Implementation of the reformed IPC: Slovenia Janez Kukec Mezek Head of Information and Promotion Department Slovenian Intellectual Property Office

Established in 1991 (only 5 patent examiners) No “classical” substantive examination Patent is granted by publication of patent application Results of granting procedures at EPO or other IPEA are used for final decision on patent validity 1994: membership in PCT; Extension Agreement with EPO 2002: full member of EPC; PCT national route closed Janez Kukec Mezek Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO)

Running on Alpha computer with OpenVMS Designed and build by SIPO published documents in patent database IPC codes used to be consisting part of patent database From 1997, validity file used as controller for entering IPC codes into system Janez Kukec Mezek IT supporting system

Janez Kukec Mezek “Pre-reform” interface Validity file in background as controller

SIPO will use core level SIPO is ready to reclassify Slovenian patent documents without family members Checking of IT supporting system: database cannot accomodate reformed IPC codes need to build two parallel databases, one with old and one with IPC8 codes need for controlling file for IPC8 Determination of extent of reclassification Janez Kukec Mezek IPC reform: starting points

First try at beginning of 2005: all IPC codes checked with IPC7 validity file Only 146 codes not matching IPC7 Reclassification to IPC7 (February – March 2005) Step 1: using concordance lists Step 2: “manual” reclassification (abt. 50 codes) New decisions: SIPO will reclassify all Slovenian patent documents All documents, including granted European patents in national phase, will be published and entered into database with core level codes Janez Kukec Mezek Reclassification to IPC7

April – September 2005 Two new “related” databases were build Two controlling files were created, using XML validity file one for controlling input of core level codes into database one for converting codes from advance to core level problem: late availability of XML validity file New interfaces were created Janez Kukec Mezek Preparation of new IT support

September 2005: all IPC7 codes were checked by conversion from advance to core level Codes falling out of this conversion had to be reclassified 291 codes not matching IPC8 core level Reclassification to IPC8 (October 2005) step 1: indexing codes were deleted step 2: using IPC7 and IPC8 on internet step 3: “manual” reclassification – initially 37 codes Decision: During November - December 2005: classification according to IPC8 core level, except when new entries of IPC8 are needed; in such case, IPC7 and IPC8 codes are alloted and entered into separate databases Janez Kukec Mezek Reclassification to IPC8

Janez Kukec Mezek “Reclassification” interface

Janez Kukec Mezek IPC8 interface Fields created by system New IPC8 core level controller

Janez Kukec Mezek IPC8 interface with input completed

Janez Kukec Mezek SIPO internet database

Janez Kukec Mezek ST.36 test XML file

ST.36 test XML files sent to EPO beginning of January, 2006: backfile – complete SIPO database test frontfile with data of publication on 31/12/2005 First real ST.36 XML file will be sent after first publication in 2006 (February 28, 2006) Open issue: frequency of future XML validity files on which depend timely creation of controlling file for converting codes from advance to core level (granted European patents entering national phase) Janez Kukec Mezek Closing remarks

Thank you. Janez Kukec Mezek