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The online search in external databases and in the Internet is a very effective and valuable supplement to the search in the in-house databases of DEPATIS and EPOQUE. In 2003, the examiners of the GPTO accessed these hosts for a total of about 7 000 connect hours and used more than 150 different databases.
For state-of-the-art searches and the examination of patent applications, the GPTO uses the services of the following external hosts:
STN:........................ .....STN International c/o FIZ Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe, Germany)
EPOQUE/Java:..............EPO Query System
FIZ Technik:................. Fachinformationszentrum Technik (Frankfurt a.M., Germany)
QUESTEL-ORBIT:...... Questel (Paris, France)
EPIDOS – INPADOC: .European Patent Office (Vienna, Austria)
DIMDI:..........................Deutsches Institut für Medizinische Dokumentation und Information (Köln, Germany)
Details about these online search activities, such as the distribution of the total connect time to the different hosts and to the most important databases, may be seen from the attached table.
In addition to the databases containing technological and scientific information provided by the hosts listed above, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office has access to other information resources like the digital library Sciencedirect via the Internet. Legal information is available via databases of the Juris host (Saarbrücken, Germany).
Connecthours2003.doc - Connect hours to external databases in 2003
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As a result of the “Statement of Principles concerning the changeover to electronic data carriers” of WIPO, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office has sent the patent documents as well as the official publications (Patentblatt(patent gazette) etc.) to its exchange partners on CD-ROM since 2000.
These CD-ROM series consist of DEPAROM-ACT, DEPAROM-U, Patentblatt - CD-ROM and DEMAS. The versions of these CD-ROM products are regularly being improved and extended.
The publications “Blatt für PMZ” and the GPTO Annual Report are provided as printed documents.
The GPTO provides 37 foreign patent offices with patent documents on CD-ROM as well as 63 foreign offices with official publications on CD-ROM or in paper form. GPTO informs the other patent offices that German patent documents comprising more than 300 pages of manuscript are published only in electronic form in facsimile. Most of these “mega documents” are patent documents with sequence listings.
In 2004 GPTO will publish its official publications exclusively in electronic form via the Internet. It intends also to present new Internet services in 2004.
Medium used for exchange of priority documents
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Visits:
Owing to the constantly growing importance of the Asian economic area for the German applicants a major point of focus of the GPTO was on cooperation with the authorities of industrial property protection in Asia, in 2003. Another aim is to further extend and thoroughly strengthen the European system of industrial property protection.
The GPTO takes part in the work of EPO bodies and is actively involved in shaping the European patent system. In the field of patent law the GPTO participated in work group meetings, e.g. “Technical Information” as well as the committee “Patent Law” of the European Patent Organisation.
The tried and tested technical cooperation with international organisations and other patent offices was continued and intensified. Cooperation focused, above all, on training courses for experts of other patent offices. For the third time a workshop on “Innovation Support Services and their Management” was held at the GPTO in cooperation with WIPO for experts from developing countries. In 2003, the eleven participants came from Honduras, Nepal, Tanzania and Zambia, inter alia. As in previous years, two law courses were organised for foreign experts from different countries of Asia, Europe, and the U.S.A., being interested in German industrial property rights. A seminar on the organisation and duties of the GPTO was held, attended by a study group consisting of experts from Iran, Latvia and South Africa. A study visit at the GPTO with the focus on biotechnical applications was organised for a patent expert from the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic.
A highlight of 2003 was the visit of the Deputy Commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) and three of his colleagues. They talked about further cooperation and the electronic patent information system of DEPATIS.
A delegation of high-ranking officials of SIPO and other staff members of the Chinese government, the Ministry of Finance and the Development and Reform Commission showed interest in the procedures of patent application and patent information. A Chinese delegation was interested in the system of patent attorneys and representatives in Germany.
There were also intensive contacts with Japan. In addition to a delegation of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the President of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (JIII) visited the GPTO. Other delegations from Japan were interested in tasks in the area of patent information and information services of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.
At the end of November, a delegation of representatives of the Georgian Judicial System, headed by the Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia, visited the GPTO. The judges attended a lecture on the responsibilities and legal basis of the GPTO.
Other visitors came from Australia, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland.
The exchange programmes with the Japan Patent Office and the UK Patent Office were continued.
Exhibitions:
In 2003 the German Patent and Trade Mark Office was again represented at a number of exhibitions and trade fairs.
First Open Day at the GPTO:
Making industrial property protection easily understandable for everyone was the underlying idea of the first Open Day hosted by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, on July 9, 2003. With roughly 700 visitors the Open Day proved to be a popular event.
Studies to identify trends in new technology, e.g., by the use of patent statistics, preparation of monographs, etc.
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IX. Other relevant matters
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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