Where URLs are requested below, it is preferred that either URLs which are likely to remain stable over time (three years or more) are provided, or home (main) page URLs are provided with a short explanation of how to access the corresponding information.
The term "patent" covers utility models and Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs). Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in their Annual Technical Reports on Industrial Design Information Activities.
National patent, applications
2.557 in 2009 - 2,66% compared to 2008
2.627 in 2008 - 1,68% compared to 2007
2.672 in 2007 + 1 % compared to 2006
2.647 in 2006 + 5 % compared to 2005
2.505 in 2005 +- 0 % compared to 2004
2.514 in 2004 + 5,94 % compared to 2003
2.373 in 2003
Granted national patents
1.102 in 2009 - 15% compared to 2008
1.301 in 2008 + 5% compared to 2007
1.237 in 2007 - 20% compared to 2006 (see remark below)
1.564 in 2006 + 66 % compared to 2005 (due to the influence of a new patent law which caused the statistic comprising nearly 1 1/2 year of grantings for this time)
0.938 in 2005 - 7 % compared to 2004
0.961 in 2004 - 29,29% compared to 2003
1.359 in 2003
Granted European patents with AT as designated state
34.332 in 2009 - 5% compared to 2008
36.238 in 2008 + 8% compared to 2007
33.466 in 2007 - 3% compared to 2006
34.540 in 2006 + 20 % compared to 2005
28.640 in 2005 + 1,5 % compared to 2004
28.223 in 2004 + 5,91% compared to 2003
26.646 in 2003
Utility model, applications
0.928 in 2009 + 7,7% compared to 2008
0.861 in 2008 - 1% compared to 2007
0.871 in 2007 - 14% compared to 2006
1.019 in 2006 + 3 % compared to 2005
0.989 in 2005 - 7,3 % compared to 2004
1.067 in 2004 + 1,62% compared to 2003
1.050 in 2003
Utility model, registrations
590 in 2009 - 20% compared to 2008
740 in 2008 + 2% compared to 2007
726 in 2007 - 7% % compared to 2006
787 in 2006 + 1 % compared to 2005
776 in 2005 + 6,2 % compared to 2004
731 in 2004 + 2,81% compared to 2003
711 in 2003
Supplementary protection certificate, application
52 in 2009 + 1% compared to 2008
51 in 2008 - 36% compared to 2007
80 in 2007 + 90% compared to 2006
42 in 2006 +- 0% compared to 2005
43 in 2005 + 34% compared to 2004
32 in 2004 - 3% compared to 2003
33 in 2003
Supplementary protection certificate, registration
54 in 2009 + 35% compared to 2008
40 in 2008 + 2% compared to 2007
39 in 2007 - 13% compared to 2006
45 in 2006 + 15% compared to 2005
39 in 2005 + 56% compared to 2004
25 in 2004 - 16,67% compared to 2003
30 in 2003
Number of valid national patents
10.335 in 2009 - 1,33% compared to 2008
10.462 in 2008 + 1,38% compared to 2007
10.320 in 2007
Number of valid EP-patents in AT
93.407 in 2009 -1,33% compared to 2008
94.667 in 2008 +3,46% compared to 2007
91.500 in 2007
PCT ISA-Search Reports incl. Examination reports
1.628 in 2009 +41 compared to 2008
1.154 in 2008 -8% compared to 2007
1.253 in 2007 +11% compared to 2006
1.121 in 2006 +4% compared to 2005
1.075 in 2005
Corresponding to the structure of the Austrian industry the majority of applications were filed in the fields of
23% process engineering and transportation
20% human necessities
17% mechanical engineering
13% fixed construction
11% physics
These leading industrial sectors correspond to the leading sectors of the preceding years, only the sequence within these sectors changes from year to year
Homepage
http://www.patentamt.at
Statistics for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs
http://www.patentamt.at/Publikationen/
Statistics for 2009 are in the Patent Gazette "Patentblatt" April 2010
Link: http://www.patentamt.at/Media/PB2010004I.pdf
or by following this navigation path:
http://www.patentamt.at
erfindungsschutz
Publikationen
Austrian Patent Gazette
15.4.2010 Patentblatt April 2010 Teil I
The Patent Gazette and Utility Model Gazette are published monthly on the Internet.
With July 2005 a new patent law has entered into force. Since then, Austrian patent applications are published 18 months after the priority date, like in most other countries. For this, a publication server, based on the publication server of the European Patent Office, has been installed and is accessible under http://www.patentamt.at/Home/daspatentamt/PubServ/Pubserv.html.
Since then, unexamined Austrian patent applications are published as A1 (with a search report), A2 (without a search report), A3 (only the search report) 18 months after the priority date. The ST.16 code A4 is used for published unexamined applications which are published together with the granted patent before 18 months.
Code Title in German
(Translation Title in English)
A1 Österreichische Patentanmeldung
(Publication of application with search report)
e.g. AT 507 306 A1 Österr. Patentanmeldung 2010-04-15
A2 Österreichische Patentanmeldung (Publication of application without search report)
e.g. AT 508 457 A2 Österr. Patentanmeldung 2009-09-15
A3 Recherchenbericht
(later Publication of search report)
e.g. Recherchenbericht zu A 1147/2008
A4 Österreichische Patentanmeldung
(Publication of application like A2, but published on same day as B1 document)
e.g. AT 507 291 A4 Österr. Patentanmeldung 2010-04-15
A5 Österreichische Patentanmeldung
(Publication of application with search report national phase:PCT/AT
e.g. AT 506 395 A5 2009-09-15
A8 Neudruck der Titelseite eines österr. A-Dokuments
Corrected title page of Austrian A document
A9 Vollständiger Neudruck eines österr. A-Dokuments
Complete reprint of Austrian A document
B Patentschrift (Patent )
treated under the old law (before 2005-07-01) but published on the 15th of each month under the new law
e.g. AT 414339 B
B1 Patentschrift (Patent)
Granted Patent Docment treated under the new law (after 2005-07-01)
e.g. AT 507 291 B1 2010-04-15
B2 Patent amended after opposition
B8 Korrigierte Titelseite eines österr. B-Dokuments
Corrected title page of Austrian B document
B9 Vollständiger Neudruck eines österr. B-Dokuments
Complete reprint of Austrian B document
e.g. AT 500 651 B9 2010-04-15
T Übersetzung der europäischen Patentschrift
Translation of European patent
e.g. AT E 230 606 T1
U1 Gebrauchsmusterschrift mit Recherchenbericht
Utility model with search report
e.g. AT 11060 U1 2010-04-15
U2 Gebrauchsmusterschrift ohne Recherchenbericht
Utility model without search report
e.g. AT 11123 U2 2010-03-15
U3 Recherchenbereicht (Gebrauchsmusterschrift)
later published Search report only (utility model)
e.g. AT 9 597 U3 2010-01-15
U8 Korrigierte Titelseite eines Gebrauchsmusters
Corrected title page of utility model
U9 Vollständiger Neudruck eines Gebrauchsmusters
Complete reprint of utility model
Online information about Austrian property rights is accessible at terminals in the library and information centre.
Internet-access (number search) to bibliographic data and about amount and time-limit for the next renewal fee is given for free. Priced Internet access for more search criteria and to register information is given to registered users since January 1999.
Patent Gazette, Utility Model Gazette, Internet, in-house online database.
An Internet Publication server for patent and utiltiy model documents is online since September 2005.
Austrian patent and utiltiy model specifications are published on CD-ROM (MIMOSA).
Since September 2005 also on the Austria's Patent Office web site / Publication server http://pubserv.patentamt.at/PublicationServer/search.jsp?lg=de
Paper forms, microfilm, microfiche, CD, DVD are used as mass storage media.
Mostly MS Word ist used, except some letters generated on the legacy host-system.
Since July 2005, the patent applications are scanned by an in-house scanning team with EPO-Scan and prepared for the publication on the Internet publication server. Patent applications are published in image format.
The former outsourced preparation of publications of granted patents and registered utility models has been redesigned. The new process is operational since August 2009.
- Paper Documents are scanned (EPOSCAN),
- OCR-treated (Fine Reader) and converted to MS-Word full-text files.
- The Word documents are proof-read in order to identify OCR-errors and are manually corrected.
- The layout is done in MS-Word. A standard MS-Word layout is used.
- Paragraph numbers are inserted
- Search reports for utility models are converted from MS-Word Format to .pdf
- After completion of the layout, the document is transformed into a .pdf document, search reports and bookmarks are added (Adobe Acrobat Professional).
- The bibliographic data for the title pages are extracted from the SQL-Server Database
- And converted to a XML-ST.36 Format (via APO internal Web-Application).
- This XML ST.36 is the basis for further processing of the bibliographic data:
--- title pages (XML -> via Crystal Report -> MS Word; in MS-Word the figure is inserted)
--- Distribution of these publications:
---- Text-PDF and XML-ST.36 files are encrypted and sent to the EPO for entering the data in theri databases. After finishing the tests, this will replace the previous proprietary data exchange format.
---- Publications are imported into the APO publication server
- XML transformations as well as completion / correction of the XML data are done via ALTOVA.
Both kinds of documents (patent and utility models) are published on the publication server.
Homepage
http://www.patentamt.at
Publication Server: (documents from September 2005 onwards)
http://pubserv.patentamt.at/PublicationServer/search.jsp?lg=de
Patent Gazettes
http://www.patentamt.at/Publikationen/
Navigation:
http://www.patentamt.at
erfindungsschutz
Publikationen
Patent applicants have to provide an abstract drafted according to national rules similar to WIPO Standard ST.12/A in german language. This abstract is subject to the examination as to formal requirements. The abstracts are only published on the first page of patent documents (Ax, Bx).
Austrian patent documents are reviewed by Derwent Publications Limited and available through the Derwent World Patents Index databases (WPI).
Filed patent and utility model applications and published documents are classified according to IPC advanced level. Search reports contain the classification according to IPC and to ECLA. Mentionning of ECLA on Search reports was introduced 2007 with Austrians participation in the UPP project (Utilisation Pilot Project: EPO, UK, DE, DK and AT)
For search purposes the IPC, ECLA and the Japanese classification systems are used. Reclassification of patent documents is not carried out.
Internal training courses on the use of the IPC, ECLA and the Japanese classification systems are regularily held for the technical examiners.
Since 2006 the Austrian Patent Office uses the IPC advanced level for classification.
Since 2007 the Austrian Patent Office also indicates the ECLA on the Search reports.
The classified search files of the technical examiners cover at least all documents of the PCT minimum documentation.
Since 2003 the APO uses the full version of EPOQUE via Patnet.
The Austrian Patent Office receives patent documents from: Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Serbia and Montenegro, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Hungary, Uzbekistan, United States of America, United Kingdom, Vietnam and from the international organisations EPO, EAPO and WIPO.
The legacy systems are running on a SIEMENS mainframe (SR2000), providing administration of bibliographic data, of patent, trademarks and utility models as well as industrial designs in the whole application process.
Online registry information is provided via internet.
Several Data from the host system are copied to a MS-SQL-database. This database is used for preparing letters in MS-Word, for statistics, preparing the publication documents (first page) ...
Access to EPOQUE-NET, epoline, QUESTEL, STN, Internet- databases (ELSEVIER, IEEE... )
Internet Access is available to all examiners at their desk top.
The paperless administration system for search and examination requests, including PCT international applications, was extended to the processing of patent and utility applications and became operational in May 2002. The SQL-based system allows the input of all reports in the area of patents and utility models directly on the terminal with transfer to a host and processing of the fair copy.
Statistical tools are employed to ensure quality and time-limits.
The register still works with the legacy host-system.
Hardware: Pentium III 800 MHz for all examiners via Ethernet-Lan, leased lines to Internet and EPO (The Hague); Host Siemens BS2000.
Software: Windows Operating System (Win2000, WinXP), MS-Office, EPOQUE/SEA, MS Internet Explorer, STN-Express, Questel Imagination, In house document-management systems for establishing search & examination-reports.
Examiners can store one or more keywords together with a file and can search for these keywords.
No defined standard for these keywords.
The library is a public library. 26 million patent documents, more than 99.000 volumes of non-patent-literature and 90.000 privileges (forerunners of patent documents) are the basis of the collection.
The catalogue of the stock of the documentation is online accessible for in-house purposes and for the public in the reading room.
The Austrian Patent Office receives the patent documentation according to free-of-charge-exchange agreements between offices. Non-patent-literature from other libraries and documentation centres in Europe is ordered by the members of the office and most of them delivered within 24 hours by the staff of the library.
A list of the complete patent documentation and the non-patent literature is published on Intranet.
The library of the Austrian Patent Office is not a lending library. Interlibrary lending is done to a small extent for other patent offices and governmental institutions.
The PATLIB network in Austria consists of 8 patent information centres all over Austria.
The Austrian Patent Office offers free information services concerning legal questions, details of registration procedures, property rights or due fees, which can be submitted verbally (personally or by phone, e-mail to info@patentamt.at).
Legal and technical experts of the Austrian Patent Office can be consulted for legal and technical questions in connection with an intellectual property right, a pending application or for an intended application. The legal information service is available personally or by telephone or by e-mail to info@patentamt.at free of charge on all working days.
At the information centre in the Austrian Patent Office information is provided by telephone, e-mail or face-to-face about all national intellectual property applications and granted rights, about published European and international patent applications designated for Austria, as well as about registered international trademarks with effect for Austria, and about community trademarks of the European Union and about national and Community designs. This information covers all bibliographic data of the mentioned protection rights. This inquiry can also be made in the library by self-service (with support of the library personnel) on computer workstations.
The register administrators of the Austrian Patent Office provide information concerning the current legal status of all effective patents, utility models, semiconductor rights, supplementary protection certificates, trademarks and designs. The officials in charge can be consulted at their consultation hours about specific applications, e.g. the correct trademark or design classification of a sign or product.
Information services of the Service and Information Center (serv.ip, former TRF)
The Service and Information Center of the Austrian Patent Office (serv.ip) started its activities in the fall of 1994 pursuant to the appropriate regulations of the amendment of the Patent Law of 1992 and the corresponding ordinance of 1994. The central purpose of the founding of this enterprise was to offer customer-oriented service and information products in the area of patents, trademarks and designs in a commercial manner. The following services are offered:
The Express Search
is a search of the state of the art and serves to determine the point of departure for new developments in all technical areas including sequences. The Express Search provides a valuable basis for solving technical problems, prefiling evaluating the novelty of inventions, judging the current market situation and estimating future market developments. The Express Search also provides relevant documents for oppositions or nullity proceedings.
In Addition to the Express Search in the Patent filed, serv.ip offers:
- trademark similarity search
- a similarity record including colour images
- trademark monitoring
- information in written form
- uncertified register extracts
- express services concerning national and international trademark
similarity searches, register extracts as well as written information
- external on-line information
- translation of the list of goods and services from the German into
French or English
Express service:
Register extracts as well as written information are supplied within 24 hours after receipt of order by fax and by email upon request.
External on-line information:
Internet access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office for information concerning patents, utility models, designs and supplementary protection certificates is available. Registry status for industrial design is available online.
The homepage of the Austrian Patent Office contains general information as well as detailed references for applicants concerning forms for application and the current fees for all industrial property rights, namely patent, utility model, trademark, design, supplementary protection certificate as well as semiconductor protection. All bibliographic data, and information about time limit and amount of the next renewal fee, are free of charge. Full access to the database of the Austrian Patent Office, which covers all property rights for Austria according to different search criteria, e.g. owner, inventor, international patent classification, application and register number, is made possible by using a password.
Address of the Austrian Homepage: http://www.patentamt.at
Online database access concerning all Austrian patents and utility models in force is given directly at the information centre and via Internet. Information is also provided by telephone, e-mail or as answers to written requests.
From journals containing general information about patents and patent information (WPI, etc.) single articles are treated as a complete monograph and put into the online-catalogue. These articles can be found under the author or/and the catchword.
The Homepage of the Austrian Patent Office is accessible in German and English.
The address is: www.patentamt.at . Under the heading NEWS
new developments in the office, announcements for seminars and training-courses are published.
Navigation:
Homepage http://www.patentamt.at
beratung
Services:
http://www.servip.at/
http://www.servip.at/Leistungen___Angebote/
Prices:
http://www.servip.at/AGB/
Patent Services (Express Search etc.):
http://www.patentamt.at/Beratung/Recherche_und_Produkte/Patentrecherche/
Gottfried Stimmeder, phone: + 43 1 534 24 712; fax: + 43 1 534 24 733
mailto: Gottfried.Stimmeder@patentamt.at
Navigation:
Homepage: http://www.patenamt.at
Protection of inventions
General information
-------------------
http://www.patentamt.at/Erfindungsschutz/Schutzrechte/
Forms
-----
http://www.patentamt.at/Erfindungsschutz/Formulare_und_Gebuehren/
Here you find forms and infosheets concerning AT national patent application, AT national Utility Models applications, entering PCT national phase.
Our Information sheets and application forms are only available in german.
PATENTS
-------
Information sheet / Patent applications
PA 144 1.7.2010 06 Infoblatt Patentanmeldung
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/PA144.pdf
Patent application form:
PA 1 15.7.2010 Anmeldeformular Patent [PDF]
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/PA1.pdf
Application forms for entering PCT national phase in Austria:
-------------------------------------------------------------
PA 1 PCT 7.1.2008 Patentanmeldung (PCT) Einleitung der nationalen Phase (pdf)
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/PA1_PCT.pdf
PCT fees:
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/Infoblatt_Gebuehren.pdf
UTILITY MODELS
--------------
Information sheet
Application form for AT national application
GM 1 15.7.2010 Anmeldeformular Gebrauchsmuster [PDF]
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/GM1.pdf
GM 1 PCT 7.1.2008 Gebrauchsmusteranmeldung PCT) Einleitung der nationalen Phase
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/GM1_PCT.pdf
SPC "Schutzzertifikate"
-----------------------
Application Form
SZ 1 15.7.2010 Anmeldeformular Schutzzertifikat [PDF]
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/SZ1.pdf
Topographies of semiconductors
Application Form
HT 1 7.1.2008 Anmeldeformular Halbleiter (Topographie) [Word]
http://www.patentamt.at/Media/HT1.pdf
Since 2003 the Austrian Patent Office has stopped the publication of the paper version of the Patent Gazette and the Utility Model Gazette and has changed over to put these publications on Internet. Since that time the paper production was reduced.
Austrian Patent specifications are published on CDs from 1991 onwards.
The whole Austrian patent documentation (A,A1,A2,A3,A4,A8,A9, B,B1,B2,B8, B9, U1,U2,U3,U8,U9) is included in the BNS system of EPO.
The Austrian Publication Server covers Austrian patent documents (A, B, U)published by the Austrian Patent Office from 2005/09/25 onwards. Each monthly XML file in the list contains the list of Austrian patent documents published at the corresponding date.
As the Austrian Patent Gazette and the Austrian Utility Model Gazette are published on the Homepage most of the countries stop the exchange of paper copies.
Priority documents are exchanged in paper form.
Applications can be filed in paper form or submitted as telefax.
Training courses are held for patent experts from developing countries in co-operation with the WIPO since 1977. Patent information and documentation are the main topics.
In 2008 the annual training course with WIPO has been cancelled. In 2009 and 2010 new courses took place.
In 2009 Participants came from China, Cuba, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indoa, Indonesia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Ukrain.
In 2010 Participants came from Belarus, Bhutan, Cuba, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Oman (GCC), Pakistan, Serbia, Syria, Ukraine.
The program of these courses provided practical training in the use of the International Patent Classification for file organization and searching as well as in the methodology of retrieving information from patent literature in search files and from online databases for patent examination, state-of-the-art searches and other technological information purposes.
Furthermore the curriculum included a demonstration of the Austrian Patent Office's operation and administration.
The training course provided also information about international treaties such as TRIPS, PCT, SPLT and EU-COMPAT as well as basic knowledge about trademarks and design.
The Austrian Patent Office participates in the examination of patent applications, which were submitted by patent offices of developing countries on the basis of an agreement with the WIPO since 1986. applications from Vietnam, Jordan and Chile were transferred for treatment to the Austrian Patent Office in the context of this International Cooperation for Search and Examination of Inventions (ICSEI) project in the year 2009.
In 2008 the Austrian Patent Office started the "Dicover.IP" activity. Discover.IP runs in the framework of the Eurpoean Patent Network, and is based on the Idea "Pre-Diagnostic" from the french Patent Office.
Target of Dicover.IP are young enterprises with a low level of IP-knowledge. In this project, the Austrian Patent Office cooperates with aws (Austria Wirtschaftsservice). aws brings in the knowhow concerning financial questions and prctical aspects of business. In a first meeting with the Management of the enterprise the IP-relating situation and the products are analysed, and overview of the IP situation in the technical field is given. In teh next step a report is elaborated, which is in a second meeting presentes to the Management. teh reports analyses the situtation and gives advice of how to improve the legal position in IP of the enterprise.
Since the 1980's the Austrian Patent Office has been organizing training courses and seminars to an increasing extent both in the office and externally in Austria's provinces in order to facilitate an efficient use of industrial property rights in the practical business and to inform future decision makers about the instruments of intellectual property.
External seminars are frequently organized together with partners, like the Chamber of commerce (WKÖ), Institute for Promotion of Trade and Industry (WIFI), Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws), Forschungsfoerderungsgesellschaft (FFG), technology transfer centers, universities, other authorities, inventors federation or the bar association. The cooperation with partners frequently improves the contacts with the target groups using the existing communication structure. Seminars take place also in cooperation with other patent offices.
In order to expand these demanded training course activities additionally two seminar series were started in the Austrian Patent Office in 2001, which are organized by the Austrian Patent Office/serv.ip (Service and Information Sector.) As a result of the interest, these seminar series were continued in 2007. One of said seminar series concerns an overview of the industrial property rights. The second seminar series deals with special topics, e.g., patent state-of-the-art searches,software protection, biotechnology, national, community and international trademarks etc., and is arranged under consultation of external experts in the respective area.
A further important information platform, in particular for professionals, who are potential clients of the patent office, but did not yet contact the office due to a lack of basic information, are domestic and international trade fairs.
The Austrian Patent Office was also presented at 31 other events, seminars and trade fairs with over 4000 participants.
Austrian Patent Gazette
The Austrian Patent Gazette is published by the Austrian Patent Office on the 15th of each month.
Part 1 (I Teil) is the general part and contains decisions, notices, law, and the organsational changes of the Austrian Patent Office etc.
Part 2 A(II Teil A) contains bibiliographic data concerning national Austrian patents and supplementary protection certificates.
Part 2 B(II Teil B) contains bibiliographic data concerning European patents with designation Austria.
Please note: PCT Electronic Gazette available under:
http://www.wipo.int/ipdl/en/
Austrian Utility model Gazette
The Austrian Utility model Gazette is published by the Austrian Patent Office on the 15th of each month and contains bibliographic data about Austrian utility models.
You can order previous issues at:
Copy Service
1st Floor, Room 142
Tel.: +43 (1) 534 24 738
fax: +43 (1) 534 24-737
e-mail: kopierstelle@patentamt.at
Navigation:
Homepage http://www.patentamt.at
The Austrian Patent Office
Laws
http://www.patentamt.at/Home/daspatentamt/gesetzlichegrundlagen/12035_1.html
For further information about activities of the office, one may also refer to the Annual Report of the Austrian Patent Office, published in German and English on the Homepage of the office
2009: http://www.patentamt.at/Das_Oesterreichische_Patentamt/News/Geschaeftsbericht_2009/
2008: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2008/frames.html
2007: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2007/frames.html
2006: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2006/frames.html
2005: http://www.patentamt.at/geschaeftsbericht2005 .
Since 2007 the Austrian Patent Office offers a Newsletter-Service available under http://www.patentamt.at/Home/daspatentamt/Newsletter/21583.html.
| 1. | Classification is allotting one or more classification symbols (e.g., IPC symbols) to a patent application, either before or during search and examination, which symbols are then published with the patent application. |
| 2. | Preclassification is allotting an initial broad classification symbol (e.g., IPC class or subclass, or administrative unit) to a patent application, using human or automated means for internal administrative purposes (e.g., routing an application to the appropriate examiner). Usually preclassification is applied by the administration of an office. |
| 3. | Reclassification is the reconsideration and usually the replacement of one or more previously allotted classification symbols to a patent document, following a revision and the entry into force of a new version of the Classification system (e.g., the IPC). The new symbols are available on patent databases. |