1. Third IPC Workshop (WIPO)
IPC vs. CPC compared
Third IPC Workshop (WIPO)
Roberto IASEVOLI, EPO CPC Implementation Group
25 February 2013

2. Outline History Governance and operations Documentation coverage
Scheme: availability and layout
Definitions: availability and layout
What / how / where to classify
Database
Allocation standard
Revisions
Questions & Answers

3. History date IPC CPC 1971 Strasbourg Agreement 2006 Jan IPC Reform
"invention" vs. "additional" information
"advanced" vs. "core" level
reclassified documentation
additional layer of the IPC (Definitions)
2010 Oct
bilateral agreement EPO-USPTO for the launch of CPC
2011 Jan
Simplified IPC Reform
classification in "full IPC" vs. "main-group only" instead of "advanced" vs. "core" levels

4. History (cont'd) date IPC CPC 2013 Jan
17th version of the IPC launched
1st version of the CPC launched
2013 Apr
next version of the CPC expected
2013 May
...
2014 Jan
next version of the IPC expected

5. Governance and operations
IPC
CPC
IPC Union members, under the supervision of WIPO
EPO & USPTO
operations are described in the CONOPS documentation
operations are described in the CPC OPS documentation
Committee of Experts (IPC/CE)
meetings are physically held yearly at WIPO
CPC Implementation Group (CPC IG) to hand over to CPC Joint Board (CPC JB) in operation phase (July 2013) meetings are (physically or VICO) held quarterly/monthly

6. Governance and operations (cont'd)
IPC
CPC
IPC revisions are expected to take place yearly
CPC revisions are expected to take place up to monthly
revisions are worked out by the Revision Working Group (IPC/WG) meetings are physically held twice a year at WIPO
revisions are worked out by the Joint Editorial Board (EB) meetings are (VICO) held weekly

7. Documentation coverage
IPC
CPC
almost all of worldwide published patent documents after 1975 (entry in force of the Strasbourg Agreement)
minimum PCT documentation available in EN, FR, DE (and NL)
+ whole of US patent documentation
+ CPCNO allocations: EPO member states can send their allocations in CPC format, to retrieve them later in EPOQUE

8. Scheme availability IPC CPC www.wipo.int/ipcpub www.cpcinfo.org
worldwide.espacenet.com/classification

9. IPC scheme layout Sections A-H Indexing codes 631 subclasses
~ symbols
invention or additional information
Indexing codes
additional information only
as a rule numbering starts at 101/00
but C07D main groups start at 201/00 ...

10. Indexing codes ─ 2000 series
CPC scheme layout
Sections A-H
Section Y
Main trunk
647 subclasses
~ symbols
invention or additional information
{...} used to distinguish CPC text from IPC one
6 subclasses
~7 300 symbols
including former USPC "XRAC's and digests"
tagging of emerging cross-sectional technologies
additional information only
Indexing codes ─ 2000 series
~ symbols
former "breakdown" and "orthogonal" ICO
include IPC indexing codes

11. Y a.k.a. the 9th section of the scheme
IPC
CPC
ideas over a 9th section of the IPC, to cover emerging technologies, cross-sectional in the sense that the new schemes would span over many schemes of the A-H sections, was explored at the time "Nanotech" was discussed in the IPC
"Nanotech" was the trigger to have in ECLA the 9th section for tagging of emerging technologies
later Y01 (Nanotech) was moved to B82Y
the 9th section of the IPC could not be created because of the high IT impact on certain offices
Y section stays in CPC for tagging of emerging cross-sectional technologies
now includes also former USPC XRAC's and digest (Y10S)

12. Definitions availability
IPC
CPC
worldwide.espacenet.com/classification
Definitions are "one click away" next to the IPC symbol they relate to
Definitions are expected for all subclasses (except indexing schemes) and main-groups, at least
Definitions are currently available as XML/PDF files at subclass level
a D marks their availability in the IPC page
a D marks their availability in the espacenet page
available also on USPTO classification resources
plan to have all IPC subclasses (except indexing ones) covered
currently ~1/3 of the total is ready
plan to have all of CPC subclasses (except indexing ones) and main-groups covered
all ready by mid 2013

13. Definitions layout IPC CPC
a Template exists to structure information in the best way
XML schema mirrors the Template structure
a Template exists which is almost identical to the IPC one
XML schema is compatible with the IPC one

14. What / where / how to classify
IPC
CPC
the IPC Guide provides the required information on the proper usage of the IPC
the CPC Guide does not exist (yet), but the CPC follows IPC Guide "unless differently stated"
what: contribution over the prior art; other features interesting for search ...
where: function-oriented vs. application-oriented places ...
how: invention vs. additional information; indexing schemes ...
what: contribution over the prior art; other features interesting for search ...
where: reflect IPC practice to a very large extent, unless differently stated in the CPC Definitions

15. Database
IPC
CPC
MCD
the master database for the IPC, collecting allocations sent by all offices worldwide
MCD is the authoritative source of the IPC classification data
it also generates reclassification working lists (RWL) for all offices at each IPC revision
CPC-DB
a "dual master" database with synchronization, to ensure independence of operations of the two offices, while offering refreshed access to the shared allocations
CPC-DB is the authoritative source of the CPC classification data
database "products" are not exported from CPC-DB but from the local databases, e.g. DOC-DB/XML is fed by DOC-DB

16. CPC database (CPC-DB)
“Dual master" databases with data synchronization
CPC-DB will be the authoritative source for CPC classification data

17. Allocation standard
IPC
CPC
Standard 8 (ST8)
based on ST8

18. Allocation standard — from the IPC ST8 ...
, Y A

19. Allocation standard (cont'd) — ... to the CPC one

20. Revisions IPC CPC yearly (ready 6 months in advance)
worked out by the IPC/WG
up to monthly (ready 6 weeks in advance)
worked out by the CPC EB
platform: IPC IEF
platform: CPC collaborative environment
the following deliverables are expected:
Scheme / Definition project changes
en français aussi !
CRL (cross-reference list)
Compilation of changes
stems from the two above
RCL (revision concordance list)
RWL (reclassification working lists) for all participating offices
CI (Catchword Index)
RWL (reclassification working lists) for CPC offices
CICL (CPC-IPC concordance list)

21. Questions & Answers
....
Thank you !!