Annual Technical Report 2011 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Lithuania (CWS/ATR/PI/2011/LT)
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
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Application filings and grants in 2011:
In 2011, 103 national patent applications were filed with the State Patent Bureau, 93 of those were filed by Lithuanian applicants. Conventional priority was requested for 10 patent applications.
In 2011 5 international applications proceeded to the national level, all of them had priority(-ies) of earlier application(-s).
In 2011 14 international applications were filed with SPB as receiving office.
In 2011 13 applications for supplementary protection certificates were filed
Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year
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The SPB official patent publications are:
Patent Applications (A documents);
Patent Specifications (B documents);
Official Bulletin Inventions, Designs, Trademarks.
Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of patent information
BB1A Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG9A Patents published in accordance with Article 22 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FD9A Patent Applications withdrawn accordance with Article 21 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9A Patents lapsed in accordance with Article 27 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9A Transfer of Patents in accordance with Article 31 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QA9A Licensing in accordance with Article 37 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9A Licensing in accordance with Articles 34-36, 38 and 39 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9A, TA9A, TC9A TH9A Changes in Patents published in accordance with Article 43 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB1A International Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 48 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB1D European Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 51 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG9D European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
BB4D European Patent Applications published in accordance with Article 59(2) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
FG4D European Patents published in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG9D Revocation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MG4D Revocation of European Patents in accordance with Article 59(3) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PD9D, DC9D, TH9A Changes in European Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
PC9D Transfer of Patents published in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
QB9D Licensing in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MF9D European Patents revoked in accordance with Article 54 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
MM9D Cancellation of European Patent extension in accordance with Article 58 of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Applications for Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND9D Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
ND1D Decisions not to grant Supplementary Protection Certificates published in accordance with Article 27(1) of Patent Law of the Republic of Lithuania;
TH9D, TK9D Rectifications.
Sections of the Official Bulletin have been coded in accordance with WIPO Standard ST.17.
Mass storage media used (paper, microforms, optical storage, etc.)
SPB Official Bulletin has been published in an electronic format and has been accessible on SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=245).
Patent Applications in paper form (A documents) and Patent Specifications (B documents) have been open for public inspection at Lithuanian Technical Library (LTL).
Word processing and office automation
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Lithuanian language invention abstracts of patent applications and patents have been published as presented by applicants.
English language abstracts to be published on the Espacenet database have been translated by SPB examiners.
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)
The current version of the advanced level of IPC 8, in force since January 1, 2006, is used to classify the new applications.
96 patent applications published were classified in accordance with eight edition of International Patent Classification (IPC) in 2011.
Coordinate indexing (domestic deep indexing systems, keyword indexing)
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Lithuanian technical library (LTL)– is a specialized library of national significance, open to the public; LTL is the country’s largest library, accumulating the collection of printings in areas of technology and economics, descriptions of inventions, standards and other normative documents, company registers and catalogues. LTL is the centre of the methodology of the network of technical libraries and inter-library subscription (TBA). At the end of 2011 LTL had a collection of 47.1 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part), and 8,200 registered subscriptions. 2.2 million documents were acquired, around 47 thousand readers visited the library, more than 300 thousand exemplars of documents were issued, almost 6 thousand requests were carried out, and more than 200 exhibitions and events were organized in the year 2011.
Documents are issued for the subscribers of the library to take away, and to read in specialised reading rooms (general, patent information, electronic information, foreign literature, bibliography), also in the reading rooms of the branches; documents that are not in possession of LTL are ordered from other libraries of the country and of other countries, via the TBA; services are provided to organizations according to yearly agreements; thematic, factual, revisionary, and informational queries, also consultations on search for information are performed; the users have access to subscription databases and other sources of electronic information; thematic exhibitions, seminars, and other events are being organized in the library; thematic digest “Information and the Library” is published quarterly.
Updating
At the end of 2011 LTL had a collection of 47.1 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part).
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The dossiers of the patent applications are kept on paper in numerical order under the application number
The European patent applications are stored in numerical order under the number of the request for validation.
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file
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The Lithuanian Technical library has its divisions in cities of Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Panevėžys. On January 1, 2012, LTL had a collection of 47.1 million printings and documents (descriptions of inventions constituting the largest part), and 8,200 registered subscriptions. 2.2 million documents were acquired, around 47 thousand readers visited the library, more than 300 thousand exemplars of documents were issued, almost 6 thousand requests were carried out, and more than 200 exhibitions and events were organized in the year 2011.
Documents are issued for the subscribers of the library to take away, and to read in specialised reading rooms (general, patent information, electronic information, foreign literature, bibliography), also in the reading rooms of the branches; documents that are not in possession of LTL are ordered from other libraries of the country and of other countries, via the TBA; services are provided to organizations according to yearly agreements; thematic, factual, revisionary, and informational queries, also consultations on search for information are performed; the users have access to subscription databases and other sources of electronic information; thematic exhibitions, seminars, and other events are being organized in the library; thematic digest “Information and the Library” is published quarterly.The division of the library Patent information centre (PIC) is a depository library of industrial property documents and patent literature, the centre of patent information services, of the compilation, publishing and distribution of patent documentation in Lithuania. Together with the State Patent Bureau (SPB) and LTL branches, the network of country’s PATLIB (patent information) centres is formed, providing patent information and documentation services to the public.
In year 2011 several new services for businesses were established in the PIC, that is the search of companies (patent applicants and owners), monitoring of technologies. Search of companies may be useful for those looking for business partners, seeking to sell a patent, or to acquire a patent licence. Monitoring of technologies is important to those users, who want to monitor the newest inventions in a specific area of technology.
Patent clinics (service of free consultations for inventors on the issues of patenting inventions) are available since year 2007 in LTL in the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas. Consultations are carried out by the patent attorneys of the Republic of Lithuania; in the end of 2011 a patent clinic was also established in the city of Panevėžys division, where the first consultations took place.
The website of PIC registered almost 100 thousand external visits in the year 2011.
Collection management, preservation
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At Lithuanian Technical Library documents are issued for the subscribers of the library to take away, and to read in specialised reading rooms (general, patent information, electronic information, foreign literature, bibliography), also in the reading rooms of the branches; documents that are not in possession of LTL are ordered from other libraries of the country and of other countries, via the TBA; services are provided to organizations according to yearly agreements; thematic, factual, revisionary, and informational queries, also consultations on search for information are performed; the users have access to subscription databases and other sources of electronic information; thematic exhibitions, seminars, and other events are being organized in the library; thematic digest “Information and the Library” is published quarterly.
The division of the library Patent information centre (PIC) is a depository library of industrial property documents and patent literature, the centre of patent information services, of the compilation, publishing and distribution of patent documentation in Lithuania. Together with the State Patent Bureau (SPB) and LTL branches, the network of country’s PATLIB (patent information) centres is formed, providing patent information and documentation services to the public.
In year 2011 several new services for businesses were established in the PIC, that is the search of companies (patent applicants and owners), monitoring of technologies. Search of companies may be useful for those looking for business partners, seeking to sell a patent, or to acquire a patent licence. Monitoring of technologies is important to those users, who want to monitor the newest inventions in a specific area of technology.
Patent clinics (service of free consultations for inventors on the issues of patenting inventions) are available since year 2007 in LTL in the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas. Consultations are carried out by the patent attorneys of the Republic of Lithuania; in the end of 2011 a patent clinic was also established in the city of Panevėžys division, where the first consultations took place.
The website of PIC registered almost 100 thousand external visits in the year 2011.
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)
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SPB published on its website (http://www.vpb.lt/en/) the Official Gazette Inventions, Designs, Trademarks and databases of Lithuanian Patents and European Patents entered into force in the Republic of Lithuania.
Statistics of national patents has been provided on the SPB website (http://www.vpb.lt/index.php?l=en&n=321).
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of patent documentation and information
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The distribution of official patent publications of the SPB in foreign states and intergovernmental organisations on the basis of mutual exchange has been effected by LTL.
Bibliographic, legal status data, abstracts in Lithuanian and English of Lithuanian patent applications and patents, extracted from SPB Common Software Database, have been posted on EPO FTP sites prior to the actual publication date.
Scanned Patent Specifications (B documents) SPB sent to the Espacenet database. Lithuanian Patent Applications (A documents) have been not available on the Espacenet database.
The bibliographic, legal status data on Lithuanian Patent Applications, PCT Applications, Lithuanian Patents and European Patents have been supplied to EPO to be included into INPADOC PFS, INPADOC PRS and Espacenet. PCT Applications data have been also supplied to WIPO to be included into PATENTSCOPE® search service database.
Medium used for exchange of priority documents
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X. 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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