Annual Technical Report on Patent Information Activities in 2022 submitted by IP Australia

Please provide links to your website where the requested information can be found in English, French, or Spanish.  Alternately, you may provide text responses instead of URLs if desired.  If the information is not available on your website in an ATR language, then please provide text.

URLs in responses should meet the following requirements:

• Link to pages with information in English, Spanish, or French
• The URL will remain stable over time (at least three years, preferably more)
• Goes to the specific information requested, not to a general homepage
• If the URL goes to a long PDF document such as an annual report, please indicate which sections or pages contain relevant information.
• Provide additional instructions for using the URL if needed. For instance, if the page requires the user to login first, or if the requested information requires selecting certain options or filters on the page that can not be included in the URL. 

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PATENT INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realization

IP Australia’s vision is to deliver world leading IP services that are modern, effective and efficient to ensure all Australians benefit from great ideas, through administration of IP rights. During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, fiscal support and the continued availability of financing contributed to innovation resilience across many countries. The stability of 2022 patent filings in Australia at an elevated level reflects both this innovation resilience during the COVID shock and continued growth in patenting for health technologies. IP Australia has continued to provide excellent service to our customers, while focusing on critical activities that transform service delivery for the benefit of the IP Rights ecosystem.

IP Australia’s policy objectives in relation to patents include enhanced education and access to the system for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We also seek to ensure a clear and efficient system for those seeking patent protection at home and abroad through harmonising legal requirements, simplifying administration, reducing duplication of work in different jurisdictions and ensuring the law in Australia is clear and promotes innovative outcomes.

New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks

Patents Modernisation Initiative (PMI): In 2022 IP Australia continued with the multiple year PMI journey to modernise internal Patent systems to make it easier for examination and administration staff to perform their work. A more detailed description of the PMI program can be found in subsequent sections.

Innovative and smart examination tools for Patent Examiners: In 2022, IP Australia continued working on several projects for developing and releasing of smart examination tools, to further improve the efficiency and quality of patent examination. Descriptions of those smart patent examination tools can be found in the subsequent sections.

Customer Value Program (CVP): The CVP program vision is to ensure all Australians benefit from great ideas by providing world-leading IP related digital services that are modern, efficient and effective. The CVP aims to transform IP Australia’s internal processes and capabilities and align them to a customer-centric and delivery-focused model. The program has delivered efficiencies for end-to-end IP rights administration and improve engagement and satisfaction for IP Australia’s customers.

The Customer Value Program will deliver four key capabilities: 

• A modern, practical and informative corporate website  

• A modern, effective correspondence and notification platform   

• Streamlined and efficient processes and services for customers  

•  Digital experience personalisation and maturity   

Main areas of patent information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year

In the space of patent information, IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub published patent analytics reports on artificial intelligence (AI) computing, hardware and applications, on hydrogen production, storage and distribution, and on low emissions technologies including carbon capture and storage, grid energy storage, solar photovoltaic, low emission steel, aluminium, and iron ore, and soil carbon measurements. 

Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes

In 2022, applications for patents remained stable, reflecting innovation resilience during the COVID shock and continued growth in patenting for health technologies. More information on patent filing trends and statistics can be found in the Australian Intellectual Property Report 2023, which will be released on 26 April 2023. 

Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.

Latest news: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/news-and-community/news 

Statistics:  https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/data-research-and-reports 

Annual Report 2022: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/data-research-and-reports/australian-ip-report-2022 

Annual Report 2023 (release date 26 April 2023): https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/data-research-and-reports 

Patent Search Systems and Data sources 

AusPat - AusPat is IP Australia's search database that allows inventors, industry and researchers to access patent applications lodged and granted in Australia. http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/faqs.html 

IPGOD - Intellectual Property Government Open Data—is a publicly available data set that provides access to over 100 years of information from IP Australia on IP rights applications. https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/data-research-and-reports/open-ip-data 

IPLORD - Intellectual Property Longitudinal Research Data is the annual snapshot of the stocks and flows of intellectual property (IP) rights for 362,990 Australian and 253,285 international applicants over 20 years. https://data.gov.au/dataset/ds-dga-41383895-e0ea-4904-b3e1-ae5b938e82a5/details?q= 

Patent Analytics Hub: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/Professional-resources/Data-research-and-reports/Patent-analytics 

Bulk Data Products: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/bulk-data-requests 

II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs

IP Australia provides information on its website to support applicants filing. https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/how-to-apply-for-a-patent/what-to-consider-before-applying-for-a-patent 

https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/how-to-apply-for-a-patent/how-to-write-specifications 

IP Australia also provides further support through the contact centre or online enquiry channels. Applicants are also invited to utilise WIPO information resources, including the PCT Applicant’s Guide. See in particular: 

• https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/international-ip/How-to-apply-for-IP-overseas; and 
• https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/international-ip/international-cooperation/international-patent-system 

Availability of the application dossier in electronic form

The Patent application dossier is always available via the Patent search system, AusPat. http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/quickSearch.do 

Classification¹, preclassification² (if applicable), reclassification³ activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information

IP Australia has been classifying direct filings, Paris Convention route AU applications and PCT applications with International Patent Classification (IPC) for publication. IP Australia uses the most up-to-date version of IPC schema for the purpose of classification. 

Since January 2019 IP Australia has also been classifying Australian and New Zealand originating AU and PCT applications for which IP Australia is the ISA using the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme. Operating as a CPC Classifying Office continues to strengthen IP Australia's partnerships, in direct alignment with our vision of creating a world leading IP system.  CPC/IPC classification is fully integrated with the patent case management system, RIO for Patents Workbench.  

The RIO Classification system utilises an internally built machine learning-based system, Patent Auto Classifier (PAC), to broadly pre-classify classification tasks for distribution to examination sections. Tasks with multiple technology areas are distributed to multiple technology sections in parallel. The latest version of CPC and IPC schemas are used in the system, and CPC classifications are automatically concorded to IPC classifications.  

The system also performs automated administrative CPC reclassification when there is an updated CPC version and creates revision tasks for intellectual revision of symbols prior to publication. A Maintain classification function also exists for use by classifiers to correct any previously classified symbols and carry out intellectual reclassification as directed. In addition, RIO Classification was built with the capacity to automatically transfer CPC classified data to the European Patent Office (EPO) patent database when the applications are officially published. In 2022, IP Australia carried out 2334 IPC-only Classifications and 4112 CPC Classifications. As our CPC classifications step includes an automatic concordance to IPC classification, in total, we classified 6446 applications in the IPC.  

Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents

Examiners redraft applicant prepared abstracts of non-PCT national applications when they are found to be deficient to an extent that they are unable to fulfil their function, or not submitted at filing. The abstracts of PCT national phase applications are not reviewed as these have been thoroughly evaluated in the international phase. 

Other activities

IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub analyses patent data on specific technology fields and provides reports as interactive visualisations or written reports to allow users to access and gain insights from patent information. IP Australia uses its patent analytics capability to provide added value to its International-Type Search (PTC Art 15(5)) reports, which now include an additional patent analytics report. IP Australia also provides patent analytics reports to government agencies and publicly funded researchers.

III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

Main types of publications of the Office (patent applications, full text, first pages, abstracts, bibliographic data, granted patents, etc.), medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URLs)

The number of patent documents published in 2022 in the Australian Official Journal of Patents (AOJP) was:

• patent applications open to public inspection (AU-A) = 31,605
• patent applications advertised accepted (AU-B) = 16,006

Note: The AU-A figure includes standard patent, and innovation patents made open to public inspection (OPI) either pre-grant or at grant (does not include National Phase Entries).

The AU-B figure includes standard patent acceptances and innovation patent certifications.

Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URL), etc.

Official notices and changes to office procedures are published in the Australian Official Journal of Patents (AOJP). These Official notices, and many other patent related notices (including the manual of practice and procedure), are also put directly on the IP Australia website under the Patent notices section. The AOJP and he Supplement to the Official Journal of Patents have been combined from 2018 and can be found at: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/epublish/content/olsAvailablePatentPDFs.jsp 

Information on IP Australia’s Bulk Data Products can be found at: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/bulk-data-requests 

Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external collections and databases

IP Australia uses commercial search tools EPOQUE Net, STN and GenomeQuest to search databases such as EPODOC, DWPI, full text patent databases and many non-patent literature databases. Examiners also use free patent and non-patent literature databases available on the internet. 

IP Australia has developed and used various internal examination tools including Family Member Analyser (FMA), FER Feature Analysis (FFA), Automatic Preliminary Search Tool (APST) and RIO Patents Citation Manager utilising various databases and tools such as WIPO-CASE, DOCDB, EPO’s Open Patent Services, DWPI to assist Examiners with searching patent information. 

Non-Patent Literature - https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/patent/2.1.7.5-non-patent-literature 

Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to external users, conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)

Australian patent specifications are made available through Bulk Patent Specification and Patent Bibliographic Bulk Data products - https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/professional-resources/bulk-data-requests 

The following databases and information are available through the IP Australia website: 

• AusPat (free of charge) - http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/quickSearch.do
• IPGOD and IPGOLD data (free of charge) - https://www.data.gov.au/search?organisation=IP%20Australia
• APIs - https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/Professional-resources/APIs
• Subscription-based mailing lists - https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/about-us/news-and-community/stay-informedhttps://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/news-and-community

IP Australia continues to share patent information with various external organisations including WIPO and European Patent Office, with bibliographic data, IPC/CPC classification, documents and citations of Australian & PCT applications to enrich shared international patent information databases. 

Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)

IP Australia provides the Patent Supplemental Journal in XML format. This includes Legal Status Data. Legal Status Data elements have not been singled out in any particular format as this may be done in the future in line with any applicable decisions of the CWS and Legal Status Data Task Force. 

Note: Interested parties may also download the Patent Supplemental Journal in xml format from the secure FTP server in line with the weekly journal publication dates. It is also freely available on the Patent Supplement Downloadable Journals web page: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/epublish/content/olsAvailablePatentPDFs.jsp 

Legal Status API - IP Australia conforms to ST.27 Patent Legal Status and has released a Legal Status API in 2022, which can be found on IP Australia’s API Developer Portal. (https://portal.api.ipaustralia.gov.au/s/apis). 

Other sources

No comment is made here.

IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE

Information on the following topics is desired:

Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements

IP Australia uses commercial search tools EPOQUE Net, STN and GenomeQuest to search databases such as EPODOC, DWPI, full text patent databases and many non-patent literature databases. Examiners also use free patent and non-patent literature databases available on the internet. 

IP Australia has developed and used various internal examination tools including Family Member Analyser (FMA), Automatic Preliminary Search Tool (APST) and RIO for Patents Citation Manager utilising various databases and tools such as WIPO-CASE, DOCDB, EPO’s Open Patent Services, DWPI to assist Examiners with searching patent information. 

The Patent Modernisation Initiative (PMI) – This is a series of projects modernising IP Australia’s back-end patents systems and processes. This includes both infrastructure upgrades and process improvements, including replacing manual processes with built in task workflows and/or automation, a new citation manager, and efficient reuse of data between systems. This aims to improve examiner and administration efficiency and quality. It will integrate with the other tools mentioned herein, such as Patent Auto Classifier, FMA, and Automated Preliminary Search. With CPC/IPC classification and National Examination - a major milestone was achieved in 2022 with the release of PCT application processing (RO, ISA and IPEA functions) connected to WIPO’s ePCT, together with migration of old PCT data from INTESS (Objective) to AWS S3. Further, Article 15(5) international type search was released to Production in 2022 for examination. 

Online Application portal (replacing eServices) is a bespoke interactive cloud-based website for self-filers to file applications and mange existing IPRs. https://portal.ipaustralia.gov.au/login 

B2B API channel allows professional IP service providers to submit applications and manage IPRs via APIs https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/Professional-resources/APIs 

Order Management Workbench (OMW) is an internal web-based interface which allows formalities staff to enter paper-based applications and manually correct issues and errors with filings. It is a bespoke java application. 

Patent Application Management System (PAMS) is the primary tool for managing examiner workflow in the national phase. It is a bespoke, Unix/Java-based web application. 

AusPat is the definitive Australian patents search engine which is the interface into the official patent register. AusPat contains bibliographic and status information from applications submitted from January 1979 on. AusPat also contains International Patent Classification information for the majority applications from 1920; IPC version 8 has been applied to applications filed from 1970.  

The Office's publication system provides the following functions 

• Production of the AOJP Supplement as a PDF file and XML format available for download. The Supplement covers applications from 2002. The journal is published on IP Australia’s website; 
• Production of patent certificates and original register entries; and 
• Production of notices for patent applicants or their agents. 

INTESS was the application the office used for managing PCT applications and PCT-EDI for data exchange but moved to ePCT for the management of PCT applications. RO functions are now performed using the ePCT Portal for Offices, and ISA/IPEA functions have been moved to the custom-built RIO for Patents Workbench. The Workbench uses ePCT’s M2M services for ISA/IPEA processing. 

Remote Access: IP Australia continues to support remote work post pandemic, with a mix of office and remote work and flexible working arrangements. 

Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office

IP Australia use commercial laptops with Windows 11 Operating system and MS365 office productivity tools. MS Teams and SharePoint have been introduced as primary collaboration technologies. 

IP Australia’s online and B2B via API IP Rights application and management tools are all cloud based. 

Legacy systems have been moved off premises and moved into offsite, commercial shared data centres and high available containerised architecture has been applied to majority of business-critical applications. 

Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources

The primary business system is the Unix / Java application PAMS which runs in an environment which includes Sun Solaris, Amazon RDS for Oracle, J2EE, BEA WebLogic, and Amazon S3. It is being iteratively replaced with RIO for Patents Workbench, which is an enterprise solution comprising bespoke Vue.JS single-page web application and PEGA case management integrated using MuleSoft APIs and utilising a number of existing and new on-premises and cloud-based technologies. 

Full specifications of all non-PCT designated AU-A, AU-B and AU-C patent specifications are available on the AusPat website and via IP Australia’s patent specification bulk data product. 

Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file

The purposely built examination tool Family Member Analyser (FMA) allows AU patent examiners to access the latest electronic search file especially examination reports from other offices on the on-demand basis by connecting to various databases including WIPO CASE and Clarivate’s Derwent API.  

The Automated Preliminary Search Tool (APST) allows examiners to perform an automated initial search based on limited bibliographic data (applicant and inventor names, IPC and CPC symbols). The tool provides access to published patent specifications (via Clarivate’s Derwent API) as well as providing secure access to internal unpublished specifications held by the office (national and PCT applications).

Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)

The Patent Modernisation Initiative (PMI) mentioned above is a series of projects modernising IP Australia’s back-end patents systems and processes. This includes both infrastructure upgrades and process improvements, including replacing manual processes with built in task workflows and/or automation, a new citation manager, and efficient reuse of data between systems. This aims to improve examiner and administration efficiency and quality. Focus had been on examiner processes, but work has started on the administrative processes. 

Other matters

No comment is made here. 

V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF PATENT INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired:

Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries

All Australian Patents records/documents are handled in accordance with Office procedures set down under Australian Law and archiving practices. 

Australian Patents data is searchable on AusPat: http://auspat-dev.ocpdev.aipo.gov.au/pss/welcome.do 

Australian Patents data is searchable on the EPOs Espacenet: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/ 

Australian Patents data is searchable on WIPO’s Patentscope: https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/search.jsf 

Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.

IP Australia publishes its patent Manual of Practice and Procedure online at https://manuals.ipaustralia.gov.au/patent 

AusPat user guide (http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/auspat_userguide.pdf) is published here http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/learning.html 

Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)

No comment is made here. 

Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.

Small business Outreach: IP Australia takes a strategic approach to engagement with small business by establishing a partnership network across Government, Universities and Industry Associations, leveraging their networks and the credibility they have in our target audience of start-ups and small to medium enterprises.  

We have identified and are targeting our engagement activities into the following groups: 

• Government departments and agencies – Commonwealth and State based programs that engage with our target audience. Often utilising a Business Advisor network. 
• Universities – early career researchers, undergraduate and industry collaborations 
• Peak Industry bodies – industry associations that represent small and medium enterprises; providing objective information that can be channelled through the associations, leveraging any Business Advisor network they have,
• Direct – we provide webinars and resources designed for self-service on our website and promoted through social media and newsletters, aimed at the end-user/self-filer.
• Indigenous – we have a dedicated set of resources including videos, fact sheets and a call back service – Yarnline – to support Indigenous business owners engaging with the IP system. 

Overview of primary engagement activities: 

Train the Trainer Program 

Piloted in 2022, this program is designed for Business Growth / Accelerator Mentors in Government funded programs. It aims to uplift the fundamental intellectual property (IP) knowledge and the capability to have meaningful conversations on IP with their cohorts. 

Hybrid Presentations and Workshops (30-45 minutes) 

Live sessions hosted by IP Australia Public Education staff which include; 

• Pre-sessions survey (to understand audience profile)  
• Welcome and introduction 
• Short, pre-recorded presentation by a subject matter expert (experienced IP examiner) 
• Q&A  
• Links to relevant online education resources
• Post sessions survey (to understand attendee satisfaction and areas for improvement) 

Social media and newsletter 

We engage with our audiences via digital platforms to support IP Australia policy and consultation activities, IP trends and analysis report publications, to highlight and correct misconceptions and to educate. Platforms include LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email newsletter (monthly). 

Event attendance 

Participation at relevant industry and government events for face-to-face engagement with small business owners and professional services individuals supporting small businesses. 

• Trade stand / booth 
• A5 and business card size collateral with QR codes linking to online education resources 
• Presentations and panel participation to demonstrate relevance of IP for business, IP within the innovation ecosystem, IP analytics for Government policy development, IP trends to support small business growth (success)
• Working with incubation hubs, accelerator programs and relevant conferences/expos, IP Australia provides information and demonstrates relevance of IP for start-ups and early-stage businesses. 
• Developing new content targeted at educating start-ups and early-stage business on commercialisation, exporting and IP protection for digital innovations/inventions. 

Ongoing promotion is conducted via social media, email subscription newsletters and proactive message multiplier networks such as peak industry bodies and other government organisations.  

Digital experience: Using a human centred design approach, the new IP Australia website was launched late 2022 following customer feedback on the beta website launched earlier that year. The Digital Services Team is leading a continuous improvement program, listening to customers as they tell us what is working and where we can improve, as we undertake a further six months of continuous improvement to refine the website in response to customer feedback. 

Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.

Please refer to comments in previous section. 

Other activities

No comment is made here.

VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION

Information on the following topics is desired:

International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information

International exchange of patent information can be done using IP Australia’s patents bulk data products: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/tools-and-research/Professional-resources/bulk-data-requests. 

In addition, various channels can be used for international exchange of patent information in machine-readable form between IP Australia and international organisations, including international intellectual property offices such as WIPO, the European Patent Office to enrich shared international databases of patent information. 

IP Australia in engaged with the Committee of WIPO Standards (CWS) and participates in the development and application of standards for IP Offices to exchange data in automated, machine-readable ways. 

Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information

IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub and Office of the Chief Economist participate in the OECD IP Statistics Taskforce. 

Vancouver Group 

The Vancouver Group (VG) was established in 2008 comprising of the IP Offices of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) to share information and experiences on common issues and areas relevant to management of a mid-sized IP Office. A work plan was developed in 2017.  

As part of the work plan, the VG Searching Working Group (VG-SWG) was formed in March 2018 to prioritise collaboration between patent search specialists and allow mutual learning to enhance search quality. The following activities from the workplan have been completed to date: Search Tools and Databases, Search Quality, Search Training, comparison of Search Manuals and two pilot workshops concluded under Search Collaboration activity including exchanges on private inventor practices and CPC training competency framework. The VG-SWG continues to bring issues and proposals to the table to promote conversations between the three offices at a working level.   

IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub and Office of the Chief Economist also participate in informal meetings every two months with the VG office analytics and economics research teams. 

2021-2023 Bilateral Workplan with the European Patent Office (EPO)  

The 2021-2023 IPA-EPO Bilateral Workplan builds on the on-going cooperation between IP Australia and the EPO on patent administration, examination and quality. Activities under the current workplan are either continued or expanded from the previous workplan. Cooperation objectives include: 

• sharing best practices in Computer Implemented inventions, including emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning and blockchain. 
• exchanging views on implementing Quality Management Systems (ISO9001) and approaches to improving customer experiences. 
• re-use of search and examination products under the bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH), now moved from pilot to permanent program between EPO and IP Australia. Optimise work-sharing potential offered by common tools such as EPOQUE Net.
• continue engagement on Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) to improve accuracy and consistency in classifying patent applications.  

Assistance to developing countries

No comment provided. 

Other activities

IP Australia’s Patent Analytics Hub, together with the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources Critical Technologies Hub and Department of Defence, Science and Technology, presented results of patent, bibliometrics and venture capital investment in hydrogen technologies at the European Patent Office Patent Knowledge Week (November 2022). 

VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS

Please include any other relevant information here.

No comment is made here. 

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.