Managing Applicants: Create, Delete, Edit

Applicant structure

Owing to the complex nature of the ST.36 standard, applicants too have a complex structure. Each applicant is composed of one or more contacts (addressbook tags in XML). One of these is the default contact. This is the one that BiSSAP uses when only part of the applicant information can be displayed, for example in the Project Browser.

When exporting to the ST.25 format, only one contact (default) is used.

Creating an applicant is always done via the Create Applicant dialog. To make the form simpler, there are two different dialogs for two different kinds of applicants:

a natural person
a legal person

Once the dialog is open, create an applicant as follows:

fill in the form, or at least all the mandatory fields marked with red triangles
enter data in the contact table
repeat the above steps for any further contacts, where applicable
when you are finished, click the Create applicant button. You must enter data for at least one contact before you can save the applicant.

The procedure is the same regardless of whether the applicant is a natural or a legal person. You can assign several applicants to a single project.

Invoking the `Create applicant` dialog

There are three ways of invoking the Create applicant dialog:

right-click Applicants in the project structure and choose Create Legal Applicant or Create Natural Applicant (depending on the type of applicant needed)
right-click the project, choose Applicants, Add Existing Applicant(s), then the New button, and then choose the appropriate applicant type in the dialog
select Tools -> Applicant Manager from the main menu and then click New

Each of these options is described below.

Adding an existing applicant to the project (reusing applicants)

BiSSAP supports a mini-database of previously entered applicants. To add a previously entered applicant to the current project:

Select the project in the browser. Expand it so that you can see the Applicants list. Right-click the list. Select Add Applicant(s) from the pop-up menu.
The Add Applicant window is displayed. You will see two lists of applicants: the available applicants on the left-hand side, and the applicants you assign to this project on the right-hand side. You can assign one or more applicants by selecting them on the left side and clicking the ">>" button, or assign all the applicants by clicking the ">|" button.
If you want to create a new applicant, i.e. one that is not yet on the list, click New. BiSSAP will display a dialog allowing you to choose the appropriate applicant type (see the next section for details). The newly created applicant will be automatically assigned to the right-hand list.
Click OK to complete the operation, or Cancel to cancel it.

Creating a new applicant (natural person)

To create an applicant and assign it to a project:

Select the project in the browser. Expand it so that you can see the item Applicants. Right-click on it, then select Create Natural Applicant from the pop-up menu.

The Create Applicant window is displayed. The mandatory fields are marked with a red triangle.
- Last name
- First name
- Country
- City
The remaining fields are optional (they generally reflect the conventions applied in the ST.36 standard). See ST.36 materials on the WIPO website.
Click Create contact. You must add at least one contact. The first one you add is treated as the default. This contact appears in the list wherever the applicant is displayed.
You must enter all the data you want to have about a contact in all the fields before clicking Add contact.
You can delete a contact from the list by selecting it, and clicking Delete.
You cannot edit a previously added contact in the Create applicant dialog. To edit a contact, first finish creating the applicant and then edit it in the applicant editor.
Click Create applicant to complete the operation, or Cancel to cancel it. You should see the results in the Project Browser.

Creating a new applicant (legal)

To create an applicant and assign it to a project:

Select the project in the browser. Expand the tree so that you can see the item Applicants. Right-click on it, then select Create Legal Applicant from the pop-up menu.
The Create Applicant dialog is displayed. The mandatory fields
- Company
- Country
- City

are marked with a red triangle.

All other fields are optional (they reflect the conventions applied in the ST.36 standard). See ST.36 materials on the WIPO website.
Click Create contact. You must add at least one contact. The first contact you add is treated as the default. This contact is visible in the list wherever the applicant is displayed.
You can delete the contact from the list by selecting it, and clicking Delete.
You cannot edit a previously added contact in the Create applicant dialog. To edit a contact, first finish creating the applicant and then edit it in the applicant editor.
Click Create applicant to complete the operation, or Cancel to cancel it. You should see the results in the Project Browser.

Note:

An applicant cannot be a mix of organisations and natural persons.

You do not have to provide full information for all contacts.

Advanced applicant management

You can access the advanced applicant tool by selecting Tools -> Applicant manager from the main menu. The Manage applicants window opens.

Using this tool, you can create applicants without assigning them to a project. By clicking New, the dialog prompting you to choose the appropriate applicant type appears.

Depending on the choice, BiSSAP displays one of the create dialogs described in the previous section. Proceed as described before to create an applicant. By selecting the applicant and clicking Delete, you can delete the applicant.

When you remove an applicant from a project, it is never deleted entirely. It is kept in the BiSSAP workspace until it is deleted in the Applicant Manager.

Deleting an applicant in the Applicant Manager removes the applicant from all projects.

BiSSAP does not compare applicants. If you create two applicants with the same data, or the imported files effectively contain the same applicant, you get multiple copies. That is why you are advised to reuse applicants when you create projects from scratch.

Applicants in `ST.25`

See Applicants in ST.25 FAQ

Editing applicants

To edit an applicant, start the applicant editor.

Select the project in the browser. Expand the tree so that you can see the entries below the Applicants list.
Right-click the applicant you want to edit. Select Edit Applicant from the pop-up menu. Another way to edit the applicant is to double-click the applicant in the Project Browser
The editor will open, with the applicant data loaded. Change the data as required.
You can edit a contact by double-clicking it in the table. The contact data is loaded into the fields. After making your changes, click Apply changes. If you want to cancel your changes, click Discard changes.
The mandatory fields are marked with a red triangle. All other fields are optional (fields in keeping with the conventions applied by the ST.36 standard). See ST.36 materials on the WIPO website.
Save your data by clicking Crtl-S or (Command-S, if you are working with Mac OS X). Please note that you must click Apply changes before you save your work. An asterisk (*) appears on the tab of editors with modified content.
You can close the editor without saving at any time. You will be asked to confirm that this is indeed your intention.