Annual Technical Report on Patent Information Activities in 2014 submitted by Canada/Canadian Intellectual Property Office
I. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PATENT INFORMATION ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Outline of main policies and plans aimed at development of patent information activities and expected time frames for their realization
The main practice goal in 2014 was to update as many chapters of the Manual of Patent Office Practice (MOPOP) as possible. Chapters 1 to 4, 7, 8, 18, 19 and 22 were updated.
New projects launched or resumed this year in the context of the policies and plans mentioned above, short description: aims, partners, tasks
As mentioned above the main project launched in 2014 was the MOPOP update. In collaboration with CIO, we also began investigating the possibility of an online tool for CIPO manuals.
Main areas of patent information activities and related information and communication technology (ICT) practices which were in the focus of attention last year
Replaced Wordperfect with MS Word for all custom correspondence. Upgraded our operating system to Windows 7, this required a substantial amount of testing and code corrections for our custom made software.
Canada shared patent images from pre-1920 patent documents with major IP Offices for integration into international search collections.
Statistics: changes in terms of application filings and grants with respect to previous year; trends or areas experiencing rapid changes
The following depicts the changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants with respect to the previous year:
| Item | 2014 | 2013 (Previous Year) |
|---|---|---|
| National | 8,030 (Filings) 6,693 (Grants) | 8,114 (Filings) 6,526 (Grants) |
| PCT | 27,451 (Filings) 17,056 (Grants) | 26,627 (Filings) 17,579 (Grants) |
| ISA | 2,194 | 2,138 |
| IPEA | 263 | 279 |
The following depicts the trends experienced in terms of e-filings with respect to the previous year:
| Item | 2014 | 2013 (Previous Year) |
|---|---|---|
| National e-Filings | 2,029 | 1,609 |
| PCT e-Filings | 1,273 | 1,013 |
Other matters and useful links (URLs): annual report of the Office, news page, statistics, etc.
Information on legislation related to patents:
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-4/index.html
Annual Report of the Office:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00025.html#annualreports
Patent-related news regarding the Office:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00001.html
II. SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Information and support provided by the Office to applicants regarding filing on paper and/or e-filing (instructions, seminars, etc.) - URLs
CIPO Website: The Patent Application Process
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr02999.html
CIPO Website: Prepare your Application (Patent):
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr03652.html?Open&wt_src=cipo-patent-main&wt_cxt=apply#preparingPatentApplication
CIPO Website: Tutorial - Your Patent Application:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01398.html
CIPO Website: Writing a patent application:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01398.html
CIPO Website: Filing Canadian patent applications (e-filing):
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01477.html
Availability of the application dossier in electronic form
Patent applications laid open to public inspection and granted patents are available to the public through the Canadian Patent Database (CPD):
http://www.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/introduction.html
Classification1, preclassification2 (if applicable), reclassification3 activities; classification systems used (e.g., International Patent Classification (IPC)); matters concerning indexing of patent information
CIPO classifies national and international applications according to the IPC. Currently, CIPO’s preclassification of national and international applications is based on a preliminary classification which is limited to section, class and subclass for the purpose of assigning the file to the appropriate classification examiner's queue. National files are reclassified following the entry into force of a new version of the IPC.
Abstracting, reviewing, and translation of the information contained in patent documents
The Office translates the titles in French or English depending on the language of the application. Some translations are retrieved from the PCT import process which uses an XML file "FTPed" from WIPO or downloaded from WIPO's PatentScope. The Office provides abstracts in both French and English on patents in Good Standing.
Other activities
III. SOURCES OF PATENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE
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)
Canadian Patent Office Record (Gazette) is published weekly and is available on CIPO's Website.
MIMOSA CDs for applications open to public inspection and granted patents are prepared weekly and sent to subscribing Patent Offices worldwide.
Images and text of applications open to public inspection and granted patents are sent weekly via FTP.
Official Gazettes: main types of announcements, frequency of publication, medium (on paper, on CDs, online - URL), etc.
Office notices and changes to office procedures are published through the Canadian Patent Office Record (CPOR).
Some of these notices, and many other patent related notices, are published directly on the CIPO Website under the Patent Notices section at the following link:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00292.html?Open&wt_src=cipo-patent-main
Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to examiners, including external collections and databases
CIPO's internal office TechSource system includes bibliographic data (from 1869-present), text (abstract, claim and description of laid open patent documents from 1978-present) and images of patent documents (from 1920-present). All these documents are available stored on hard disk technology.
Information products and patent document collections (coverage, medium, etc.) available to external users, conditions of access (e.g., free of charge, subscription, etc.)
CIPO's Website makes available documentation pertaining to applications open to public inspection and granted patents from 1869-present.
Subscriptions to MIMOSA CDs are also available.
The listing of available information products and subscriptions to bulk data, including fee schedule, is available at the following link:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr01933.html
Legal status information (kind of information, coverage, medium, etc.)
CIPO provides Patent/application information and important dates such as filing and issue dates on its website. Statuses per say are not currently available on the website
Other sources
IV. ICT SUPPORT TO SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO PATENT INFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE OFFICE
Specific software tools supporting business procedures within the Office: general description, characteristics, advantages, possible improvements
| Tool | Internal/External | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Techsource | Internal Office Tool | In-house custom | Mainframe application to handle National cases). Supports workflow and storing of patent data. Includes bibliographic data (from 1869-present), text (abstract, claim and description of laid open patent documents from 1978-present) and images of patent documents (from 1920-present). All these documents are available stored on hard disk technology. |
| InterApp | Internal Office Tool | C++ | An application to process International PCT applications including all RO, ISA and IPEA functionality. The application also imports and exports documents and data directly to and from WIPO via sFTP |
| AppEntry | Internal Office Tool | C++ | An application that electronically retrieves national entry applications from WIPO for processing in Canada. |
| MS Word | Internal | Microsoft | Word along with VBA coding gives Patent Branch users the ability to create reports with complex automated paragraphs. |
| Intellect | Internal Office Tool | JAVA | The Internal Canadian Patent database search engine is updated electronically daily for our internal search tool. The search application is named Intellect and it has been in use since 2008. |
| Canadian Patent Database | External Office Tool | JAVA | The External Canadian Patent database search engine is updated electronically daily and is available on our Web site. |
Hardware used to supporting business processes of the Office
Telework support for patent examination and classification activities are provided by a RDP solution where staff remotely connect to a desktop located at headquarters. In the near future, this will be upgraded to a laptop VPN solution through which staff will remotely connect to the office's network.
Internal databases: coverage, updates, interlinks with external sources
CIPO's internal office TechSource system includes bibliographic data (from 1869-present), text (abstract, claim and description of laid open patent documents from 1978-present) and images of patent documents (from 1920-present). All these documents are available stored on hard disk technology. Data for applications open to public inspection and granted patents is extracted from the Techsource database and published onto CIPO's searchable online Canadian Patent Database (CPD).
Establishment and maintenance of electronic search file: file building, updating, storage, documents from other offices included in the search file
Following two pilot projects and extensive planning and training work, in 2014 Patent Branch examiners began to create populate a database of ‘search records’ for every office action. The tools developed allow the examiners to create, update, store and retrieve information on the search activities. This information includes data on family members, applicant submissions, databases and search queries used. The database is populated via an interface built into MS Excel. The examiner can add new tabs to each record with subsequent office actions, eventually building a complete history of the search over the prosecution life of the application. The files are stored in the database, but are also exported into the Notations field of LOB and written to a MS Word document and added as an annex to any examiner’s report. The search record is a benefit to internal and external stakeholders and serves as a foundational tool for quality assessment.
Administrative management electronic systems (register, legal status, statistics, and administrative support)
All Canadian Patents/applications are managed within our custom build TechSource system.
Other matters
V. PROMOTION ACTIVITIES AIMED TO SUPPORT USERS IN ACCESS AND EFFICIENT USE OF PATENT INFORMATION
Patent library: equipment, collection management, network of patent libraries in the country, cooperation with foreign patent libraries
CIPO provides prosecution documentation in the WIPO CASE system on a per request basis with full participation in the near future.
Canada shares weekly patent data with 20 patent offices and just under 15 commercial clients for integration in various search databases.
Publications related to different business procedures and patent information sources available to users, for example, books, brochures, Internet publications, etc.
The CIPO Resource Centre provides non-patent literature research and reference services. It enables employees to access world-class external information sources via its many e-resources. The centre continues to enhance its virtual collection and provide training to ensure employees effectively access the electronic information sources from their desktops. The centre serves as the central point for information procurement within CIPO. Its services also include webinars, specialized wikis and e-books.
The CIPO Client Service Centre and the CIPO web site provide information and a guide to patents to assist users. CIPO also has an outreach program.
CIPO Website: Intellectual Property (IP) Case Studies
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01946.html
CIPO Website: The Patent Application Process
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr02999.html
CIPO Website: Prepare your Application (Patent):
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr03652.html?Open&wt_src=cipo-patent-main&wt_cxt=apply#preparingPatentApplication
CIPO Website: Tutorial - Your Patent Application:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01398.html
CIPO Website: Writing a patent application:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01398.html
CIPO Website: Filing Canadian patent applications (e-filing):
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr01477.html
CIPO Website: Manual of Patent Office Practice:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00720.html?Open&wt_src=cipo-patent-main
Office's initiatives on providing foreign patent information in the local language(s) (e.g., machine translation tools, translation of abstracts)
CIPO receives and prosecutes patents in either official language (French or English). The Office translates all of the patent titles and abstracts so that they are available in both official languages (English and French). The Office does not translate the other sections of a patent (claims, description, drawings, SL).
Cooperation with universities, research centers, technology and innovation support centers, etc.
No significant initiatives to report for 2014.
Education and training: training courses, e-learning modules (URLs), seminars, exhibitions, etc.
Maintenance and development of key training resources:
• Updating of a Patent Search Tools Manual which offers a compilation of 1-pager on the various search tools available to CIPO’s patent examiners, both subscribed and free resource, for patent and non-patent document, including patent information from other offices. http://opicnet.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/487.nsf/eng/h_ne00750.html#searchtools
• Intellect user manual to search the internal Canadian patent database
• CASE user guide
In April 2014 CIPO provided free training to the National Institute of Industrial Property of Chile (INAPI). Two CIPO examiners travelled to the INAPI Office in Santiago to provide patent search training in preparation of their becoming an International Searching and Preliminary Examination Authority (ISA/IPEA).
Other activities
VI. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF PATENT INFORMATION
International exchange and sharing of patent information in machine-readable form, e.g., priority documents, bibliographic data, abstracts, search reports, full text information
CIPO provides applications open to public inspection and granted patent documentation on CD-R or via FTP transfer.
The following is a link to CIPO's electronic data products:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr01933.html
Filings can be made on paper, electronic medium or online (Web).
CIPO has PPH agreements with several countries and retrieves files from their respective public dossier access systems, where available. However, our partner offices retrieve Canadian files directly from the applicant.
CIPO shared Canadian industrial designs data for publication in the Global Designs Database (WIPO).
Participation in international or regional activities and projects related to patent information
PB participated in a file sharing activity with the Vancouver Group offices for the purposes of a pilot into Quality Audits. Files were exchanged by converting TIFF documents to PDF and then uploaded to the other offices using the GOVDEX server. Likewise, PB obtained files from the partner offices by downloading from GOVDEX. The examiners review the files, conduct a search and fill out various templates after a review of the application in light of national examination practice. Upon return to the national office, the original examiner reviews the findings of their VG counterparts and makes a final decision on allowance or report. The sample size for this project was very small, involving only 5-10 applications. The project continues into 2015 – 16.
Assistance to developing countries
CIPO has provided, in cooperation with WIPO, the following free patent services to developing countries:
• Patent search and examination reports for developing countries, upon request from WIPO, under the WIPO programme of International Cooperation in the Search and Examination of Inventions (ICE)
• State-of-the-art patent searches under the WIPO Patent Information Searches (WPIS) for developing countries
• Paper copies of relevant Canadian patent documents identified by WIPO patent searches
In April 2014 CIPO provided free training to the National Institute of Industrial Property of Chile* (INAPI). Two CIPO examiners travelled to the INAPI Office in Santiago to provide patent search training in preparation of their becoming an International Searching and Preliminary Examination Authority (ISA/IPEA).
*According to this UN document, as of 2014 Chile was listing as a developing country http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_current/2014wesp_country_classification.pdf
Other activities
VII. OTHER RELATED MATTERS
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.