CWS.ATR.PI.2009.RU

Annual Technical Report 2009 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Russian Federation (CWS/ATR/PI/2009/RU)

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.

I. Evolution of patent activities

Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants with respect to the previous year

As of January 1, 2008 Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation entered into force. It contains the provisions regulating legal relations in the sphere of intellectual property protection. As a result of the entry into force of that document a series of implementing legislation - administrative regulations, was produced in order to regulate the activities of Rospatent in performing the State functions entrusted to it.

In 2009 a number of administrative regulations came into force relating to the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions relating to:

- organization of the receipt of invention applications and the consideration and examination thereof, as well as the grant of Russian Federation patents in accordance with established procedure;

- organization of the receipt of applications for utility models and the consideration and examination thereof, as well as the grant of Russian Federation patents for utility models in accordance with established procedure;

- the extension, in accordance with established procedure, of the term of validity of a patent relating to means, for the application of which permission is required from the relevant authorized body in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, the term of validity of a patent for an industrial design, certificate (patent) for a utility model, registration certificates for trademarks and service marks, certificates for the right to use an appellation of origin, and also restoration of the validity of a patent, utility model or industrial design, curtailed as a result of non-payment, within the prescribed period, of the fee to maintain this in force;

- registration of agreements for the grant of the right to inventions, utility models, industrial designs, trademarks, service marks, protected computer programs, databases, topographies of integrated circuits, and also commercial concession agreements for the use of intellectual property subject matter, protectable in accordance with the patent legislation of the Russian Federation.

Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year

Inventions

Table I shows the data for 2008-2009 for the filing of applications for and grant of Russian Federation patents for inventions.

See Table 1.

The patents granted for inventions in 2009 were distributed according to the sections of the International Patent Classification (IPC) as follows:

See Table 2.

In 2009, the same distribution trends were preserved according to the sections of the IPC as in 2008. The largest number of patents for inventions in 2009 was granted to Russian applicants for Section A of the IPC - Human Necessities; and to foreign applicants for Section C - Chemistry and Metallurgy.

The least popular among both Russian and foreign applicants was Section D - Textiles and Paper. The number of patents granted under this Section in 2009 constituted only 0.89 per cent of the overall number of patents granted for inventions.

Utility Models

In 2009, the positive trend in the receipt of utility model applications was preserved, although growth was not large (1.44 per cent compared to 2008), and the number of certificates (patents) granted also increased (by 12.88 per cent).

See Table 3.

Table 4 below contains the data for the distribution of utility model certificates (patents) according to sections of the IPC.

See Table 4.

The leading Section of the IPC in 2009 was once again Section B - Performing Operations and Transporting, and in second place Section A - Human Necessities. The one in least demand remained Section D - Textiles and Paper (according to the number of certificates issued it is the least numerous), and also Section C - Chemistry and Metallurgy.

Patents-Table1 Patents-Table2 Patents-Table3 Patents-Table4

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide statistics related to patents

Statistical information is provided on the Rospatent site, in relation to patents, in the following Section:
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/otchety/

This Section contains in particular the Information for the use of intellectual property subject matter in federal regions of the Russian Federation, Information for the use of intellectual property subject matter according to types of economic activity; and the Provision of legal protection for intellectual property subject matter section of the Rospatent Annual Report.

II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, distribution and use of primary and secondary sources of patent information

Publishing, printing, copying (main types of publications of the Office in the field of patent information, etc.)

During the reporting period, the following were published in official gazettes:

• 58,247 invention announcements, including 34,824 claims for invention patents, 23,290 claims for invention applications and 133 claims for previously unpublished inventions;

• 10,919 utility model claims.

Documents providing protection were prepared and sent to rights owners for all types of industrial and intellectual property subject matter.

All the information on inventions and utility models was published in the Rospatent Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette on electronic CD-ROM carrier with search system.

Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of patent information

Table 5 gives information on the main types of Office communications in the field of patent information.

See Table 5.

In 2009, an annual index to the Gazettes for 2008 was issued for the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette on paper – five volumes.

In 2009, the 2008 Rospatent Annual Report was prepared and issued.

The Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette on electronic CD-ROM carrier, with search system, and corresponding paper Gazette are distributed by subscription. The last three Gazettes are available on the Rospatent site.

Patents-Table5

Mass storage media used (paper, microforms, optical storage, etc.)

Optical and paper carriers as well as databases were used as means for storing data files. There follow a list and a short description of the means for storing data files:

- In 2009, the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette was published on CD-ROM, with a total of 36 issues during the year;

- Alongside the Official Gazette, Gazettes were also published on paper with the same frequency;

- An information search mechanism for descriptions of inventions in Russian and English for 1994-2009 on DVD - quarterly, cumulative;

- Annual retrospective sets of invention descriptions for USSR author's certificates and RF patents for 1924-2008 on DVD (a total of 100 disks);

- Title sheets of utility model descriptions for RF documents providing protection for 1994-2009 on DVD - one disk;

- Descriptions of utility models for RF documents providing protection for 1994-2009 on DVD;

- Descriptions of patent inventions on paper - 34,824 units;

- Title sheets of utility model descriptions on paper - 10,919 units;

- Annual index for the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette on paper - five volumes;

- New version of the IPC (IPC-2009), core and advanced levels on CD-ROM, and also with the parallel paper edition of the core level;

- In 2009, publication of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette continued on the Rospatent Internet site, as did updating of the registers of Russian inventions and utility models with details of their legal status.

Table 6 contains information on the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FIPS) inventions and utility models databases, the number of documents therein, a retrospective and the frequency with which they are updated.

Search system, retrospective and database scope (information as at December 31, 2009)

See Table 6.

Table 7 contains data on FGU FIPS open registers, the number of documents contained therein, a retrospective and the frequency with which they are updated.

Registers, retrospective and database scope (information as at December 31, 2009)

See Table 7

In 2009, within Rospatent the PatSearch information-search system (ISS) was brought into operation for all examiners' workplaces, for the purposes of examining inventions and utility models. The PatSearch system was created as a professional search system for Patent Office examiners carrying out searches when examining inventions and utility models. In this regard, within the system an expanded selection of functional and service-related possibilities is available.

System search files

• DWPI file;
• Descriptions of USSR inventions for 1924-1993;
• Descriptions of RF inventions from 1994 to the present;
• RF utility model claims from No. 1 to the present;
• Russian invention application claims;
• Unpublished Russian invention applications;
• Abstracts of patent documents from leading countries in the world in English (DWPI);
• PCT minimum national invention descriptions, including
• РСТ applications
• European Patent Office (EPO)
• USA
• Japan
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• France
• Austria
• Аustralia
• Switzerland
• ARIPO
• OAPI
• Invention descriptions from СIS countries with abstracts in Russian (CISPATENT).
A total of more than 70 million patent documents.

The possibility of searching the EPO Espace@net system is also provided, as is a search of non-patent literature in the electronic digital library, E-Library.

Patents-Table6 Patents-Table7

Word processing and office automation

Information for publication is transmitted on an electronic carrier via the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (FGU FIPS) local network, after being scanned and numbered. After being read by editors, information on inventions and utility models and also different kinds of notifications are transferred to the MIMOSA information search system for subsequent publication on CD-ROM.

(New) techniques used for the generation of patent information (printing, recording, photocomposing, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), etc.)

For the preparation of patent information, the following technology is used:
- PK FS P3-866 51 units
- PK Compaq P4-1.8 1 unit
- PK HP P4-2.6 3 units
- PK HP P4-2.8 32 units
- PK HP CD-2.83 5 units
- Fujitsu fi-5750 C scanner 1 unit
- Fujitsu fi-4220 C scanner 1 unit
- Fujitsu M 3099GX scanner 1 unit
- HP LaserJet 4250n printer 4 units
- HP LaserJet 4100n printer 1 unit
- HP LaserJet 4200n printer 1 unit
- SCANPORT handheld scanner 4 units
- CIPHERLAB handheld scanner 1 unit

CD-ROMs containing the Official Gazette are printed by a firm which specializes in the publication of such products.

The paper Gazette is printed on an FGU FIPS polygraphic base:

- by polygraphic means on Romajor-314, GTO 52-2 and QM-46-1-1 printing machines (an Inter Plater 66 P –one unit, a Bacher Platemaker 3071 copying frame – one unit, a photocomposition device for correcting and editing originals – two units, and an ITEK-617S processor for producing argentiferous offset printed forms are used to produce printed forms);

- by electrographic means on a Docutech 6100 operational printing system.

All printing materials are transferred electronically in PDF format.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide access to online publication of patent documents and gazettes, and to other primary and secondary sources of patent information, including patent publication servers and download of bulk patent data

The web page addresses on the Office site, which provide access to online publications:

• official Gazettes - Inventions, utility models subsection in the Electronic Gazettes section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/electron_bulletins/inventions_utility_models/;

• patent documents and other main patent information sources, including patent publication servers and downloading of main patent data array - in the Information Search System section of the Databases
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

. International classifications
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/international_classification/;

. Open registers of Russian patent documents
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/.
This page contains links to the following publications:
- Register of Russian inventions
- Register of Russian utility models
- Register of Russian invention applications
- Register of Russian utility model applications

III. Matters concerning abstracting, classifying, reclassifying and indexing of technical information contained in patent documents

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

In 2009, abstracts continued to be published in Russian and English for RF patents granted for inventions as part of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette with full descriptions of inventions for RF patents and English-language abstracts on electronic CD-ROM carrier with search system. In addition, abstracts in Russian are published as part of the publication Descriptions of Inventions for RF Patents on paper (identical to publications on electronic carrier).

When analyzing selected foreign patent documentation, examiners used the automated text translation system PROMT available at their workplaces with built-in specialized thematic dictionaries. In order to enhance the quality of the PROMT system translation, method-related indications are devised for creating patent-oriented user dictionaries, based on a comparison of parallel texts of patent analogs, bilingual versions of the IPC and online dictionaries on different subjects for examiners, as well as their inclusion in the PROMT system.

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), and reclassification³ activities; Classification system used, e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC), other classification (please indicate whether or not patent documents are classified by your Office and, if so, which classification is used)

In the middle of 2009, the scientific and terminological processing of amendments and updates to all IPC sections was completed for the expanded level of the new version IPC-2010.01. A Russian-language version of the new edition IPC-2010.01 was prepared for the expanded level and published in electronic form.

Information on all the corrections made to the Russian-language version of the IPC was made known to examiners.

The national collection of patent documents relating to IPC headings subject to the above changes was reclassified. Information on the reclassification of the expanded level was entered into the MCD database.

In 2009, the expanded level of the IPC was used for the publication of patent documents.

In 2009, the following materials were prepared and sent to WIPO:

- comments on the draft А027 of the revised version of the IPC, in relation to aspects of transfer systems (subclasses Н04В, H04J);

- comments on the draft С452 of the revised version of the IPC in relation to nanotechnologies (В82);

- proposals for updating the Catchword Index with terms relating to the field of nanostructures and their use (draft C452, class В82);

- comments on the creation of definitions for IPC subclasses in relation to kitchen equipment (draft D135, subclass A47J) and in relation to the administration of medicines for the human organism (draft D104, sublcass А61М);

- comments on draft А026 of the revised version of the IPC in relation to the combustion of heavy fuel (F23B);

- comments on method-related support for IPC texts in relation to the production of matches (draft M721, subclass C06F);

- a proposal by a reviewer for method-related support for IPC texts in relation to meteorology (draft М 722, subclass G01W);

- a reviewer’s report on the creation of definitions for subclasses in relation to subclass G03H “holography” (draft D218).

In 2009, assimilation of an original IPC classification index, received by FGU FIPS for invention applications, was continued, in order to send such applications to the corresponding examination department where they are examined substantively.

Hybrid system indexing

In 2009, FGU FIPS examiners provided full hybrid system indexes for national documents on all publications.

Bibliographic data and full-text processing

In the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette on electronic CD-ROM carrier with search system, bibliographical data and claims for inventions and utility models are published, together with notifications of the amended legal status of patents and other notifications.

In the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette on electronic CD-ROM carrier with search system with full descriptions, in addition to the bibliographical data and claims, full texts of invention descriptions with drawings, abstracts of invention descriptions and also abstracts of invention descriptions in English are published.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

The structure and composition of the Patent Examination Collection (FPE) are determined by its purpose and by the tasks resolved on the basis of the Collection, and are governed by Rule 34 of the Regulations Under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), as well as by bilateral interoffice agreements and conventions.

In structural terms, the FPE consists of current and retrospective portions of collections of national and foreign patent documentation, a collection of patent-related literature, including scientific and technical literature in the form of books and periodicals, and also a collection of patent-law, standard-setting and method-related, and reference literature. FPE patent documentation is arranged according to IPC groups, within headings by country, within countries by year of publication, and thereafter in numerical order.

FPE national patent documentation includes descriptions of inventions of the USSR (from 1924 onwards), descriptions of RF inventions and utility models (applications, patents and certificates), and the official gazettes of the USSR and Russian Federation.

National patent documentation is compiled in separate collections (documentation of the USSR, Russian Federation and a collection of descriptions for RF utility models).

Updating

The current portion of the Collection is updated annually both with national and foreign patent documentation. In 2009, 177,100 copies of patent documentation on a paper carrier were received by the FPE, including 108,300 copies of foreign documentation and 68,800 copies of national documentation. The overall volume of FPE patent documents on a paper carrier stood at 19.98 million on January 1, 2010, of which more than two million were national and also more than 97,800 were scientific and technical books and journals. In addition, 46,900 copies of patent documents were received on optical disks, including 1,100 copies of foreign documents and 45,800 copies of national documents.

The PatSearch system is regularly updated with documents. The current flow of Russian documents relating to inventions and utility models is available to users on the day of official publication of the documents. DWPI abstracts, descriptions of inventions from CIS countries and descriptions of inventions from PCT minimum countries are loaded into the PatSearch system as the information and disks are received by the Office.

Storage, including mass storage media

Patent documentation on paper is stored in cases on shelves and on optical disks in special cupboards.

Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file

As at January 1, 2010, the foreign patent documentation collection on paper for examiners contained about 17.9 million patent documents from various countries of varying depths, beginning from 1920, and included documentation files from the following countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States of America, and also WIPO, EPO and the Eurasian Patent Office (EAPO), as well as patent documentation from CIS countries.

In their work, examiners also use foreign narrow-thematic, encyclopedic, reference and other patent and non-patent automated databases on optical disks and the Internet.

In the PatSearch system documentation from the following foreign offices is available for search purposes: EPO, WIPO, Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, ARIPO and OAPI – within the scope of CD/DVD collections. DWPI abstracts are available for 41 countries in the world from 1966 onwards.

V. Activities in the field of computerized and other mechanized search systems

In-house systems (online/offline)

In 2009, the main array of national and foreign patent documentation was available to examiners on line at their computerized workplaces.

Firstly, this was the Rospatent in-house search system, PatSearch, a new version of which was brought into operation in 2009. Currently, the system includes arrays of patent documents from Russia and the USSR, patent documentation from CIS countries, the WPI database and arrays of foreign documents included in the PCT minimum documentation. In addition, the search for non-patent literature is supported in the PatSearch system on the RFFI scientific electronic library (eLIBRARY.RU), containing more than 28,000 names of periodicals, including more than 5,700 Russian ones.

Where difficulties arise with searches or in case of the need to carry out searches of additional and fee-paying arrays of patent and non-patent information, examiners use two special search rooms.

In search rooms, examiners may use commercial databases (incurring a fee), not accessible from their workstations, such as national (for example VINITI), foreign, (for example, STN system databases), and also specialized and narrow-thematic databases, databases on library Internet sites containing scientific and technical literature, and the Google, Rambler, Yandex etc. search engines.

The PatSearch system has been created as a professional search system for patent Office examiners conducting a search when examining inventions and utility models. In this regard, an extended choice of functional and service-related possibilities is provided within the system.

The system has been created using modern server platforms:

Documentum - a subject-oriented means of storing and managing large arrays of data

- organization of an examiner’s working environment (meetings, work log);
- open architecture of data (patent documentation data sources and classificators);

Convera – a high-production search system

- high productivity
- flexible means of making requests;
- standardized indices

ORACLE – a high-production SUDB
- high productivity
- effective communications with the document storage area
- a meta-information storage area

Basic system service functions

• For examiners
– work log
– personal card index (collection)
– final collection
– preservation of all work structures (profiles) chosen by each of the examiners

• For chiefs
– review of search history of subordinate examiners

• For system administrators
– review of system logs
– means of inserting new arrays

• Security provision
– delimitation of powers
– restriction of access to individual arrays.

In 2009, on the Rospatent site Internet access was provided to:

- an information-search system for domestic patent documentation;
- registers of Russian patent documents for all forms of industrial property;
- registers containing information on the prosecution of applications filed in 2007-2009, for the grant of patents, utility models and industrial designs;
- Rospatent Official Gazettes: Inventions and Utility Models, Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin, and Industrial Designs.

External databases

For information searches of applications for the grant of patents, FGU FIPS examiners basically use databases of patent offices, freely available on the Internet, and a number of databases containing non-patent documentation, which examiners may search from their workstations in sectoral divisions.

To obtain additional patent information, freely available Internet databases are usually used by examiners, for example: Esp@cenet, the US Patent and Trademark Office database, the database of the Japan Patent Office, the WIPO database and the EAPO search system, EAPATIS.

To obtain data from application materials of the patent offices of Japan and Republic of Korea (as part of the RRN accelerated prosecution program), in 2009 FGU FIPS examiners had access to the AIPN and K-PION databases.

Of the freely available databases of non-patent literature, in most cases examiners use databases from their workstations relating to medicine and pharmaceuticals of the United States National Library, PubMed, and the polythematic database, Science Direct.

In addition to databases freely available from their workplaces for conducting searches of applications, FGU FIPS examiners are given the possibility to conduct complex searches of fee-paying commercial databases. These include:

- Databases provided through the STN International network. In most cases examiners use databases on chemistry (REGISTRY, Chemical Abstract (CA), BEILSTEIN, CASREACT, CHEMCATS etc.) and medicine (EMBASE, BIOSIS).

- The Thomson Innovation search system. In addition to databases of patent offices of leading countries in the world and the INPADOC database, in 2009 FGU FIPS examiners used the WPI database and the reference collection of scientific and technical literature (Web of Science, Current Contents Connect and ISI Proceedings databases). Access for examiners to the Thomson Innovation database was provided from three workstations.

- Patent documents of Japan database in English, PATOLIS-e, was provided by the company Questel.

Access for FGU FIPS examiners to commercial databases is provided in a specially equipped “online searches and consultations” room, and unlimited Internet access – also in the teaching and computer search room. In both rooms, qualified employees provide consultations and method-related assistance in conducting searches and, where necessary, carry out searches jointly with examiners. Access for examiners to the online searches and consultations room is usually provided in complex cases, i.e.: if the use of online resources is required for search purposes, access to which is not possible from examiners’ workstations, or if an examiner does not have sufficient qualifications in carrying out searches of any database.

During 2009 in the online searches and consultations room, more than 1,300 such complex searches were made. The majority of them were in the STN network databases - REGISTRY and CA.

At the same time, retraining in search qualifications is constantly provided for examiners by teaching those examiners to use databases available in the teaching and computer search room, primarily the Rospatent search system - PatSearch.

In order to enhance the provision of information for examiners, online databases are constantly studied, which may be of use in conducting information searches and method-related guidelines are prepared for examiners on the use of such searches.

In 2009, internal and external users made more than 4,536,000 requests through the information-search system available on the Rospatent site, 86 per cent of the total number of inquiries were made in relation to inventions and utility models databases.

Users of registers are provided with free access to all patent documents among Rospatent’s Internet resources.

• In 2009, internal and external users of registers made more than 12,880,000 inquiries, 56 per cent of the total number of inquiries were made for inventions and utility models registers.
Users are provided with free access to the Rospatent Inventions and Utility Models Gazettes – the last three published gazettes.

Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, statistics and administrative support)

As a result of changes to normative documents and the issue of a number of administrative regulations on the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of State functions, and also as a result of the issue of the new Regulations on Fees, large-scale modernization of software systems for the prosecution of inventions, utility models and industrial designs has been undertaken on the FGU FIPS automated database which monitors compliance with the requirements of the above documents.

In 2009, the basic scope of work was completed to transfer the software and data from the automated database systems, electronic applications archive, and PCT applications library to the program-machine platform Prime Power 1500, and also licenses were acquired and activated for Webuilder 3/3 for UniVerse for OS Solaris 10 FS Prime Power, which significantly enhanced the productivity of the above systems, allowed them to work in a stable manner and reduced the labor input of staff using those systems.

Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), carriers used

Equipment used:

PrimePower 1500 server
(ОM – 32GB, processors – 14, external memory – 22 ТB)
HP DL380 server – 42 units.
(ОM – 4GB, processors - 2, external memory – 200 GB)
HP DL580 server – 15 units.
(ОM – 16GB, processors - 4, external memory - 600 GB)
HP P4, Fujitsu-Siemens workstations - 1440 units.
Switching equipment:
Cisco 6500, Cisco 4507

Software:

Solaris, Windows 2000, Windows XP and
Windows 2003 operating systems.

Carriers used:

SDLT and Ultrium magnetic tapes.

VI. Administration of the industrial property office library, and information products and services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, for assisting clients on searching procedures, for obtaining official publications and registry extracts)

Planning, administration, automation, security, buildings

The Central Patent Collection (TSPF) is supplied with national and foreign patent documents on all forms of industrial property subject matter, with both full-text descriptions of inventions relating to applications and patents, utility models and industrial designs, as well as abstract and bibliographical information; and also with search-reference and other information.

The FGU FIPS All-Russian Patent Technology Library (VPTB) provides free access without any restrictions to the TSPF and serves all categories of users in Russia (including examiners), neighboring and other foreign countries.

The Library premises are equipped with an alarm system and an automatic fire-fighting system.

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

The TSPF includes national (from 1814) and foreign patent documentation collections, abstracts and bibliographies covering all forms of industrial property subject matter, collections of patent-law, standard-setting and method-related, and reference literature, as well as an information search system for these collections of varying depths.

The basic TSPF information sources are official Rospatent publications and patent documentation received through international exchange with patent offices of foreign countries and other information centers.

As of January 1, 2010 the TSPF had about 93.88 million copies of patent documents on various types of carriers, including a collection of foreign patent documentation – more than 85.1 million copies, a collection of national patent documentation – more than 5.9 million copies, a specialized collection of industrial design examinations from 19 countries and WIPO – more than 2.3 million copies, and a collection of patent-law, standard-setting and method-related and reference literature – more than 78,900 copies; and a collection of national and foreign periodicals and abstracts – about 506,900 copies of documents (on paper – about 325,000 and on a microcarrier – 181,900).

In 2008, about 4.1 million copies of national and foreign patent documents were received by the TSPF on optical disks. In this regard, paper acquisitions almost ceased completely.

Collection management, preservation

The main TSPF collections on paper are arranged along geographical-systematic-numerical lines.

The conditions for storing the collections are determined primarily by the type of format:

- patent documentation on paper is stored in cases on shelves;

- patent documentation on microcarriers – in metal boxes in files-film
libraries (microfilm) and in metal cupboards (microfiches);

- patent documentation on optical disks - in special cupboards;

- in automated databases.

Interlibrary lending, resource sharing, networks of patent libraries in the country

In 2009, as part of the interlibrary exchange 6,418 publications were received from eight major specialized libraries in Moscow, including 2,264 articles from scientific and technical journals in electronic form from remote databases.

The Rospatent structure does not include a specialized network of patent libraries. All subjects of the Russian Federation have libraries and scientific and technical centers, under the jurisdiction of other ministries, which form patent collections at the local level and make active use of the possibilities offered by the Internet.

Information services available to the public (including computerized services and search files contained in libraries remote from your Office and patent information posted by your Office on the World Wide Web)

The FGU FIPS VPTB's overall readership stands at 22,200. In 2009, 1,800 readers reregistered with the Library and in the past year 91,500 people visited the Library.

About 33.2 million copies of patent documents were issued to users, including more than 7.95 million copies on paper, 24,800 copies on microcarriers, and more than 25.2 million copies of patent documents on optical disks.

General and specialized reading rooms operate in the FGU FIPS VPTB for the comfort of readers who wish to work. These rooms provide:

- an information-bibliography service;
- industrial designs;
- microcarriers;
- optical disks and remote databases.

Visits to the Library and service for all categories of users are free of charge. In addition to conventional forms of service, in 2009 access for readers to automated databases in the FGU FIPS VPTB was extended and improved. More than 230 databases are currently fully installed and in use.

The FGU FIPS VPTB provides both a fixed service for information users and also a service for remote users, employing all forms of communication currently in existence: post, telephone, facsimile and electronic mail.

In order to simplify access to information resources, the VPTB provides patent-information services for remote users according to their requests including a thematic selection of patent documentation, a search by systematic indexes, a search in automated databases, a search for patent-analogs and others, representing more than 40 designated services.

In 2009, for readers visiting the FGU FIPS VPTB directly and regional and foreign users by correspondence around 8,400 patent information services were provided, including 339,500 pages of copies of patent documentation, which were produced. Currently, more than 442 organizations and private individuals are remote subscribers to the FGU FIPS VPTB.

In addition, in the interests of users the following information products were distributed:

• Annual retrospective sets of invention descriptions for USSR author's certificates and RF patents, from 1924 to 2008, on DVD (a total of 100 disks);

• An information search system for invention descriptions in Russian and English, from 1994 to 2009, on DVD - quarterly and cumulative;

• Title sheets of utility model descriptions for RF documents providing protection, from 1994 to 2009, on DVD - one disk;

• Descriptions of utility models for RF documents providing protection for 1994-2009 on DVD;

• Patent invention descriptions on paper - 34,824 units;

• Title sheets of utility model descriptions on paper - 10,919 units;

• An annual index to the Inventions and Utility Models Gazette, on paper - five volumes

In 2009, subscribers were offered the new edition of the IPC (IPC-2009) with the core and expanded levels on CD-ROM, and also a parallel paper edition of the core level.

All products on CD-ROM and DVD were distributed with MIMOSA software, allowing all forms of patent searches to be carried out.

In 2009, publication of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette continued on the Rospatent Internet site and the registers of Russian inventions and utility models were updated with details of their legal status being provided.

Also on the Internet, users were granted free access to information on patent application filings in the Russian Federation for inventions and utility models. Information on the prosecution of applications is available for applications which were received after January 1, 2007.

The Rospatent Internet site provided in 2009 an expanded list without data reflecting the development process for official electronic publications.

On the basis of official information relating to inventions and utility models, thematic databases relating to users' special orders are produced.

Users' work with information search system

Examiners are given the opportunity to work with all inventions and utility models databases. Access for external users to full-text inventions and utility models databases is granted on the basis of agreement.

Free access to full-text inventions and utility models databases is provided for:

- 130 organizations participating in the Rospatent Program of Cooperation with the Regions of the Russian Federation;
- 40 organizations participating in the implementation of the State Project for the Development of Nanotechnologies;
- 83 оrganizations of the Federal Court Bailiffs Service.

External users are provided, free of charge, with access to:
on inventions:
- an abstract database in Russian and English;
- a database of published invention applications;
- a future-oriented inventions database;
- a full-text database containing documents published in the last three Inventions and Utility Models Gazettes;
- the IPC database.

on utility models:
- an abstract database;
- a database containing documents published in the last three Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazettes;
- the IPC database

The search system provides the possibility to carry out a search simultaneously in the databases of inventions, utility models, published applications and authors' certificates.

Table 8 contains information on the number of inquiries made by internal and external users when choosing any inventions or utility models databases.

Search system inquiries (for 2009)

See Table 8.

Table 9 contains data on the number of database inquiries for inventions, utility models and published invention application registers.

Register inquiries (for 2009)

See Table 9

Patents-Table8 Patents-Table9

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide information on business procedures such as: filing, publication, examination and grant procedures related to patents; opposition and appeal procedures related to patents; etc.

• application filing procedures – Formulation, filing and examination subsection in the Inventions and Utility Models Section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/industrial_property/inventions_utility_
models/;

• Forms heading:
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/industrial_property/inventions_utility_models/forms_blanks;

Models of applications, declarations and requests, and examples of how to produce them in Downloads library
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/file_library/file_library_blank/file_library_blank_2/;

Fees section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/poshl/;

Patent and other fees subsection;
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/poshl/poshl_patent;

• publication procedure – Administrative Regulations on the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of the State function relating to the keeping of registers of registered intellectual property subject matter, publication of information on registered intellectual property subject matter, applications filed, and patents and certificates granted therefor, validity, and termination and renewal of validity of legal protection for intellectual property subject matter, transfer of rights in protected subject matter, and official registration of intellectual property subject matter
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/administrative_regulations/adm_regl_ved_reestr/;

Regulations on official publications of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks in the Publications section:
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/publishing_activities/publication_act;

Inventions and utility models subsection in the Electronic gazettes section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/electron_bulletins/inventions_utility_models/;

Databases subsection in the Information resources section – Information search system
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

Open registers subsection
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/;

Inventions and Utility Models heading in Catalog of publications and databases in the Publications Section ;
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/publishing_activities/publications_prospectus/;

• examinations and grant of a document providing protection in relation to patents – Administrative Regulations on the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of the State function concerning organization of the receipt of applications for inventions and the consideration and examination thereof, as well as the grant of Russian Federation patents for inventions in accordance with established procedure
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/administrative_regulations/test_8/

Administrative Regulations on the performance by the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks of the State function concerning organization of the receipt of applications for utility models and the consideration and examination thereof, as well as the grant of Russian Federation patents for utility models in accordance with established procedure
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/documents/russian_laws/administrative_regulations/adm_regl_5/;

• procedures for filing objections and appeals relating to patents – Patent Disputes Chamber section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/chamber_on_patent_fees/.

URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that provide a description of information products and services offered by the Office (e.g., patent search service(s) and patent databases), as well as information on how to access and utilize them

• Conducting a search – in the Information Resources section:
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/article_6/;

Information-search system: Databases subsection
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

Open registers http://www1.fips.ru/wps/portal/Registers/ subsection;
Inventions and utility models subsection in the Electronic Gazettes section:
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/electron_bulletins/inventions_utility_models/;

All-Russian Patent Technical Library Division section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/fonds/;

• patent databases – Databases subsection in the Information-search system section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_2/;

• information on access to resources and their use – in the Information-search system section of the Support
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_4/;

and Instructions
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/inform_resources/inform_retrieval_system/article_1a/ subsections.

VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information

International or regional cooperation in the exchange of machine-readable information, e.g., bibliographic data, abstract and/or full text information

The FGU FIPS VPTB currently receives an exchange of documentation from 57 countries and six international organizations.

The volumes of acquisitions of foreign descriptions are determined by the scales of activity of national patent offices and international organizations. Leading positions in this field are occupied by Japan, the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea and United States of America, as well as the EPO and WIPO.

As part of the international exchange in 2009, the FGU FIPS VPTB received 5,961,300 copies of foreign patent documents and 1,925,000 copies of national descriptions of inventions were sent to foreign patent offices.

In 2009, Rospatent received on optical disks information from the International Bureau of WIPO concerning international applications that had entered the national phase.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

The exchange of patent documentation on various media (paper and optical disks) continued in 2009, together with not only the active replacement of paper editions with optical disks, but also the transfer of the publication of official Office editions directly on to the sites of these Offices, without the official editions being published in hard copy. During the year 1,522 editions of patent gazettes on all types of industrial property from 18 countries in the world were downloaded and recorded on optical disks.

In 2009, the following were received from patent offices in foreign countries:

- three annual sets of invention descriptions on paper;
- 154 annual sets of invention descriptions on optical disks.

The following were sent to patent offices in foreign countries on optical disks:

- 17 annual sets of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette (abstract-related information);
- 55 annual sets of the Inventions and Utility Models Official Gazette (with full descriptions of inventions for RF patents).

Medium allowed for filing applications

Application documents are filed with Rospatent on paper, in electronic form on a machine-readable carrier (with simultaneous submission on paper) or by using an electronic-digital signature.

In 2009, paper media were used for the filing of applications with Rospatent under the national procedure. However, materials were also received on any machine-readable carrier, provided that one copy on a paper carrier was submitted.

The following are permitted as machine-readable carriers for the filing of applications:

- DVD-R., CD-R or CDFS format optical disks, with a maximum capacity of 650 МB.

Since January 1, 2009 Rospatent has received from WIPO on physical carriers (CD or DVD) materials necessary for conducting an additional international search on PCT applications: a declaration of an additional international search, the full text of a description and claims, abstract, international search report, written communication, and also, where applicable, letters relating to issues connected with the establishment of unity of an invention. In 2009, Rospatent received 14 applications for the conduct of an additional international search.

Since January 1, 1999, as a receiving office, Rospatent has accepted international applications using the functional possibilities of the PCT-SAFE software, PCT-EASY. This presumes that together with the filing of PCT application documents on paper, an applicant submits a declaration and an abstract on a physical carrier – CD or DVD. The number of such applications in 2009 was 122, i.e. 16 per cent of the overall number of international applications filed with Rospatent (762 applications). Thus, the slight growth in applications, filed using PCT-SAFE, in 2009 was 15 per cent compared with 2010.

VIII. Other relevant matters concerning education and training in, and promotion of, the use of patent information, including technical assistance to developing countries (please indicate URLs of web pages of the Office’s website wherever appropriate)

Training courses for national and foreign participants, use of audiovisual means

In order to bring the examiners, academic colleagues and other leading specialists of FGU FIPS into line with the new legal regulation, as part of internal tuition a cycle of activities on study and application in work of the provisions of the Administrative Regulations, which came into force in 2009, has been conducted.

In addition, the level-1 program of the three-level system of retraining at the Russian State Institute of Intellectual Property (RGIIS) has been updated, intended to prepare examiners considering applications for inventions, utility models and industrial designs, in which consideration was given to the provisions of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and corresponding administrative regulations. Teaching on this program was given to 85 beginner examiners recruited to work at FGU FIPS in 2009.

In 2009, 82 employees of FGU FIPS successfully passed the distance learning program in Russian of the WIPO Worldwide Academy "Foundations of Intellectual Property".

In order to enhance the professional level of managers and examiners, provide unified approaches to examination for the heads of structural subdivisions, examiners, academic colleagues and other leading specialists at FGU FIPS, six centralized courses on law-enforcement practice were held.

The exchange of experience with foreign patent offices included:

- for examiners and administrative-managerial staff of FGU FIPS, two teaching seminars were held on familiarization with law-enforcement practice of other patent offices (EPO, United States Patent and Trademark Office). A total of about 400 specialists took part;

- in sectoral examination subdivisions of FGU FIPS, a training course was provided for an examiner from the Patent Office of the Republic of Korea.

In accordance with the quarterly in-house teaching plans within subdivisions of FGU FIPS, about 530 courses were held, which were basically devoted to the study of newly issued normative documents, examination-related questions, and also the analysis of the results of internal and external verification of the quality of examination, law-enforcement practices, the provisions of the newly introduced Administrative Regulations, and also of the new Regulations on Fees. The courses were given by the heads of each subdivision.

The following were held for patenting specialists and entrepreneurs in 2009 at FGU FIPS:

- a seminar on the subject "Use of generally available databases on the Internet for carrying out patent searches", in which 24 specialists participated, including 11 from Moscow and the Moscow region, 12 from other regions of Russia (Kaluga, Perm', Rostov, Saratov, Tyumen', Tomsk, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk region and Primorskiy region), and one from the Republic of Udmurtia.
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/confers/sem_bd;

- a training course for a specialist from the autonomous institution of the Astrakhan region "Multifunctional center" for the provision of State services of the Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks;

- a training course for a specialist from ZF Open Joint Stock Company "GMK" Noril'sk Nikel', according to an individual program. During the training course the specialist became familiar with the procedure for conducting a patent search.

In 2009, at the FGU FIPS headquarters various kinds of practical activities (fact-finding, prediploma, production-related, academic) were conducted for 147 students. These were representatives of RGIIS, the Law Academy of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, N.E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University and Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Promotional activities (seminars, exhibitions, visits, advertising, etc.)

In 2009, Rospatent organized and held 45 conferences and seminars on intellectual property issues in 24 regions of the Russian Federation, at which 44 officials from Rospatent and FGU FIPS presented reports. Of that number two WIPO officials presented reports at two regional seminars, organized and held by Rospatent jointly with WIPO.

More than 2,000 people attended conferences and seminars.

Thirty regional conferences and seminars were devoted to general issues of protection, enforcement and use of intellectual property subject matter in Russia, including inventions, utility models, computer programs and databases.

Rospatent participated in five international inventions and innovations exhibitions with exhibits characterizing the activities of the Russian Patent Office.

In Moscow, Rospatent annually holds conferences, seminars and round tables with the participation of representatives of international organizations and other States. The main feature of the conferences and round tables that took place in 2009 was the fact that they were held after the entry into force of most of the administrative regulations in this sphere of activities. Brief information is given below on the most important of these events.

- April 2 – a scientific and practical conference entitled Legal Protection of Intellectual Property Subject Matter following the Entry into Force of Part IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation as part of the Twelfth International Exhibition “Archimedes – 2009” at Sokol’niki. Around 90 people participated in the work of the conference.
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/confers/arkhimed_2009

- July 2 – a meeting of the Head of Rospatent, Mr. B.P. Simonov, with patent attorneys on the following subject: “New administrative procedures and the practice of their application”, in which about 200 people took part, including nearly 150 patent attorneys representing different regions of the Russian Federation, and also leading specialists from Rospatent and FGU FIPS.
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/patent_cheched/patent_attorney_informmes

- on August 26 to 29, 2009 the Ninth Moscow International Exhibition of Innovations and Investments took place – the major annual exhibition event in the Russian Federation, with huge significance for the successful integration of Russian innovation potential into the national economy. Employees of Rospatent and FGU FIPS gave reports at the scientific and practical seminar entitled State Policy in the Intellectual Property Sphere and the roundtable Federal Special-Purpose Programs as an Instrument of State Management of Innovations, held as part of the Exhibition. Two reports were given by Rospatent.

- on October 8 and 9 – Thirteenth Scientific and Practical Conference of Rospatent Legal Protection of Intellectual Property Subject Matter following the Entry into Force of the Administrative Regulations.

A particular feature of the Conference was the fact that it took place following the entry into force of the Administrative Regulations and that at the Conference significant attention was given to strategic issues and future-oriented perspectives.

Representatives of international organizations, patent offices of foreign countries, a number of State bodies, public organizations and associations, the Russian Academy of Sciences, institutions of higher education and scientific research institutes, industrial firms, administrative-management structures, information centers and other organizations from a number of regions, individual foreign organizations, companies and firms, including foreign patent attorneys and legal entities, legal and commercial organizations, patent attorneys, specialists and interested parties from the Russian Federation, leaders and specialists from the central authorities of Rospatent, FGU FIPS and RGIIS took part in the work of the Conference.

A total of about 300 people took part in the work of the Conference, including eight from other foreign countries and 12 from neighboring foreign countries. The number of Russian regions represented was 48.
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/activity_lines/confers/13_confer

Studies to identify trends in new technology, e.g., by the use of patent statistics and preparation of monographs

In 2009, scientific research work was done in relation to research on patent materials and the systematization of inventions concerning nanotechnologies. Such work included:

- Research on classification and other linguistic resources for carrying out searches of patent documents in the field of nanotechnologies;

Based on the results of this work recommendations were prepared for the use of existing classification research resources and sectoral headers, as well as a list of control key words in Russian and English; and recommendations for the publication of classification schemes in Russian. Publications were produced at different stages of the work, in particular Nanotechnologies: to publish, keep secret or patent? Patent Information Today No. 4, 2008. Nanotechnologies, problems of protection, examination and commercialization, Patents and Licenses No. 12, 2008.

- Research on information resources for nanotechnologies and the devising of recommendations for the conduct of related searches of corresponding patent documentation.

On the basis of the results of this work a list and description of databases were prepared, of great use for searches in the field of nanotechnologies for the purposes of patent examination. Recommendations were prepared for the conduct of relevant searches of patent information on nanotechnologies.

IX. Other general information related to the Office that is available on the Internet -- URLs of web pages of the Office’s website that:

provide information on legislation related to patents

Web page addresses on the Office site, which:

• provide information on patent legislation – Inventions, utility models and industrial designs subsection in the Normative Documents section;
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/normative_documents/iz_po_pm/;

Normative documents subsection in the Inventions and utility models section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/industrial_property/inventions_utility_models/;

contain the Annual Report of the Office

Web page addresses on the Office site, which:

• соntain the Office Annual Report – Reports and statistics section.
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/about/otchety/;

provide open source codes related to patent information systems

Web page addresses on the Office site, which:

• provide information on open sources relating to patent information systems – References section -
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/link_resources/;

contain patent-related news regarding the Office

Web page addresses on the Office site, which:

• соntain Office news relating to patent information - Main news section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/,

• News section
http://www1.fips.ru/wps/wcm/connect/content_ru/ru/news/.

X. Other relevant matters