationPatentfamilyPublication citedinsearchreportdatemember(s)date JP01226898A11-09-1989NONE JP07188282A25-07-1995NONE EP0412595A13-02-1991US5110799A05-05-1992 CA2021944A29-01-1991 JP3148295A25-06-1991 US5439821A08-08-1995CA2150371A23-06-1994 US5358934A25-10-1994 US5629196A13-05-1997 US5792750A11-08-1998 WO9413698A23-06-1994 US5501976A26-03-1996US5459130A17-10-1995