Support : e-Newsletters : Dialog Patents News : Issue 3, 2005

IPC Reform Brings Changes to Dialog Patent Files

The latest revision of the International Patent Classification, IPC Version 8—planned for introduction on January 1, 2006—is the most radical change since the inception of the IPC. It is more appropriate to refer to it as a reform rather than just a revision. As a result, searchers will be able to use the latest version of an IPC code, and this will more closely reflect the latest developments in technology and terminology. New patents published after January 1, 2006 will be assigned the new IPC codes. All IPCs will continue to be searchable in Dialog patent files using the IC= prefix.

Syntax Change for IPC Formats on Dialog

• IPC structure based on 5-level hierarchical tree
  
  
  

  Section:	A
  Class:	01
  Subclass:	B
  Group:	001 in 7th edition and 0001 in 8th edition (IPC group zero-filled to left by Dialog)
  Subgroup:	/20 (up to 6 digits after slash)

Examples

• Search 7th Edition IPCs: SELECT IC=A01B-001/20
  
  
• Search 8th Edition IPCs: SELECT IC=A01B-0001/20
  
  

More Information

Read the article by Bob Stembridge of Thomson Scientific entitled "Getting to Grips with IPC8 — Thomson Tackles the Changes" to learn about IPC changes in general and some of the proposed modifications to DWPI; how users will be able to search these to take maximum benefit from the reformed IPC; the impact of these changes; and the implementation of reformed IPCs after DWPI is reloaded on Dialog.

Other documents of interest on this topic include:

• "Impact of IPC Reform on Patent Information Users and Providers" by Bob Stembridge, illustrating the changes and the reasons for them
• WIPO IPC 8 GUIDE and other IPC reform documents
• The new IPC 8 Classification on the WIPO Web site

In order to keep you abreast of IPC-8 implementation on Dialog, a Web page has been set up to make it easy for you to check the current status of changes in all affected databases. Look for more articles on this topic in future Dialog e-newsletters.

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