Annual Technical Report 2002 on Industrial Design Information Activities submitted by Bulgaria (SCIT/ATR/ID/2002/BG)
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The expression "industrial designs" covers industrial designs and models. Offices which issue design patents should report their design patent information activities in this series of Annual Technical Reports.
I. Evolution of registration activities
- Changes experienced in terms of application filings and grants (registrations) with respect to the previous year:
Applications
2001 – 1023 (national 449)
2002 – 1018 (national 519)
Registrations
2001 – 784 (national 232)
2002 – 877 (national 303)
- Trends or areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year.
There are no particular areas experiencing rapid changes with respect to the previous year.
II. Matters concerning the generation, reproduction, and distribution of industrial design documents and of secondary sources of industrial design information, i.e., official gazettes
- Publishing, including printing, copying techniques and electronic printing:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria publishes the registered industrial designs on paper in the Official Bulletin monthly.
- Main types of announcements of the Office in the field of industrial designs:
The publication in the Official Bulletin comprises bibliographical data and the graphical presentations or coloured images of the registered industrial designs.
- Mass storage media and microforms used:
The dossiers are on paper and are stored following the registration number or the application number for the refusals.
- Databases and office automation:
The office automation, functioning as of 01.10.2001, is for administrative support, for searching industrial designs information. There are national and international (according to the Hague Agreement concerning Bulgaria) database with graphical presentations or coloured images. The database contains the bibliographic data, the legal status and correspondence, fees, forms, etc..
Functions of this Oracle Based “Industrial Design Information System” (IDIS), developed from outside company, are currently being updated.
III. Matters concerning classifying, reclassifying and indexing of industrial design information according to the classification systems applied
Classification and reclassification activities; classification system used:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria uses the International Classification for Industrial Designs (Locarno Classification) since 1968. All the documents are classified according to class and subclass of the Locarno Classification. In 1995 the card file was reclassified. Now the Office uses and classifies according to the 1998 Edition (7th) of the Classification.
Bibliographic data and processing for search purposes:
The classification is used for the novelty examination and for search purposes in the PC (IDIS - Industrial Designs Information System), paper or electronic (CD) files, for statistics and for searches in the Official gazettes.
IV. Search file establishment and upkeep
- File building:
The Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria maintains an Automation Database – IDIS, Register and four paper files (archives) of the industrial designs:
1. Automation Database – IDIS.
2. Dossiers of the registered designs arranged in numerical order according to the registration number.
3. Dossiers of the rejected design applications arranged in numerical order according to the application number.
4. Paper card file in form A4, containing the bibliographical data and the graphical presentation of all registered industrial designs, arranged according to the classification symbols.
5. The other paper card file contains the bibliographic data and the graphical presentation of all expired registered industrial designs. The file is arranged according to the classes and subclasses of the Locarno Classification.
- Updating:
The updating of the files is regular depending on the number of registrations and rejections.
- Storage, including mass storage media:
The storage is in boxes and storage closets.
- Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file:
Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file and is constituted from the following official bulletins:
WIPO “INTERNATIONAL DESIGNS BULLETIN" (WO);
“OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE” (US);
“GESCHMACKSMUSTERBLATT” (DE);
"...И ПРОМЬIШЛЕННЬIЕ ОБРАЗЦЬI" (RU);
“BULLETIN OFFICIEL DE LA PROPRIÉTÉ
INDUSTRIELLE DESSINS ET MODÈLES” (FR), etc.
V. Activities in the field of computerized search systems for industrial designs
- In-house systems (online/offline):
In the Bulgarian Patent Office there are computer aided possibilities for searching industrial designs information and correspondences. There are national and international (according to the Hague Agreement concerning Bulgaria) databases with graphical presentations and coloured images. For all purposes the computerized system is used therefore.
- External databases:
There are Internet external databases available.
- Administrative management systems (e.g., register, legal status, administrative support, etc.):
There is a computerized system – IDIS (Industrial Designs Information System) for administrative support - register, legal status, fees and statistics in regular using.
- Equipment used (hardware, including the types of terminal and network used, and software), data carriers used:
Hardware:
Server: HP K360 9000/800;
Workstations: Intel Pentium based PCs, about 60;
Software:
Server: UNIX 11.xx as OS, Oracle 8i as DBMS;
Workstations: Windows’98 and Windows’XP as OS, MS Office as documents management, etc.;
Carriers used: CDs, DVDs.
VI. Administration of industrial design services available to the public (relating to facilities, e.g., for lodging applications, registering designs, assisting clients with search procedures, obtaining official publications and registry extracts
The information services available to the public through the Patent Office are as follows:
1. Searches related to the legal status
2. Subject search
3. Numerical search
4. State of the art search
5. Searches in one or several classes
6. Searches on firm names
7. Combination of the above mentioned.
All the searches are carried in house and in the available collections of documents and official bulletins and paper cards.
The Central Patent Library provides for public access to the Official Bulletins from 32 countries, containing industrial design information.
VII. Matters concerning mutual exchange of industrial design documentation and information
The international and regional cooperation is in the form of exchange of official gazettes.
There is a collection of the “WIPO International Designs Bulletin” on CD-ROM.
VIII. Matters concerning education and training including technical assistance to developing countries
Promotional activities:
1. Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation – Visit to ask for cooperation concerning the organization of the World Exhibition of Young People’s Inventions, Tokyo, August 2004;
2. Working visit concerning the future cooperation with the International Development Law Institute, Rome, Italy;
3. First Liaison meeting on the Community design between the OHIM and experts from National Offices – 2 experts from the Industrial Designs Department of the Bulgarian Patent Office;
4. Visit of the delegation from Industrial Property Protection Office of the Republic of Macedonia;
5. Third meeting between OHIM and the Heads of the Industrial Property Offices of Candidate Countries, Alicante, 2 persons;
6. Working visit to the SIPO, China, concerning the Working Plan on cooperation between the BPO and SIPO, Beijing, 5 persons;
7. International seminar “IP – encouragement of the economy development”, Ohrid, Macedonia - 2 persons.
IX. Other relevant matters
- There are no other relevant matters to mention.