(0)ENT:255/0:

3.

 The Classification, furthermore, has the important purposes of serving as:
 

(a)

 an instrument for the orderly arrangement of patent documents in order to facilitate access to the technological and legal information contained therein;
 

(b)

 a basis for selective dissemination of information to all users of patent information;
 

(c)

 a basis for investigating the state of the art in given fields of technology;
 

(d)

 a basis for the preparation of industrial property statistics which in turn permit the assessment of technological development in various areas.

4.

 The text of the first edition of the Classification was established pursuant to the provisions of the European Convention on the International Classification of Patents for Invention of 1954.

5.

 The Classification is periodically revised in order to improve the system and to take account of technical development.

6.

 The first edition of the Classification was in force from September 1, 1968, to June 30, 1974, the second from July 1, 1974, to December 31, 1979, the third from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1984, the fourth from January 1, 1985, to December 31, 1989, and the fifth from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1994. This edition (the sixth) entered into force on January 1, 1995.

7.

 In accordance with Article 4(5) of the above-mentioned Agreement, it has been determined that the abbreviation "Int.Cl." of the words "International Patent Classification" may precede the classification symbols instead of those words in published patent documents classified according to the Classification.

8.

 It is recommended that published patent documents classified in accordance with a given edition of the Classification bear an indication of that edition in the form of a superscript Arabic numeral, printed immediately after the abbreviation. Thus, for a document classified in accordance with the fifth edition, the recommended abbreviation is: Int.Cl.5; in accordance with the fourth edition: Int.Cl.4, etc. However, when it is in accordance with the first edition, no superscript Arabic numeral is shown, the indication being merely Int.Cl.

9.

 The Classification is established in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic.

10.

 Pursuant to Article 3(2) of the above-mentioned Strasbourg Agreement, official texts of the Classification may be established in other languages. Complete texts of the fifth edition of the Classification were established in, for example, the Chinese, Czech, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian and Spanish languages.

11.

 The Guide attempts to describe in simple terms and by means of examples how the Classification should be used for the purpose of classifying or retrieving patent documents. Further assistance in the use of the Classification is provided by the Catchword Index, which has been established in English and French as well as in other languages. An Introductory Manual to the Classification has been elaborated in order to assist classifiers and searchers in the use of the Classification, and can be obtained from WIPO. Furthermore, WIPO publishes a special publication (named "Revision Concordance List") which gives information on how subject matter has been transferred between different places in the Classification as a result of its revision; a first list (published in 1980) relates to the revision of the second edition, a second list (published in 1984) relates to the revision of the third edition, a third list (published in 1989) relates to the revision of the fourth edition and, finally, a fourth list (published in 1994) relates to the revision of the fifth edition. These publications may serve as an aid to the users using the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth editions of the Classification.

12.

 Assistance in the use of the Classification, and information on the transfer of subject matter as a result of the revision work, is also available through the IPC:CLASS CD-ROM (which exists both in an MS-DOS R version and in a Windows R version), which has been produced by the International Bureau of WIPO in close cooperation with the German Patent Office, the Hungarian National Office of Inventions and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. The IPC:CLASS CD-ROM relating to the sixth edition of the Classification, which can be obtained from WIPO, contains:
 

-

 the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth editions of the Classification in English and French;
 

-

 the fourth, fifth and sixth editions of the Classification in German;
 

-

 the fifth and sixth editions of the Classification in Hungarian and Spanish;
 

-

 the Catchword Indexes to the sixth edition of the Classification in English, French and Spanish;
 

-

 the bilingual (German/English) "Stich- und Schlagwörterverzeichnis" (with the two versions separated);
 

-

 the revision concordance data relating to the second/third, third/fourth, fourth/fifth and fifth/sixth editions of the Classification;
 

-

 the data relating to all symbols having been used in the Classification.

13.

 Communications relating to the Classification should be addressed to:

World Intellectual Property Organization

34, chemin des Colombettes

1211 Geneva 20 (Switzerland)

II.       LAYOUT AND USE OF CLASSIFICATION SYMBOLS; HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE; TERMINOLOGY; SCOPE OF PLACES

14.

 The layout, use of classification symbols, hierarchical structure and other aspects of the Classification are explained below with reference to the sample pages appearing on pages 7 and 8 of this Guide [these sample pages are not reproduced in IPC:CLASS]. The layout and use of indexing codes relating to hybrid systems, where different from what is said below for classification symbols, are described in Chapter IV.

SECTION

15.

 The Classification represents the whole body of knowledge which may be regarded as proper to the field of patents for invention, divided into eight sections.
 

(a)

 Section Symbol - Each section is designated by one of the capital letters A through H.
 

(b)

 Section Title - The section title is to be considered as a very broad indication of the contents of the section. The eight sections are entitled as follows:
 

A

 HUMAN NECESSITIES
 

B

 PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
 

C

 CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
 

D

 TEXTILES; PAPER
 

E

 FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
 

F

 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
 

G

 PHYSICS
 

H

 ELECTRICITY.
 

(c)

 Contents of Section - Each section title is followed by a
 

Example:

(d)

 Subsection - Within sections, informative headings form subsections, which are titles without classification symbols.
 
 

AGRICULTURE.

CLASS

16.

 Each section is subdivided into classes.
 

Example:

(a)

 Class Symbol - Each class symbol consists of the section symbol followed by a two-digit number.
 
 

A 01.
 

Example:

(b)

 Class Title - The class title gives an indication of the content of the class.
 
 

A 01

 AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING.
 

(c)

 Class Index - Some classes have an index which is merely an informative summary giving a broad survey of the content of the class.
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