CWS.ATR.PI.2011.PL

Annual Technical Report 2011 on Patent Information Activities submitted by Poland (CWS/ATR/PI/2011/PL)

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

In 2011 a significant progress has been made in the number of electronic filings. In addition to the previously used eOLF system, in 2011 it was possible to send fillings via e-forms for inventions and utility models in the Online Services Portal -at present it is possible to make electronic filings in both systems.
Filings to the Office are increasingly more often preceded by searches in the electronic collections than in the paper holdings.

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

In 2011, the PPO received 4,069 patent applications under the national procedure, out of which 3,878 were filed by domestic applicants and 191 by foreign applicants.
In comparison with the year 2010 the number of domestic patent applications under the national procedure decreased by 20.1%.
54 applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty entered the phase of examination carried out by the Office (so-called national phase).
Under the international procedure, as the receiving Office, the PPO received from domestic applicants 210 patent applications under the PCT procedure and 113 European patent applications with the aim of seeking protection abroad.
The total number of patent applications filed in 2011 amounted to 4,123.
In 2011, the Office received from foreign applicants 20 applications for the grant of supplementary right of protection for medicinal products and plant protection products in order to protect rights under Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC).

On 31 December 2011, 35,612 patents remained in force, out of which 17,127 were European patents.
In the scope of IT field, the following projects were introduced:
- Brand-new PPO's website was launched in 2011.
- The RegisterPlus software application for patents, utility models, SPC and EP validated in Poland to be launched for the public in 2012.

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

Statistics are accessed at the following URLs:
http://www.uprp.pl (Annual Reports’ box)
http://pubserv.uprp.pl/PublicationServer/index.php?jezyk=en (statistics)

Detailed statistics may be bespoke provided (write to http://ipu.uprp.pl/portal/web/guest/kontakt).

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.)

In 2011, the following publications (periodicals) were issued:

- "Biuletyn Urzedu Patentowego" (first level Official Gazette - bi-weekly) 26 numbers, i.e. 5,080 copies.
- "Wiadomosci Urzedu Patentowego" (second level Official Gazette - monthly) 12 numbers, i.e. 2,207 copies.
- "Dziennik Urzedowy UPRP" (The PPO Journal - annual) 4 issues and index i.e. 350 copies.
- 2010 Annual Report of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, 1,050 copies.
- Patent Specifications (type B documents) 2,765 titles - 62,721 copies.
- Protection Specifications of Utility Models 490 titles - 2,450 copies.
- One-off publication of Industrial Property Law of 30 June 2000. Legal status as of 1 February 2011 - 1,350 copies.

In the scope of IT field the following activities were performed:
- Maintenance and development of the PL Publication Server - the electronic holdings of PL patent specifications since 1924; PL utility models since 2001 and EP validations in Poland since June 2005. The holdings appear in PDF format; may be downloaded either in XML or zipped format containing XMLs and PDFs; references to both Espacenet retrieval system and EPO RegisterPlus were set up; please consult: http://pubserv.uprp.pl/PublicationServer/index.php?jezyk=en
- Espacenet - under EPTOS 9.1. (please see below: X. Other relevant matters) - efforts are made to publish the entire collection of all PL applications and granted patents published since 1924 (both collections on the PL data base and the Worldwide database), please notice: http://pl.espacenet.com.

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

Announcements on patents and utility models are primarily published in the official gazettes on paper carrier: "Biuletyn Urzedu Patentowego" - first level Official Gazette (information on inventions and utility models applications) and in "Wiadomosci Urzedu Patentowego" - second level Official Gazette (information on granted patents and granted protection rights on utility models). Announcements containing ordinances of the President of the Patent Office, official announcements and communications are published in the Official Journal of the Patent Office. In 2011, 2,996 announcements on filed patent applications and 716 announcements on utility model applications were published in "Biuletyn Urzedu Patentowego" (first level Official Gazette) and 2,758 announcements on granted patents and 490 granted protection rights on utility models were published in "Wiadomosci Urzedu Patentowego" (second level Official Gazette).
All these publications are forthwith available free of charge in PDF format on the PPO's Online Services Portal (http://ipu.uprp.pl/portal/web/guest/publikacje).
Announcements regarding non-procedural matters, but coupled with the Office's activity like: general information on the PPO's tasks, references, organizational structure, HR matters are published on the Internet version of "Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej" which falls under the official PPO's web site. Many non-regular, important announcements are immediately published within the content of the website.

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

The PPO uses the following carriers of patent documentation to gather national and international collections: CD-ROMs, DVDs, HDs which can generate conventional paper copies for various either in-house or outside purposes; paper has a gradual decrease as a carrier.

Word processing and office automation

- Word processing is carried out using MS 2007 Office and the MS Windows XP is commonly used.
- All examiners have access to the internal and external on-line data bases.
- The digital representation of patent and utility models documentation is delivered directly to the staff's work stands.
- All staff has access to the Internet and Intranet and enjoys the MS 2007 Outlook variety of facilities through the networked PCs which are connected to a local area network.
- The public reading-room is equipped with terminals and 24-inch monitors, and our conference and training rooms are furnished with modern audiovisual means.
- The online filings in the online system - eOLF have been successfully continued, enabling the electronic patent and utility model filings under the national procedure
- In 2011 PPO gave the possibility to apply for patent and utility models also via the e-forms available on the Online Services Portal.

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

The constantly modernized publication system enables production of the Office's publications on its own. The publishing process is based on the DTP system and covers preparation of data contained in the Office's databases, text editing in MS Word programme and picture processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3. Final typesetting is made in InDesign CS3 programme. Printing is performed on the offset machine and digital reproducer. The text of patent specifications is scanned in OCR technique and pictures are scanned in Adobe Photoshop CS3 programme. Then, the text is combined with the pictures and the first page with bibliographic data. Finally, the patent specification is proof-read and printed in Ms Word programme. Printing is performed on the digital reproducer.
Parallel to publishing in paper format, patent specifications are posted in PDF format on the PPO's website and in Publication Server.

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

- IP information on patents and utility models: http://ipu.uprp.pl
- Publication Server - Polish patents (B), utility models (Y) and EP translations into Polish (T): http://pubserv.uprp.pl (user interface in 3 languages - PL, EN and FR).
- Polish patents and utility models under Polish version of Espacenet (http://pl.espacenet.com ) with possibility of the redirection to the Worldwide data base containing PL collections (bibliographic data in English).
- Online Services Portal with access to patent gazettes, classifications, e-filings and patent attorney's directory: http://ipu.uprp.pl

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

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

In 2011, Patent literature collection was enlarged by the 5,854 pdf files of European patent specifications, translated into Polish (available online).
Polish abstracts and their English equivalents are stored in the database, and thus are searched and accessible for further treatment.
The Office's abstracting services are handled by electronic means which aid to place the abstract deliveries in the in-house and external retrieval systems, like: Polish databases, Official Journal records, esp@cenet (both collections - PL database and the Worldwide data base), etc.

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 2011, the electronic 2011.01 version of the International Patent Classification was used at the PPO, while the electronic 2012.01 version was being prepared to be launched in 2012.

Hybrid system indexing

n/a

Bibliographic data and full-text processing

- Full-text patent and utility model documents together with abstracts are uploaded for search purposes to the modality databases.
- PDFs of the full-text PL patent, PL utility model and EP validation documents are uploaded to the Publication Server (it should be noted that either XMLs containing basic bibliographic data, or archives containing both XMLs and full-text PDFs may be downloaded).
- Abstracts and full-text PDFs of PL documents are uploaded via Secure FTP to the EPO's Espacenet search system on a half/monthly basis; translations into English of PL abstracts are continuously delivered to the Worldwide database of Espacenet

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

In 2011, the increase of patent documentation was as follows:
- 1,739,975 copies on CD-ROM and DVD (905 cassettes), including specifications of inventions, patent specifications and utility model specifications.
- 15 titles of bibliographic and thematic databases within the scope of patents.
- 9 titles of (100 CD-ROMs) of the official bulletins of national patent offices.
- On paper carrier 13,965 copies of Polish patent specifications and 978 copies of Polish utility models specifications and 5,854 EP patent specifications translated into Polsih.
- 1,367 booklets of patent, technical and legal literature on paper.
- 279 volumes of books - fulfilling the orders of PPO examiners.
- 5,854 pdf files of European patent specifications translated into Polish.
Within patent documentation field, the PPO uses professional databases: "World Patent Index" (DWPI Derwent/Thomson) and "EMBASE".
The Office continued the process of disposing of some of its paper search files (domestic and foreign) to save space, in view of the extensive use of online searching in respect of the Office's patent holdings.

Patents and utility models are available electronically, and may be searched on internal databases. Published PL patent specifications may be accessed and searched via Publication Server; foreign patent literature may be searched via EPOQUENET.

Updating

In 2011, the PPO continued collecting, storing, and preparing patent and technical literature by:
- Purchasing and introducing 279 volumes of books into the EXLIBRIS database.
- Registering and providing access to 1,367 booklets of patent, technical and legal literature on paper.
Upkeep of search files is carried out centrally by administrative staff, in a process that includes comparing the search file contents with the electronic records.

Published patent and utility model applications on search systems are updated fortnightly.
Published patents and utility model on search systems are updated monthly.

Storage, including mass storage media

Patent documentation on paper carrier is stored in the storage rooms on movable bookshelves, in numerical and class arrangements, and are grouped separately according to respective countries. Class collection is stored in special files, adjusted to this type of collection. Numerical collection is stored in bound volumes. The storage rooms meet all the requirements for collection's safety. Polish patent documents arranged according to the patent classification symbols are available in the general reading room, while foreign patent documentation in class arrangement is available in the examiners' reading room.
Collection of patent documents on CD-ROM and DVD is stored on special bookshelves adjusted to this type of collection. It is available in the reading room also to external users.

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

In-house systems (online/offline)

- RegisterPlus based on Soprano and ePhoenix database.
- The Office has also its own internal retrieval system (TULIPAN) with access restricted exclusively to examiners within the Office. The system offers procedural data concerning patents and utility models in the course of the whole procedure. The integrated data base is also maintained for searches on filing and granting procedures with regard to patents and utility models, supported by the fee control system.
- In co-operation with the EPO, the software for submitting applications online was integrated in the online system - eOLF, and also the set of tools for the electronic dossier management - e-Phoenix was implemented.
- In 2011 PPO gave the possibility to apply for patent and utility models also via the e-forms available on the Online Services Portal.

External databases

The PPO's examiners use regularly the external on-line retrieval resources:
EPOQUENET Suite; hosted by Elsevier Information Systems - the chemistry Database Reaxys and full-text scientific database ScienceDirect.

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

Installed and adopted to work together are ePhoenix (electronic storage and access to our patent and case files) and Soprano (work-flow) systems. Register and legal status information is then disseminated via RegisterPlus system - temporarily for the in-house purposes only, it will be launched for the public in 2012.

Off-line systems provide information to examiners, lawyers and the accounting staff (payroll and finance-accounting system).

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

- Completion of the virtualization servers and personal workstations based on the blade-type servers, running under VMware ESX Server, centrally administrated by the Virtual Centre Server. All, recently deployed servers were at once installed in the virtual environment. The virtualization software was upgraded to the newest version of vSphere. Concomitant with the task, the disk space for data within SAN disk-array subsystem was considerably increased.
- Workstations run under Windows XP environments, and server's operational systems are Microsoft Windows Server 2003, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and Debian 5 GNU/Linux. The SAN mass storage network was configured in order to make disk-arrays available to the computing systems. All of workstations are secured by McAfee antivirus and antispam system. All network connections are based on CISCO and Alcatel equipment with 50 Mb access to the Internet.
- Server infrastructure for the Online Portal includes 9 application servers; 5 database servers; 10 TB build-up array; back-ups for Tivoli Storage Management, Fujitsu FI-5900C scanner, 125 packages for the purposes of qualified signatures. On-Line Portal servers are supported by local UPSs and they are also hooked to Main power supply unit for the PPO.
- Back office hardware located in secured/zoned Data Centre with fire alarm and CTV system, redundant air-conditioning and technical floor.
- Modernization of the software edge firewall

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

Applications for patents and utility models can be made electronically, by post, by fax or in person at the Office's premises.
Much of internal information, like: pamphlets, manuals, law reports, magazines for circulations, circulars, regulations, forms etc. are anticipated to be available on the Intranet.
Both paper and electronic collections are located in our main building and are therefore secure.
Automation processes were continued with regard to paper holdings which are consequently digitized.
The public can visit the library and use dedicated workstations for searching patent and non-patent literature on paper and Internet and get assistance from qualified staff. The public may also use a collection of the CD-ROM databases. To some extent the public is allowed to use the classified documentation of other countries.

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

In 2011, in the field of organisation and upkeep of the files available to the Office's examiners and the public, the following documentation was included in the files:
- 1,739,975 copies of patent documents on CD-ROM and DVD containing abstracts of patent and utility model applications, from 9 countries and 2 international organisations.
- 254 CD-ROM discs i.e. 15 titles of bibliographic and thematic databases.
- 94 titles, i.e. 1,367 booklets of patent, technical and legal literature on paper.

Collection management, preservation

Patent documentation on paper carrier is stored in the storage rooms on movable bookshelves, in numerical and class arrangements, and are grouped separately according to respective countries. Class collection is stored in special files, adjusted to this type of collection. Numerical collection is stored in bound volumes. The storage rooms meet all the requirements for collection's safety. Polish patent documents arranged according to the patent classification symbols are available in the general reading room, while foreign patent documentation in class arrangement is available in the examiners' reading room.
Collection of patent documents on CD-ROM and DVD is stored on special bookshelves adjusted to this type of collection. It is available in the reading room also to external users.

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

Within the co-operation with the PATLIB centres in Poland, the Office continued supplying them with foreign and Polish patent documentation and literature. In 2011, the Office sent:
- 260 discs with full text databases on CD-ROM.
- 16 discs with patent literature.
- 1,497 copies of Polish industrial design and utility model specifications.
- 1,196 copies of first level Official Gazette.
- 644 copies of the second level Official Gazette.
- 156 copies of the "Official Journal of the PPO".
- 39 copies of Index of the Official Journal for the year 2010.
- 72 copies of Industrial Property Law of 30 June 2000. Legal status as of 1February 2011.
- 39,598 copies of patent specifications for the year 2011.
- 39 copies of 2010 Annual Report of the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland.

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 Office continues to offer its services via Online Services Portal at: http://ipu.uprp.pl.
Previous and current versions of the latest IPC edition in Polish language are continually offered at: http://ipu.uprp.pl/ipcpub.
Polish patent and utility model information within Polish language version of Espacenet is systematically expanded, and the Office's website is linked into the EPO Espacenet search facility.

URLs of web pages of the Office's website for electronic filing of patent applications

http://ipu.uprp.pl

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.

Information on filings, post-grant procedure, opposition and appeal procedures, etc. are in details described within specific sections of our website which is also linked to our search services and databases.
http://www.uprp.pl - continues at: http://ipu.uprp.pl (Online Services Portal).
A variety of guides and other information materials are offered in PDF format through the Office's website.

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

Description of information products and services is announced in relevant parts of Office's website, and users are then directed to Office's services where the description continues, either in editorial part, or in help files. See also information directly above.

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 Office provides several patent offices and organizations with its bibliographic data and abstracts in the flat text machine-readable format, and also xml format. Full-text information is provided in PDF fully searchable format. Electronic filings submitted to the PPO under EP and WO procedures are transferred to the EPO and WIPO respectively.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

Paper

Medium allowed for filing applications

Although filing is mainly in paper form, the Office has online filing facilities for applications which allow patent and utility model applications to be filed electronically.

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 2011, the PPO participated in trainings and conferences organised by the European Patent Office (63 people). The events focused on issues, such as: Search reports and written opinions, EPOQUEnet functionalities and use, IP and innovationa management, Patent procedures and automation tools, Search matters, Patent information, Patent administration and documentation, Asian patent information, Strategic use of IP information, IP services for technology transfer offices, Patenting process, Patents and fiscal modalities in Europe, Managing patent conflicts.
Every year, the Polish Patent Office organises trainings to raise professional skills of its staff.
In 2011, after completing two-year training, 22 Office's employees obtained examiner's qualifications and 10 employees, who completed their training and passed the qualifying examinations, obtained assistant examiner's qualifications.
Additionally, language courses for PPO employees (languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian) were organised.
Within the framework of the training program for the PPO employees and patent attorneys 9 open lectures for 827 participants in total were given by external experts in innovation and industrial property.
Moreover, 133 staff members benefited from many specialist training courses organised by professional educational centres such as: National School of Public Administration, Institute of Accountancy and Taxes, Mazovian Voivodeship Centre for Personnel Training to name a few. The subject matter of the trainings included the issues of public procurement, administrative proceedings management, finances, information technologies and labour law.

Assistance to developing countries (sending consultants and experts, receiving trainees from developing countries, etc.)

n/a

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

In 2011, within industrial property protection the PPO organised or participated in the following events:
- 18th Exhibition of Inventions awarded at international exhibitions in 2010, held in the Museum of Technology in Warsaw.
- 16th Scientific Conference on "Patent Information for Science and Industry" organized for PATLIB centers in Warsaw.
- 6th International Conference "Women's Innovation and Creativity for Economic Growth - Design in Innovative Economy" organized in Warsaw by the Patent Office in cooperation, with WIPO, among others.
- Conference on World Intellectual Property Day "Heritage and Modernity. Protection of Traditional Knowledge in Poland and in the World" organised in Warsaw in cooperation with WIPO.
- Conference "Remarkable Discoveries as Inspiration for Inventors - on the 100th anniversary of the Second Nobel Prize for Maria Sklodowska-Curie, held in Warsaw.
- 7th International Symposium "Intellectual Property in Innovative Economy. Priorities in Intellectual Property Protection" held in Krakow in cooperation inter alia with EPO and WIPO.
- 30th Jubilee Seminar for patent attorneys from universities and academies in Cedzyna near Kielce.
- Annual "Scientific Picnic" of the Bis Radio and Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw.
- International Fairs in Poznan.
- Exhibition of Innovation " WIPRO 2011" Knowledge - Innovation - Development in Bydgoszcz.
- Fairs of Industrial Technology, Science and Innovation "Technicon Innovations 2011" in Gdansk.
- 39th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva.
- International Fairs iENA in Nuremberg.
- Ceremony of prize award in the 9th edition of the competition for the best artistic poster as well as post-doctoral, doctoral, master's and student's theses on the subject of industrial property organized by the Patent Office.
- further activities within Pilot project on "Technology Transfer from university to industry": workshop "Computer implemented inventions in proceedings before the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland", SME's - Open Day, workshop on IP for business, publishing of the brochure "Successful technology transfers from the university perspective. Case study" and creation of the contact data base.

Within the scope of promotional activities the Polish Patent Office continued participation in the IPeuropAware project which is part of the EU Framework Programme "Competitiveness and Innovation - 2007-2013". The Office participated in the following work packages to name a few:
- creation and maintenance of the English version of the website: www.innovaccess.eu
- development and implementation of professional helpdesk services in the European National Offices.
- analysis and development awareness raising strategies in IP protection and enforcement.
- services in IP enforcement
- activities addressed at SMEs to help them use and enforce IP rights
- awareness raising activities addressed at IP rights and their enforcement
- development, promotion and distribution of IP guides for SMEs

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

n/a

Assistance furnished by offices to facilitate the changing over of receiving offices to electronic data carriers for the exchange of patent documents (see also fourth sub-item of item VI, above)

n/a

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

Legislation: http://www.uprp.pl/

contain the Annual Report of the Office

Annual Reports (the content has both EN and PL versions):
http://www.uprp.pl/ (Annual Reports’ box).

if necessary, provide further information related to the topics referred to in the current ATR

n/a

contain patent-related news regarding the Office

http://www.uprp.pl (News)

X. Other relevant matters

In 2011, the incident and assistance managing system to users of our IT system was effectively carried out by the ServiceDesk solution - consistent with the ITIL practice.

In 2011 all EPTOS sets were migrated to virtual environment (VMware technology) and upgraded to version 9.1. Applications are now separated – one application per virtual server. The test, maintenance and production versions work under the homogeneous Polish version of EPTOS ver. 9.1.