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Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
Within the Office, there are obeyed, maintained and improved several business management systems:
- ISO 9001 – QMS (Quality Management System) helps to assure a constant level of quality of services provided by the Office
- ISO14001 – EMS (Environmental Management System) is used to help organizations (a) minimize how their operations (processes, etc.) negatively affect the environment (i.e., cause adverse changes to air, water, or land); (b) comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally oriented requirements, and (c) continually improve in the above.
- ISO 27001 – ISMS (Information Security Management System) specifies a management system that is intended to bring information security under explicit management control. Fields of concerns are Security policy, Asset management, human resources security, access control, incident management system etc.
- OHSAS 18001 – (Occupational Health and Safety Advisory System) helps companies to propose and implement precautions that, wherever possible, remove, reduce risks or isolate employees from them in a workplace. In case this is not possible, working activities have to be planned and managed through organizational precautions so that employees’ performance was safe and healthy.
The business process management system (BPMS) internally named ADONIS that describes the office’s processes flow structure is also deployed, maintained and improved. Each employee can find information on organizational structure, valid laws, rules and other documents, available applications, databases and information systems.
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
Workstations - HP, processor Intel Core2Duo, Core I3 and Core I5, RAM 1- 8 GB, HDD 160 - 500 GB. 300 workstations connected in the Office network are of the Office staff direct service. Thereof 50 computers connected in the Office network are intended for the clients of the Office and staff training. MS OFFICE – 2007/2010/2013/2016 software. The Office uses CD, DVD and magnetic tapes as data mediums.
Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
In-house systems (online/offline)
The Office maintains an in-house search database of national applications of industrial designs and registered industrial designs. The database is not accessible to the public but its structure corresponds to the public database (contains only national registered industrial designs since no. 3500).
External databases
The Office provides publicly free access to the database comprising the data concerning registered national industrial designs since no. 3500 and registered community designs at the IPO CZ website http://upv.cz/en/client-services/online-databases/industrial-design-databases.html .
The Office also performs searches in design databases freely accessible in the Internet such as Hague Express Database, eSearch plus, DesignView (both maintained by EUIPO) and other national databases. The links to these databases are provided at the Office´s web site (http://www.upv.cz/en.html).
Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
File building
The industrial design search file consists of the collection of registered industrial designs of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia. The full retrospective collection of registered and published industrial designs is accessible via public database. The database contains bibliographic data as well as images of approx. 33000 published registrations. The oldest data comes from the 1966/67 turn of the year.
Updating and Storage, including mass storage media
The data is updated daily and stored electronically (official databases, hard discs, magnetic tapes for backup) and in a paper version.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
Collections of official bulletins of foreign offices are available in an electronic (via Internet or in a paper or on CDs/DVDs (older volumes) . WIPO and Community Design Bulletin are available in electronic version via Internet (new volumes) and in CD/DVD version (previous volumes).
Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)Other matters
The Office uses the internal information system SYPP2(starting from January 2014) to proceed the applications of patents, supplementary patent certificates, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks and geographical indications. The system has been developed since 2011 as a major upgrade of previous version SYPP which was used from 2004 until 2013. The new application is more flexible, based on Oracle Forms with easier maintaining and more flexible data structure. Data are stored in xml format including the history. The system is also more user-friendly. System is connected with central registers of the Czech Republic (ISZR). The project was co-financed by the European fund for regional development within the EU project Enforcement of Industrial Property Rights..The system enables to maintain official registers of all the industrial property rights. Furthermore it archives all incoming and outgoing communications of the Office, provides the information on the state of proceeding, legal status of registrations and statistical data. The Document Management System (DMS) is integrated as well.. The system also processes foreign applications within PCT and the European patents valid in the territory of the Czech Republic. The data are transferred to the electronic Office’s Bulletin and to the public search database. The system is compatible with electronic filing recognizing authorized electronic certificates. The on-line filing system was launched in August 2006, the version used in 2016 based on pdf forms was released in September 2009. During 2016 a new system based on web application was being developed and planned to be launched in 2017. Starting from January 2008, the system produces automatic electronic extracts from registers upon online request.
Information services available to the public
The information centre and the helpdesk operate during the working days. They provide the general information concerning the industrial property rights.
Design information services for the public are provided within the information centre, in the public reading room, common questions can be addressed to the helpdesk (helpdesk@upv.cz) and search requests to the search section. The Office received a total of 4 design search requests in 2016.(Since 2014 there has been a change in the methodology of statistical records of searches). A total of 1677 searches (for patents, designs, trademarks) was provided for the State administrative bodies.
The Office provides full range of brochures and flyers free of charge. They can be downloaded in PDF format from the Office´s web site, taken in the office headquarters or sent upon request. The Office publishes its own books and the Industrial Property Journal (6 issues per year) reflecting the current issues of IP rights.
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN INFORMATION
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