How the EPO searches prior art in Biotech Titus Vogt Patent examiner | European Patent Office Dir | Biochemistry and Diagnostics Grasserstr. 9 | Munich | Germany | 3rd Annual Forum for SMEs Information Workshop on European Bioinformatics Resources Vienna, 3rd-4th September 2009

A short C.V. Study chemistry at the Utrecht University, The Netherlands. PhD at the "Centre for Biomembranes and Lipid Enzymology", of the Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Post-doc at the lab "Chimie Physique des Macromolécules aux Interfaces" of the Université Libre des Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. Post-doc at the independent junior research group "Fest-Körper NMR Spectroscopie" of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany. Patent examiner at the European Patent Office, Munich, Germany. Dr. TCB VOGT

Model search strategy Analyze application Quick search Complete the search Analyze results: - keywords, classes - scope/focus search - select databases - formulate query - retrieve results analyze results: - fields covered, - relevance of documents End of search Intuitive and iterative process Written opinion Formulate opinion

Analyze the application. Determine what needs to be searched. –read the claims, –identify the technical features of the solution(s), –try to identify the "invention" (use the description when necessary). Classify the claimed subject matter. –ECLA, IPC. Collect keywords, synonyms, etc. Identify applicant and inventors.

Quick search The Aim of the quick search is to get an quick overview of the field. Keyword search in e.g. Google, Scirus, PubMed. Search for publications from the inventors and applicant. –scientific literature. –patent literature. –applicant web-site. Search for a recent review on the subject. Collect more keywords.

Complete the search Sequence/Structure searches, –large proteins/polynucleotidesEBI –small peptides/polynucleotidesChem. Abstr., Registry –structureCA, Registry, Beilstein Search patent and non-patent literature (full-text and bibliographic databases), –classification –keywords, synonyms, etc. –inventors/applicant Chemical Abstracts –keywords –thesaurus

Written opinion. Analyze the documents. –new keywords? –additional players in the field? –citing/cited documents. –select the closest prior art. Determine the objective technical problem to be solved. –inventive effect? –which feature(s) is/are responsible? Everything covered? Formulate opinion. –any missing links?

The EPO tools:The Viewer

The EPO tools:XFull (full-text search)

The EPO tools:IBIS (sequence submissions)

The EPO tools:IBIS (results)

The EPO tools:Databases In-house: Full text patent: (EP, FR, DE, US, NL, GB,...) Full text non-patent: Springer, Elsevier, Misc. Bibliographic non-patent: Biosis, Medline, Embase, FSTA, Beilstein, PubChem,... Bibliographic patent: WPI, EPOdoc External: Pay: Chem. Abstr., Registry, Scopus, Prous integrity, Brenda. Free: iHop, Brenda, EBI, Google, Scirus, NCBI (PubMed, PubChem,...)...

Thank you for your attention. Any questions?