Patent Public Advisory Committee Meeting Introduction to the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
EPO and USPTO Bi-lateral Classification System
Bruce Kisliuk Deputy Commissioner for Patent Administration September 27, 2012
USPTO and EPO agree to cooperate on a joint classification system derived from IPCbased ECLA USPTO to move from USPC to CPC; EPO to move from ECLA to CPC CPC planned to be bilaterally operational at EPO and USPTO
USPTO and EPO Work Toward Joint Patent Classification System "In view of the significant benefit to stakeholders of developing a transparent and harmonized approach to a global classification system for patent documents; in order to make the search process more effective; and in the belief that cooperation between their two offices will facilitate progress in undertaking classification harmonization projects under the IP5 Common Hybrid Classification initiative, the USPTO and the EPO have agreed together to work toward the formation of a partnership to explore the development of a joint classification system based on the European Classification system (ECLA) that will incorporate the best classification practices of the two offices. This system would be aligned with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) classification standards and the International Patent Classification (IPC) structure. Accordingly, they have initiated discussions on governance and operational aspects of such a partnership. The IP5 partner offices will be continually apprised of progress at appropriate IP5 forums. Stakeholders will receive regular updates on the substance and progress of classification partnership discussions between the two offices."
October 25, 2010
Why the USPTO is Pursuing this Initiative
Aligns with USPTO strategic goals Implement IPC-based classification system at USPTO
USPTO is currently the only major IP office not using an IPCbased primary classification system
Accelerate classification harmonization efforts with other major IP offices Promote resource sharing Improves global harmonization for examination and search Classification is the foundation for all global harmonization efforts Increases document coverage for classified search A single classification search yields results from the USPTO, EPO and EPO member states
General Features of CPC
Ability to search a unified classification system Reduces searching redundancy by providing a comprehensive patent document database
Merges PGPub and U.S. Patent databases Patent documents classified by patent family
Permits search of foreign language document collection US and EP patent documents are already classified in ECLA and this back-file will be used as a basis for CPC It provides for more detailed breakdowns At least 200,000 breakdowns in CPC vs. 150,000 breakdowns in CPC
General Features of CPC
It provides an important step towards an internationally harmonized search and examination process, by: Increasing document coverage for a single classified search
A single classification search yields results from the USPTO, EPO and EPO member states
Sharing resources between EPO and USPTO Eliminating document reclassification from one office to another Providing a classification scheme/system that is adaptive and more actively maintained Providing a single classification symbol set for all USPTO and EPO documents
Activities Since June PPAC Update
Over 250,000 CPC scheme breakdowns created All schemes reviewed by examiner experts 624 maingroup definitions drafted Definitions undergoing review by examiner experts Finalization by monthly publication through Jan 2013 CPC will have a base population of 35.5 million documents More than 40 national offices will have access to CPC at launch Equates to more than 20,000 patent examiners searching the same collection. Examiner Field Specific Training (FST) begins October 2nd 400 FSTs scheduled through Feb 2013 IT systems on track to support bilateral use of system
CPC Timeline & Milestones
25 October 2010: Joint statement launching the project 1 November 2010: Freeze of the USPC scheme 25 October 2011: Launch of the CPC website June 2012: Freeze of the ECLA scheme July 2012: USPTO User Day Until October 2012: Develop USPTO training in collaboration with EPO Document classification practices Design the collaborative environment 1 October 2012: "CPC launch scheme" available 1 January 2013: Launch of CPC USPC & CPC symbols searchable in EAST/WEST, routing remains based on USPC Contractor starts applying CPC symbols to US applications (A docs) Begin USPTO Corps and early adopter training After January 2013: Quality assurance in place CPC used by EPO and USPTO Harmonized classification practices Joint CPC revisions CPC available for use by other IP offices & public Auto populate symbols on issuing applications (B docs) based on A docs Examiners can add classifications (optional) Until January 2014: Conduct USPTO Corps training IT implementation at EPO and USPTO After January 2015: Static USPC data available, Search in CPC mandatory
Conclusion: Next Steps
Continue collaboration with POPA throughout the development and implementation phases Provide opportunities for examiners to participate and share feedback Rollout CPC training Bring online IT systems to accommodate CPC
Conclusion: CPC Resources
CPC General Website: http://www.CPCinfo.org Until CPC is available, ECLA searches can be conducted online using ESPACENET, the EPOs public search tool: http://worldwide.espacenet.com/
