B737-300 CREW DID NOT GET PDC OVER ACARS AT SFO.

Narrative

DURING PREDEP COCKPIT SETUP; I REQUESTED OUR PDC THROUGH ACARS AND RECEIVED THE MESSAGE 'CLRNC NOT STORED.' IT WAS MY LEG; SO IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO SET UP THE COCKPIT AND GET OUR CLRNC. WE WERE 30 MINS FROM DEP AND MOST OF THE TIME PDC'S AREN'T AVAILABLE TILL 25 MINS BEFORE DEP. I WENT ON WITH THE COCKPIT SETUP WITH THE INTENTION OF CHKING AGAIN IN A FEW MINS FOR OUR CLRNC. HOWEVER; BECAUSE OF GETTING CAUGHT UP IN OTHER DUTIES COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT THE CAPT AND I DID NOT DO A THOROUGH PREDEP BRIEFING AS PER COMPANY OPS MANUAL; WE FORGOT TO GET OUR PDC AND TOOK OFF WITHOUT IT. SHORTLY AFTER TKOF; WE REALIZED OUR ERROR WHEN DEP CTL ASSIGNED US A NEW SQUAWK CODE. WE CALLED FOR OUR PDC AT THAT TIME AND CONTINUED TO LAX WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE DID DO A PREDEP BRIEF; HOWEVER; WE DID NOT USE THE BRIEFING FORMAT CALLED FOR IN THE OPS MANUAL. HAD WE DONE SO; WE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT OUR OVERSIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT THE GATE BECAUSE PART OF THE BRIEFING IS TO CHK THE SQUAWK CODE IN THE CLRNC AGAINST THE ONE SET IN THE XPONDER. FROM NOW ON; NOTHING; BUT A BY-THE-BOOK BRIEFING FOR ME.