Dear Colleague

IPC Reform (version 8), with its new data, has brought change and new ways to research patents. The upcoming enhancements to Derwent World Patents Index also introduces much data new to DWPI and new ways to mine and output patent data. Articles in this issue address some of these changes, and where you can get help and learn more about how to make the most of these changes.

I invite you to sign up for one of my online sessions on May 26 (9:30 a.m. ET or 3:00 p.m. ET), in which I highlight many of the enhancements. Other sessions are also available in a variety of time zones and languages.

Ron Kaminecki, Director
Intellectual Property Applications

Getting Ready for the Expanded and Enhanced Derwent World Patents Index®

Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPI) (Files 350, 351, 352) is being reloaded with expanded content and many enhancements designed to save you time and effort. In addition to the distilled expert analysis reflected in DWPI enhanced titles and abstracts, now available are original patent filing details, multiple patent images, easy cut-and-paste patent family data, and much more.

Three areas of enhancement include new content such as details from original patent filings in different countries or granting authorities and multiple images; new indexing for inventor name and country codes; and new display options. ONTAP® DWPI, a complimentary training database, is available now with the enhanced records (see sidebar).

Sign up for a free Briefing about the new Derwent World Patents Index, or check the special DWPI on Dialog Web page for more details.

German Patents Fulltext Updated with IPCR/8 Data

German Patents Fulltext (File 324) has been updated with 2006 data, which includes the new coding for the International Patent Reform - Version 8 (IPCR/8) and attributes. The updated file also contains a new Legal Representative (LR=) field, which includes the name and address of the patent agent. Legal Representative is word indexed as LR= and displayed by tag LR.

Classification Features
Each IPCR/8 classification code is also accompanied by a series of attributes or properties of the classification. The IPCR/8 classification attributes can be searched using the IA= prefix. Consult the list of attributes for more details.

Another feature of IPCR/8 is the organization of the classification into "core" vs. "advanced" codes. Both core and advanced codes are also included in the IC= index. A separate Advanced Classification Code index (ICA=) is provided in File 324. The IPCR/8 attributes are searchable as IC= and ICA= and displayed by tag IC.

For more information on how Dialog is implementing IPCR/8, please see the dedicated Dialog Web page. A full list of Dialog databases affected by the changes is available on this Web page. The page is updated periodically to provide relevant information regarding the current status of changes to the affected databases.

Alerts By Chemical Structure For IMS Patent Focus

Alerts by Chemical Structure are now available in IMS Patent Focus (File 447). IMS Patent Focus details the evaluated product (or equivalent process) patent position for 1,000 commercially significant drugs, both marketed or in phase III (or above) clinical trials. It contains more than 118,000 structures.

Searchers now can set up an Alert for a chemical structure in IMS Patent Focus using a MOL file or an Alert that is a combination of text and a MOL file.

Alerts by Chemical Structure are also available in the following Dialog databases:

• Derwent Chemistry Resource (File 355)
• Index Chemicus (File 302)
• Pharmaprojects (File 128, 928)
• Prous Science Drug Data Report (File 452)

Check the “Create an Alert by Chemical Structure” Quick Reference Card for more details on setting up the Alert.

Tracking Patents for Competitive Intelligence

The use of Intellectual Property rights is key to maintaining long-term growth and survival of an organization. Patents, in particular, establish specific areas of protection around a technology and are used to prevent others from using a technology outright and to secure revenue through licensing. Patents can also be a good source of competitive intelligence.

The article "Back to the Future: Tracking Patents to See Where the Path Leads" by Bob Stembridge uses NASDAQ companies Dell, Microsoft and Amazon in the software/computing sector and Amgen, Teva and Chiron in the biotechnology/ pharmaceuticals area as examples to identify patenting characteristics and to track some trends in patenting behavior, which may indicate future directions for these companies.

Valuable Resources from Thomson Scientific:

Introducing Techstreet®, the Industry Codes and Standards Superstore

Now get free and immediate access to one the world’s largest online databases of industry codes and standards. At www.techstreet.com, The Online Standards Superstore, you can search and order documents for overnight delivery or immediate download. Free online tools make it easy to find and manage standards information. Unlimited standards tracking automatically sends free e-mail alerts when any document is updated, revised, amended or withdrawn, with no purchase necessary. Find out more about Techstreet from Thomson Scientific.

Call for Contributors

Participate in knowledge sharing with your colleagues interested in intellectual-property-related topics. Share your story suggestions with us at support.dialog.com/enewsletters/contribute/.