Interview slot for H1B

My company applied for a h1b transfer (normal processing) in May 2014, and i got the H1B receipt within 3 weeks. I got an RFE in August.My company is currently trying to submit the documents for RFE and also upgrade to premium ,they think this should get done by end of october. I am planning to go to India in november,i could fill the DS 160 form without the i797 approval document.But when i try to make the visa fee payment from the url ,
https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/?language=English&country=India
In the petitioner section,it asks for Receipt no, start date and expiration date . I am not sure what exactly is the expiration date?

1)Can you tell me what is the start date,expiration date here?.
2)Can i book an appointment without the i797 approval for now ,since i am expecting to get my h1 approved end of october, but i want to make sure i get an interview slot.

Thank you for your help .

You can not take appointment without complete petition details.

Your desire to take appointment now itself is understandable but not necessary.

It will not be difficult to take appointment at some centre in India once you have the petition in hand