SCIT.ATR.PI.2007.EA

Annual Technical Report 2007 on Patent Information Activities submitted by EAPO (SCIT/ATR/PI/2007/EA)

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 2007 the number of filed applications and granted Eurasian patents has increased by 17% and 36 % correspondingly.

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

The majority of applications were filed in the fields of
Organic Chemistry - 12% increase
Medications and Pharmaceuticals - 25% increase

41% decrease in Agriculture
60% decrease in Printing and Decorative Arts

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

http://www.eapo.org/rus/report2004/eapo_2007.pdf

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.)

EAPO issues the following publications in the field of patent information:
- EAPO Gazette (optical disc, Web-site)
- Descriptions to Eurasian Applications (optical disc)
- Descriptions to Eurasian Patents (optical disc)
- Legislative, normative-methodical and reference documentation of the EAPO (optical disc)
- Eurasian Applications and Patents, Summary index (optical disc)
- Annual Report (paper, Web-site)

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

EAPO issues the following procedural announcements in the field of patent information:

Applications:
Event code Event description
BZ2A Eurasian patent applications published with a search report (A1 publication)
BZ1A Eurasian patent applications published without a search report (A2 publication)
EZ2A Separate publication of a search report (A3 publication)
FA9A Withdrawal of a Eurasian application
NF9A Restoration of lapsed right to a Eurasian application
PD1A Registration of transfer of a Eurasian application by order of succession in title
PC1A Registration of transfer of a Eurasian application by force of assignment
HC1A Change in name of an applicant in a Eurasian application
HM1A (2A) Change in composition of inventors
TK4A Corrections in published Eurasian application (bib. data, abstract)
PZ1A Registration of pledge of right to a Eurasian application

Patents:
Code Event description
FG4A Eurasian patents (B1 publication)
ММ4А Lapse of a Eurasian patent in Contracting States due to non-payment within the time limit of renewal fees
PC4A Registration of transfer of a Eurasian patent by assignment
PD4A Registration of transfer of a Eurasian patent in accordance with the succession in title
NF4A Restoration of lapsed right to a Eurasian patent
MC4A Revocation of a Eurasian patent under opposition procedure (administrative revocation)
MF4A Revocation of a Eurasian patent in full
MA4A Revocation of a Eurasian patent at the owner's request filed with the EAPO
LD4A Reissued specification to Eurasian patent (B2 publication)
MH4A Revocation of a Eurasian patent in part
TB4A Correction of composition of inventors in a published Eurasian patent
TH4A Corrections of general character in a published Eurasian patent (full text)
TK4A Corrections in published Eurasian patent (bib. data, claims)
QB4A Registration of a license in a Contracting State
QC4A Termination of a registered license in a Contracting State
RH4A Grant of a duplicate of a Eurasian patent certificate
TC4A Change in name of a patent proprietor in a Eurasian patent
PZ4A Registration of pledge of right to a Eurasian patent
ND4A Extension of term of a Eurasian patent

Announcements of the Office of procedural, legal and norm-setting kind are published in EAPO Gazette and reflected in the Web register of patents; more general announcements can be also found at Web-site of EAPO at www.eapo.org

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

Patent information of the EAPO is provided on digital media only: optical discs (CD, DVD-ROMs) and online resources are used to distribute data.

Type of announcement Carrier Language
EAPO Gazette CD-ROM (Russian)
Descriptions to the Eurasian Applications DVD-ROM or CD-ROM (Russian)
Descriptions to the Eurasian Patents CD-ROM (Russian, Abstracts in English)
Legislative, normative-methodical and reference documentation of the EAPO CD-ROM (Russian/English)
Eurasian Applications and Patents, Summary index DVD-ROM (Russian
Annual Report Paper Russian/English)

Some publications were presented in the databases of the Eurasian Patent-Information System (EAPATIS) accessible via the Internet: http://www.eapatis.com

Word processing and office automation

Microsoft Word 2003 text processor is used to process texts for publication. As Microsoft Word can hardly be used for server automation, EAPO has started to change to XML format for processing purposes in 2007.

EAPO widely uses administrative and information system "Common Software", “Publication Server” and “Open Patent Services”.
First versions of program-modules were created for processing XML-information received by using “Open Patent Services”. The peculiar feature of the EAPO approach is integration of the mentioned modules with administrative and information system "Common Software".

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

EAPO issues its official publications using own data processing and publishing facilities. The unified publication technology involves scanning, optical character recognition, editing, proofreading and make-up. All data used for publications (including bibliographic data in Russian and English, pages in facsimile mode, full-text descriptions, first pages, blueprints etc.) is stored in one database (IPDL HIVE2 system, outsourced for EAPO). Information is extracted from the database by client software in necessary formats, including PDF and XML. The client software also provides broad automation of everyday operations at every workplace of the publication divisions. More than 23000 Eurasian patent documents were stored in IPDL HIVE2 system's database by the end of 2007.
The most significant change in EAPO data representation in 2007 is related to the development of two new formats: ST.36 XML and PDFs with embedded bookmarks.

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

Primary sources:
www.eapo.org/rus/eapatis/ - full descriptions of published applications and patents (numeric search only)
www.eapo.org/rus/bulletin/ - electronic EAPO Bulletin
www.eapatis.com/ - Eurasian Patent Information System (all type of searches)
www.eapo.org/rus/reestr/index.php3/ - Register of Eurasian Patents

Secondary sources:
Espacenet:
http://l2.espacenet.com
http://ea.espacenet.com

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

Abstracting, reviewing, translating

Eurasian patent applications are filed at the EAPO in Russian only. When patent application is filed, an applicant or a representative provides abstract in required format in accordance with filing procedure. This abstract is published with bibliographic data of the application in the Gazette, at first pages of application and corresponding patent and on optical discs with full descriptions of inventions. Abstracts are published in Russian and English.

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)

For classifying published Eurasian applications and Eurasian patents EAPO uses the advanced level of the IPC (8th edition). Information about published Eurasian patent documents including classifying indexes is sent to EPO to be included into the database of classified patent documents (MCD).
As changes into the advanced level of IPC are introduced EAPO within the framework of MCD support carries out reclassification of Eurasian patent documents in accordance with the list of documents which EAPO receives from WIPO.
Created and successfully incorporated into the administrative and information system "Common Software" program-modules to work with reformed IPC were put into operation in December 2005. Starting from January 1, 2006 all published documents were classified in accordance with the new IPC version.
The developed software provided for the coordinative work of examiners of Examination Departments, Formal Examination Department, Search and Information Systems Department and Procedure Automation Department. The Program resources provided monitoring of published documents classification.

Coordinate indexing (domestic deep indexing systems, keyword indexing)

EAPO does not use domestic keep indexing systems or keyword indexing

Hybrid system indexing

EAPO uses indexing schemes within the framework of advanced level of IPC (8th edition).

Bibliographic data and full-text processing

Bibliographic data for applications and patents and full texts of patents are stored in database storage of IPDL HIVE2 system. The system allows extracting data in required format for further loading to other external search systems. For example, this extracted data is used in EAPATIS and in Esp@cenet.
The EAPO has been developing an XML format for publication data representation to simplify subsequent data analysis and indexing.

IV. Search file establishment and upkeep

File building

Since 2003 EAPO started to form a virtual patent-information depository comprising of local and external databases (DB) of patent documentation and non-patent literature integrated between each other. Access to the BDs and search in them is realized on the basis of a "one-window principle" via the EAPATIS system.
Local DBs are formed by information unloading from CD/DVD discs containing patent documentation, data conversion and arranging it in a unique format, data indexing and loading of information into the DB.

Updating

A new database of US applications has been formed. Over 2 million of patent documents were loaded in 2007. The total number of loaded into local DB descriptions of documents has increased up to 30.5 million. The local DBs contain retrospective and current patent documentation of international organizations and national patent offices of countries of PCT- minimum documentation, EAPO Member-States, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. EAPO has been working at improvement of quality of information provided, broadening of searching and service possibilities of DBs, integration of information resources of local and external Internet DBs of patent and non-patent documentation, unified access to DBs via one searching interface.

Storage, including mass storage media

By the end of 2007 the EAPO patent-information depository contained 44 local DBs, incorporated into 25 clusters. Each cluster contains DB of one country (patent organization) or disc series. The total volume of loaded and kept in the DB information is over 2.5 TB. The peculiar feature of the Eurasian patent-information space is availability of a unified access to all DBs via a unique searching interface of EAPATIS System.

Documentation from other offices maintained and/or considered part of the available search file

Much attention was paid to formation and loading of local DBs of national patent documentation of EAPO Member-States and their improvement. The available information is loaded into these DBs and the access is open via the EAPATIS system. Much was done for broadening access to external DB of patent and non-patent documentation in the Internet based on virtual access and means of metasearch.

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

In-house systems (online/offline)

EAPO uses the following systems: COMMON SOFTWARE, bookkeeping and warehouse programs, system of electronic exchange of documents by the company “DIGT”, IPDL HIVE2 system (The system supports publication process and own patent collection processing in EAPO. It offers reliable storage of all documents used for publication, automation of the most of publication procedures, structured access to the stored patent information via client software or Web interface, multiplex search in bibliographic data and full texts considering languages morphology (Russian and English) and provides statistics on documents stored and on publication process); and Eurasian Patent System (EAPATIS) being the main information and search system used by EAPO examiners, examiners of national patent offices of the EAPO Member-States, as well as Uzbekistan and Ukraine for patent searches. Access to EAPATIS is open via the Internet: http://www.eapatis.com

External databases

EAPO examiners and examiners from patent offices of EAPO Member-States have a full-scale access to a huge number of patent documents including those extracted from external DBs of patent documentation, and in metasearch mode and virtual access. EAPATIS resources provided a unified access to the following DBs: esp@cenet DB, USPTO DB (applications), USPTO DB (patents), EPOLINE DB, JOPAL DB, Patent documentation DB of the Republic of Moldova (patents) and Patent documentation DB of the Republic of Kazakhstan, DBs of non-patent literature (Science Direct, High Wire Press, Springer Link, Wiley-VCH, PubMed, etc.)

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

From 2007 EAPO started to use "Toolbox-EPTOS" system. At present the system is in technical operation. It has been successfully integrated into PATNET.
Information on patent documents is available through the automated system COMMON SOFTWARE which supports administration of patent procedures. The system also provides statistical information, fee payment, correspondence and workflow management.
CRYSTALL SERVER is used in EAPO to prepare statistic forms for operative management of examination procedure, EAPO Gazette preparation and information exchange with patent offices and international organizations.
EAPO keeps a Register of Eurasian patents accessible to the wide public in electronic form.

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

Equipment and software used: 2 Intel-based servers (CPU 2xXeon 3200MHz, RAM 4 GB); Windows 2000 Server (Russian version), IBM DB2, IBM WebSphere Portal, IBM Content Manager.

№ Title of server equipment Number
1) SunFire X2100 server (5)
2) SunFire X2200 M2 server(6)
3) SunFire v280R server (1)
4) SE3120 JBOD disk massive (1)
5) Sun Storedge D1000 disk massive (1)
6) Sun Ray 1g thin client (10)
7) Sun Ray 2 thin client (10)
8) С2 LTO-3 tape storage (1)
9) Solaris operation system (11)
10)SUN Е3500 server (4 processors on 2 system boards, 2 controllers for disc massive) (1)
11)D1000 Disc massive (1)
12) L400 tape library (1)
13) SUN Е250 server (1)
14) SUN Е280 server (1)
15)Servers (Intel) (5)

EAPATIS and applied patent information technologies function on apparatus complex including Xeon 2x2.8, RAM 2Gb, HDD 1.4 Tb, server of DB (Xeon 2x3.0, RAM 4Gb, HDD 6 Tb (RAID5)), internet-server (Xeon 2x2.8, RAM 2Gb, HDD 400 Gb), client work stations. Windows2000 server, IIS 5.0 are used as general –system interface software. The client stations are equipped with Windows XP, Windows2000, and Windows98.
EAPO concluded an agreement with ROY International (business partner of SUN Microsystems) for creating depositories of data, systems of reserve copying, archiving, disaster protection and restoration of information in EAPO apparatus and program systems.

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)

Collecting, acquisitions, preparation

In 2007 the Office received subscriptions of specialized magazines, books, brochures. EAPO library contains literature on book shelves as well as documents available on-line from the corporative EAPO website.

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

EAPO cooperates with BEN (Library of Natural Sciences), VINITI (Library of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information), VPTB (All-Russian Patent and Technical Library).

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)

Legislative, referential and statistical information, documents concerning activity of the Office (Plans, Orders, Instructions, Regulations, etc.), news and announcements, useful links and other information is presented at the EAPO corporative website. Access to the EAPO corporative website is provided from EAPO staff work places.
The following information services are open to the public on-line: patent searching in the world, regional and national DBs of patent documentation via the EAPATIS system (http://www.eapatis.com); search and access to full descriptions of Eurasian patent documentation (published applications and patents) from EAPO website (http://www.eapo.org) via EAPATIS and Eurasian server of esp@cenet. Electronic versions of the EAPO Gazettes, Register of Eurasian patents and DB of Eurasian patent attorneys are also available on the EAPO website. The users can subscribe to EAPO official publications on paper or machine readable carriers.

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

https://adept.eapo.org – production server of e-filing;
http://adept-demo.eapo.org – demo-server of e-filing.

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.

http://eapo.org/eng/documents/

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

www.eapatis.com
http://eapo.org/rus/publications,
http://ea.espacenet.com,
http://eapo.org/eng/information/attorneys.php3

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

In 2007 EAPO exchanged patent information on CD-ROM/DVD with WIPO, EPO and 47 national patent offices. EAPO sent its documentation to Azerbaijan, Australia, Austria, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Great Britain, Hungary, Vietnam, Germany, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, KPDR, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Check Republic, Switzerland, Estonia, Yugoslavia and Japan.

The following EAPO official publications were circulated: the Gazette, CD-ROM with descriptions of inventions to Eurasian applications and patents; CD-ROM with legislative, normative and methodical and reference documentation of EAPO, CD-ROM «Eurasian applications and patents, Summary index, Annual Index and Annual Report.
EAPO collection on CD/DVD has been replenished with over 1000 discs of current series.

Medium used for exchange of priority documents

Electronic form is used for receiving priority documents of international applications entering the regional phase at EAPO.
Paper form is used in other cases including preparation and sending certified copies of Eurasian applications.

Medium allowed for filing applications

Applications may be filed on paper and 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 2007 EAPO conducted training on EAPATIS and other information and search systems for examiners of the Office. Profound and individual training was organized for newly employed examiners. Special training courses were organized for 18 examiners from national patent offices of EAPO Member-States for on-the-job training at EAPO. Consultative and methodical assistance has been rendered to examiners while conducting patent searches.

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

EAPO pays much attention to cooperation with patent offices of EAPO Member-States. In 2007 EAPO funded refresher courses at the Russian State Institute of Intellectual Property for seven specialists from EAPO Member-States.

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

During the year under report the following activities took place where EAPO representatives participated as speakers:
- Seminar on TRIPS and Seminar for Patent Attorneys in Minsk (Republic of Belarus);
- National Seminar to promote the use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty in Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation);
- National Seminar on Management of Intellectual Property: Innovation, Promotion and Technology Transfer) in Chisinau (Moldova).

Each year EAPO organizes seminars at EAPC Contracting States. With EAPO support in 2007 a Regional Seminar on the Role of Intellectual Property Offices: Current Activities and Challenges was held in Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan).

In March 2007 EAPO took part in the 10th Moscow International Salon of Industrial Property "Archimedes" where EAPO organized the "EAPO Day". The booth of the EAPO provided information about the Eurasian patent system, about EAPO activity and its information products.

A meeting with Eurasian patent attorneys, which is traditionally dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day, took place on April 26, 2007 at EAPO.
Leading specialists of the Eurasian Patent Office informed the participants of the meeting about aspects of EAPO activity, which can be useful for their professional activity and development of cooperation with the Office.

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

EAPO specialists wrote several articles to leading magazines in the field of industrial property.

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)

E-filing
Since 2006 EAPO started its own project ADEPT (Application Documents Electronically Performed Transmission). The project is aimed at secure exchange of application documents between EAPO and offices of patent attorneys. Exchange of documents is realized via the Internet and a safe TLS protocol.
https://adept.eapo.org – production server of e-filing;
http://adept-demo.eapo.org – demo-server of e-filing.

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