International Patent Classification
Encyclopedia
The International Patent Classification (IPC) is a hierarchical patent classification
system created under the Strasbourg Agreement
(1971) and updated on a regular basis by a Committee of Experts, consisting of representatives of the Contracting States of that Agreement with observers from other organisations, such as the European Patent Office
. The Strasbourg Agreement is one of a number of treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO).
Patent publications from all of the Contracting States (and also most others) are each assigned at least one classification term indicating the subject to which the invention relates and may also be assigned further classification and indexing terms to give further details of the contents.
Each classification term consists of a symbol such as A01B 1/00 (which represents "hand tools"). The first letter is the "section symbol" consisting of a letter from A ("Human Necessities") to H ("Electricity"). This is followed by a two digit number to give a "class symbol" (A01 represents "Agriculture; forestry; animal husbandry; trapping; fishing"). The final letter makes up the "subclass" (A01B represents "Soil working in agriculture or forestry; parts, details, or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general"). The subclass is then followed by a 1 to 3 digit "group" number, an oblique stroke and a number of at least two digits representing a "main group" or "subgroup". A patent examiner assigns a classification to the patent application or other document at the most detailed level which is applicable to its contents.
For the first seven editions of the IPC, the classification was updated approximately every five years. From the eighth edition, which came into force January 1, 2006, the classification has been divided into "core" and "advanced" levels. The core level is to be updated on a three-yearly basis. The advanced level provides more detailed classification and is updated more frequently (probably every three months). According to the EPO, any reclassification efforts will not be released until all affected documents have been reclassified.
International Patent classification edition 8 is designed to allow patent offices the choice between a simpler to implement but more general classification using the core classifications, or a more detailed but more complex to maintain advanced classification.
. The first edition of the International Classification became effective on September 1, 1968. It consisted of eight sections, 103 classes, and 594 subclasses, as compared with the IPC eighth edition consisting of eight sections, 129 classes, 639 subclasses, 7,314 main groups, and 61,397 subgroups.
In 1967, BIRPI
, the predecessor of the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Council of Europe
began negotiations aiming to "internationalize" the International Classification. Their efforts bore the Strasbourg Agreement in 1971.
Patent classification
A patent classification is a way the examiners of patent offices or other people arrange documents, such as patent applications, disclosing inventions according to the technical features of the inventions...
system created under the Strasbourg Agreement
Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification
The Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification , also known as the IPC Agreement, was signed in Strasbourg, France, on March 24, 1971 and entered into force on October 7, 1975...
(1971) and updated on a regular basis by a Committee of Experts, consisting of representatives of the Contracting States of that Agreement with observers from other organisations, such as the European Patent Office
European Patent Organisation
The European Patent Organisation is a public international organisation created in 1977 by its contracting states to grant patents in Europe under the European Patent Convention of 1973...
. The Strasbourg Agreement is one of a number of treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
(WIPO).
Patent publications from all of the Contracting States (and also most others) are each assigned at least one classification term indicating the subject to which the invention relates and may also be assigned further classification and indexing terms to give further details of the contents.
Each classification term consists of a symbol such as A01B 1/00 (which represents "hand tools"). The first letter is the "section symbol" consisting of a letter from A ("Human Necessities") to H ("Electricity"). This is followed by a two digit number to give a "class symbol" (A01 represents "Agriculture; forestry; animal husbandry; trapping; fishing"). The final letter makes up the "subclass" (A01B represents "Soil working in agriculture or forestry; parts, details, or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general"). The subclass is then followed by a 1 to 3 digit "group" number, an oblique stroke and a number of at least two digits representing a "main group" or "subgroup". A patent examiner assigns a classification to the patent application or other document at the most detailed level which is applicable to its contents.
- A: Human Necessities
- B: Performing Operations, Transporting
- C: Chemistry, Metallurgy
- D: Textiles, Paper
- E: Fixed Constructions
- F: Mechanical Engineering, Lighting, Heating, Weapons
- G: Physics
- H: Electricity
For the first seven editions of the IPC, the classification was updated approximately every five years. From the eighth edition, which came into force January 1, 2006, the classification has been divided into "core" and "advanced" levels. The core level is to be updated on a three-yearly basis. The advanced level provides more detailed classification and is updated more frequently (probably every three months). According to the EPO, any reclassification efforts will not be released until all affected documents have been reclassified.
International Patent classification edition 8 is designed to allow patent offices the choice between a simpler to implement but more general classification using the core classifications, or a more detailed but more complex to maintain advanced classification.
History
The origin of the International Patent Classification is the "International Classification" created under the European Convention on the International Classification of Patents for InventionEuropean Convention on the International Classification of Patents for Invention
The European Convention on the International Classification of Patents for Invention was signed on December 19, 1954 in Paris, France by members of the Council of Europe. It entered into force on August 1, 1955 and it was denounced by all Parties and ceased to be in force as from February 18, 1999....
. The first edition of the International Classification became effective on September 1, 1968. It consisted of eight sections, 103 classes, and 594 subclasses, as compared with the IPC eighth edition consisting of eight sections, 129 classes, 639 subclasses, 7,314 main groups, and 61,397 subgroups.
In 1967, BIRPI
United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property
The United International Bureaux for the Protection of Intellectual Property was an international organization. It was set up in 1893 to administer the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property...
, the predecessor of the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
began negotiations aiming to "internationalize" the International Classification. Their efforts bore the Strasbourg Agreement in 1971.
See also
- Espacenet
- European Classification systemEuropean ClassificationThe European Classification is a patent classification system maintained by the European Patent Office . The ECLA classification system contains 134 000 subdivisions. It is mainly an extension of the International Patent Classification system, but sometimes modifies its titles and rules...
(ECLA) - F-termF-term (patent law)In Japanese patent law, F-term is a system for classifying Japanese patent documents according to the technical features of the inventions described in them. It is not a replacement for the International Patent Classification or other patent classifications, but complements other systems by...
- INPADOCINPADOCINPADOC, which stands for International Patent Documentation Center, is an international patent collection. The database is produced and maintained by the European Patent Office...
External links
- IPC main page on the WIPO web site
- English IPC versions on the WIPO web site
- IPC version 7 - obsolete (valid until December 31, 2005)
- IPC version 8 - valid since January 1, 2006
- Guide to the International Patent Classification (Version 2009)