国际专利分类:常问问题

IPC是"国际专利分类"的缩写,是一种分级分类制度,主要用于根据所涉技术领域,对专利文件(专利申请、授权专利说明、实用新型等)进行分类和检索。它被用作有序整理专利文件的工具,是选择性信息传播的基础,也是在特定技术领域调查现有技术的基础。

(更多信息请见《IPC指南》。)

《斯特拉斯堡协定》是建立和修订IPC的法律基础。1971年3月24日的外交会议通过了《国际专利分类(IPC)斯特拉斯堡协定》,当日有15个国家签署了该协定。此后,《发明专利的国际(欧洲)分类表》事实上成为IPC第一版。《斯特拉斯堡协定》于1975年生效。《斯特拉斯堡协定》的成员构成了IPC专门联盟。

(更多信息请见简短的《斯特拉斯堡协定》摘要。)

IPC是用于检索专利相关数据库的非常强大的工具。IPC使用户能够在多种类型的专利相关检索中找到正确的技术、信息丰富的技术概览,或与IPC分类号所代表的特定技术相关的完整而详细的专利文件清单。

专利局使用IPC对专利申请进行分类并为审查目的进行检索。任何参与研发、发明或应用技术解决方案的人,都可以使用IPC检索专利或专利相关信息,从中受益。发明人、研究人员、教师、学生、律师、全球性公司、中小企业和初创企业都会发现它非常有用。

在公布其专利文件时使用IPC的国家数量远远超过斯特拉斯堡联盟的成员数量;世界上有100多个国家的专利局使用IPC。可以说,IPC是专利分类领域的通用语言。

  • 工业产权局对IPC的使用情况 PDF DOC

关于IPC的详细信息可在产权组织IPC网站上获得。该网站还可查阅IPC修订过程的文件,即IPC各机构不同会议的文件和报告。

《IPC指南》收集了关于IPC结构、原则和规定的最全面信息。该指南是经《斯特拉斯堡协定》机构批准的正式文件,对IPC的使用作出解释。它以简单的术语并借助实例描述了IPC的结构和要素,以及如何使用该分类对专利文件进行分类或检索。该指南定期修订。

IPC主页上提供支持IPC的资源,例如IPCCAT(IPC计算机辅助分类)、STATS(基于统计数据分析的IPC预测)、IPC绿色目录(无害环境技术)或IPC培训材料。IPC在线公布中提供IPC公布帮助,对其内容、导航、呈现细节、检索功能、具体概念(如修订对照表或关键词索引)、IPC/CPC/FI平行浏览器,甚至IPC的网络服务进行解释。

(另见"知识产权统计数据"页面中"其他资源"里涉及IPC分类号的产权组织技术分类/对照表。)

IPC的作准文本以英文法文提供。也有其他语言的IPC译文已公布。例如,通过IPC正式公布的"桥梁"arrow功能,可提供下列语种的IPC:波兰文、德文、俄文、韩文、荷兰文、捷克文、葡萄牙文(巴西)、日文、塞尔维亚文、斯洛伐克文、乌克兰文、西班牙文和中文。

IPC正式公布可通过IPC主页在线获取,也可通过PDF和其他格式离线查阅或使用。IPC相关的文件在IPC下载和信息技术支持区XMLTXTPDF等格式提供。

IPC定期进行修订以改进该体系并在内容中反映技术发展。从1968年到2006年,IPC大约每五年修订一次,每次修订后会出版新版本。IPC第八版于2006年1月1日生效。从2006年开始对IPC进行更频繁的修订,每个版本都标明生效年份和月份。自2010年起,IPC每年修订一次,新版本的生效日期均为1月1日。新分类表、汇编和修订对照文件提前六个月可供下载或查询。

版号表示相关条目作为新条目被引入IPC的版本,或"文档范围"被修改之处的版本,例如[4]或[2008.01]。由于之前版本不足以覆盖一些新出现的技术,新IPC版本中会逐步引入新条目。此外,已有分类位置可因其原始设计不符合专利分类的需要而被修改。通常,它们可被转至新建位置,从而在该位置建立更合适的新分类树。

IPC改版后,一般不需要再使用之前的IPC版本进行检索,因为专利文件的主要内容都应该根据修订变化进行再分类。然而,在某些领域,再分类工作被延迟,因此强烈建议在进行基于IPC的检索时考虑版号,并使用修订对照表来查明之前IPC版本中的相关IPC分类号。请注意尚未完成再分类的位置所配有的IPC警示warning

(更多信息请见《IPC指南》第8至第10之二段,以及第42段。)

该分类表包含近8万个以分类号标识的条目,分类号可分配给专利文件。这些不同的分类位置以一个分层的树状结构编排。

  • IPC最高层级是八个部,对应非常宽泛的技术领域。例如,C部涉及"化学"和"冶金"。
  • 部被细分为大类,例如大类C21涉及"铁的冶金"。
  • 大类被进一步细分为小类,例如小类A21B涉及"食品烤炉;焙烤用机械或设备"。
  • 小类被细分为大组和小组。
  • 大组的类号总是以"/00"结尾,例如大组A21C 5/00涉及"分切面团机械"。
  • 大组下的小组层级通过在组的类名前用数点标明,例如一点小组A21C 5/02涉及"有分切腔和排出柱塞的分切面团机械"。

(更多信息请见《IPC指南》第19至42段,以及"统计数据"。)

定义用于澄清适合分类位置的主题的确切边界。定义提供了涉及分类条目的附加信息并用于澄清分类条目,但并不改变分类条目的范围。

定义可包含六部分内容:

  • 定义陈述
  • 与其他分类位置的关系
  • 参见
  • 特殊分类规则
  • 术语表
  • 同义词和关键词

只对数量有限的小类和组提供了定义。随着IPC的进一步发展,将为其所有的小类以及适合的大组和小组制定定义。定义可通过IPC互联网公布获取(如果分类号旁边有 definition图标,则有定义。例如,参见小类G01S;点击 definition即可打开其定义)。

(更多信息请见《IPC指南》第44至47段。)

关键词索引是按字母顺序排列的约20,000个技术术语/关键词列表,以英文和法文提供,这些术语/关键词指向适当的分类位置。关键词索引可在IPC正式公布中在线获取;可进行浏览或检索。

德国专利商标局以德文和英文编制了更为详细的关键词索引版本。该版本提供了远超100,000个不同的条目;可在德国专利商标局的IPC网站上获取。

(更多信息请见IPC在线公布中的IPC公布帮助。)

修订对照表显示了在两个连续的(新旧)IPC版本之间对技术主题作出实质性修订的地方。修订对照表标明了旧IPC版本中已有位置删除或范围改变后,被移动的主题在新IPC版本中的IPC分类号。

(更多信息请见IPC在线公布中的IPC帮助。)

IPC修正汇编体现了两个连续(新旧)IPC版本之间的所有修正。修正汇编标明了IPC中类名或主题被修改的位置,以及相对于旧版IPC进行了何种修改。

(更多信息请见IPC在线公布中的IPC公布帮助。)

一些最大的专利局(即欧洲专利局、美国专利商标局和日本特许厅)维护着两个重要的分类体系,即欧专局和美国专商局的联合专利分类(CPC)体系和日本FI体系;这两个体系都以IPC为基础。通过使用CPC,用户可以对使用该分类体系分类的专利文献进行高精度检索。通过使用FI/F-term,用户可以在日文文献中进行高精度搜索。然而,IPC在世界范围内广泛使用,使得用户既能够检索到美国和日本的文件,也能够检索仅使用IPC而不使用其他分类体系的其他许多国家公布的文件。CPC和FI/F-term的在线浏览器已整合至IPC正式公布中,可在IPC分类表中显示。

International Patent Classification: Frequently Asked Questions

The acronym IPC stands for “International Patent Classification”, a hierarchical classification system used primarily to classify and search patent documents (patent applications, specifications of granted patents, utility models, etc.) according to the technical fields they pertain. It serves as an instrument for an orderly arrangement of the patent documents, a basis for selective dissemination of information and a basis for investigating the state of the art in given fields of technology.
(See also the “Guide to the IPC” for more information.)

The Strasbourg Agreement is the legal foundation of the creation and revision of the IPC. On March 24, 1971, a Diplomatic Conference adopted the Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification (IPC), which on that date was signed by 15 States. Following that, the International (European) Classification of Patents for Inventions became de facto the first edition of the IPC. The Strasbourg Agreement entered into force in 1975. The members to the Strasbourg Agreement constitute the Special Union of the IPC.

(See also a brief Summary of the Strasbourg Agreement for more information.)

The IPC is a very powerful tool for searching patent-related databases. The IPC enables the user to locate the right technology in many types of patent-related searches, or find an informative technology overview or a complete and detailed list of patent documents relating to a specific technology represented by IPC symbols.

Patent offices use the IPC to classify patent applications and to search for the purpose of examination. Anybody involved in research and development, inventing or applying technical solutions can benefit from using the IPC to search patents or patent-related information. Inventors, researchers, teachers, students, lawyers, global companies, SMEs and start-ups may find it very useful.
The number of countries using the IPC when publishing their patent documents is much higher than the number of members of the Strasbourg Union; the IPC is used by patent offices in more than 100 countries in the world. The IPC is, so to speak, the lingua franca of the patent classification.
  • Use of the IPC by industrial property offices [PDF] [DOC]

Detailed information about the IPC can be found on the WIPO IPC website. The site also provides access to the documentation of the IPC revision process, i.e. documents and reports of different meetings of the IPC bodies.

The most comprehensive information about the structure, principles and rules of the IPC is collected in the “Guide to the IPC”. The Guide is the official document approved by the bodies of the Strasbourg Agreement, which explains the use of the IPC. It describes in simple terms and by means of examples the structure and elements of the IPC and how the Classification should be used for classifying or retrieving patent documents. The Guide is revised on a regular basis.

The IPC homepage provides an access to supporting IPC resources such as IPCCAT (IPC Computer-Assisted Categorization), STATS (IPC predictions based on statistical analysis), the IPC Green Inventory (environmentally sound technologies) or IPC training materials. The IPC Publication Help is available in its online publication, with an explanation of its content, navigation, presentation details, search functions, specific notions, e.g. the Revision Concordance List (RCL) or Catchword Index, IPC/CPC/FI parallel viewer or even web services of the IPC.
(See also the WIPO technology breakdown/concordance table with links to IPC symbols in “Other Intellectual Property Data resources” under Intellectual Property Statistics page.

The authentic versions of the IPC are English and French. Translations of the IPC are also prepared and published in other languages. For example, the IPC is available in the following languages through the IPC Official Publication’s "bridge" arrow function: Chinese, Czech, Dutch, German, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian.

The IPC Official Publication is available online via the IPC homepage as well as in a PDF and other formats for an offline inspection or use. IPC-related files are available in XML, TXT, PDF, etc., on the IPC Download and IT Support Area.

The IPC is periodically revised for improving the system and for reflecting technical developments in its contents. Between 1968 and 2006, the IPC was revised roughly every five years and, after each revision, a new edition was published. The eighth edition of the IPC entered into force on January 1, 2006. Since 2006, the IPC has been revised more frequently and each edition, called also version, is indicated by the year and month of its entry into force. Since 2010, the IPC is revised once a year and each new version enters into force on January 1. Six months in advance, the new scheme, compilation and revision concordance files are available for download or consultation.
The version indicator gives the edition/version where the corresponding entry was introduced in the IPC as a new entry or where its "file scope" was modified, for example [4] or [2008.01]. New entries are progressively introduced in new IPC versions because there are new emerging technologies for which the coverage was not sufficient in the previous versions. In addition, existing classification places can be modified because their original design does not fit the needs of the patent classification. Often, they can be transferred to newly created places where a new, more appropriate classification tree, can be elaborated.

With the reformed IPC, generally, there should be no need to use previous IPC versions for search because a major part of patent files was supposed to be reclassified according to the revision changes. However, in some areas, the reclassification works are delayed, thus it is highly recommended to consider version indicators for IPC-based search and to use the Revision Concordance List to identify relevant IPC symbols for previous IPC versions. Please note the IPC Warnings warning assigned to such places where reclassification has not yet been completed.

(See also paragraphs 8 to 10bis and 42 of the “Guide to the IPC” for more information.)

The classification scheme contains almost 80,000 entries identified by classification symbols that can be allotted to patent documents. These different classification places are arranged in a hierarchical, tree-like structure.
  • The highest hierarchical level are the eight sections of the IPC corresponding to very broad technical fields. For example, Section C deals with "CHEMISTRY” and “METALLURGY".
  • Sections are subdivided into classes, e.g. class C21 deals with the "METALLURGY OF IRON".
  • Classes are further subdivided into subclasses, e.g. subclass A21B deals with "BAKERS' OVENS; MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR BAKING".
  • Subclasses are divided into main groups and subgroups.
  • Main group symbols always end with "/00", e.g. main group A21C 5/00 deals with "Dough-dividing machines".
  • The hierarchy of subgroups under main groups is designated by dots preceding the titles of the groups, e.g. 1-dot subgroup A21C 5/02 deals with “Dough-dividing machines with division boxes and ejection plungers”.
(See also paragraphs 19 to 42 of the “Guide to the IPC” and “Statistics” for more information.)

Definitions are used for clarifying the exact boundaries of the subject matter appropriate for the classification place. They provide additional information in respect of classification entries and serve for their clarification, but do not change the scope of classification entries.
They may consist of six subsections:
  • Definition statement
  • Relationships with other classification places
  • References
  • Special rules of classification
  • Glossary of terms
  • Synonyms and keywords
Definitions are provided only for a limited number of subclasses and groups. In the course of the further development of the IPC, definitions will be elaborated for all its subclasses, and for main groups and subgroups, where appropriate. Definitions are accessible via the Internet publication of the IPC (a definition is available if there is an icon definition shown next to a symbol. See, for example, subclass G01S; by clicking on the definition will open its definition).
(See also paragraphs 44 to 47 of the “Guide to the IPC” for more information.)

The Catchword Index is an alphabetically ordered list of about 20,000 technical terms/keywords in both English and French, which refer to appropriate classification places. It is available online in the IPC Official Publication; it can be browsed or searched.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office has prepared a more detailed version of a Catchword Index in German and English languages. It offers far more than 100,000 different entries; it is available on the IPC website of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office.

(See also the IPC Publication Help available in the IPC online publication for more information.)

The Revision Concordance List (RCL) shows places where technical subject matter was substantially revised between two consecutive (old and new) IPC versions. It indicates IPC symbols in the new IPC version where the subject matter was moved after deletion or changing scope of places existing in the old IPC version.
(See also the IPC Publication Help available in the IPC online publication for more information.)

The Compilation of amendments to the IPC presents all amendments between two consecutive (old and new) IPC versions. It indicates places in the IPC where the title or subject matter was modified and how it was modified with respect to the old IPC version.
(See also the IPC Publication Help available in the IPC online publication for more information.)

There are two important classification systems maintained by some of the largest patent offices, namely the European Patent Office (EPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), i.e. the EPO and USPTO joint Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system and the Japanese FI system; both of the two systems are based on the IPC. Using the CPC, a user can carry out a high precision search in the patent documentation classified by the use of this classification system. Using FI/F-term, a user can carry out a high precision search in the Japanese documentation. However, the IPC is used universally all over the world, which enables a user to search, for example, both US and JP documents, or documents published by many other countries using no other classification system than the IPC. Online viewer of both CPC and FI/F-term has been integrated in the IPC Official Publication where they can be displayed in the context of the IPC scheme.