technical-data classification

technical-data/classification-ipc

<classification-ipc>
  <edition>7</edition>
  <main-classification mxw-id="PCL163366969" load-source="docdb">C04B  28/14</main-classification>
  <further-classification mxw-id="PCL163294003" load-source="docdb">C09K   3/18</further-classification>
  <additional-info mxw-id="PCL750202757" load-source="docdb">C04B  38/10</additional-info>
  <linked-indexing-code-group group="J">
    <main-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163299823" load-source="docdb">C04B  28/14</main-linked-indexing-code>
    <sub-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL1106709533" load-source="docdb">C04B  24:26</sub-linked-indexing-code>
    <sub-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163417459" load-source="docdb">C04B  24:42</sub-linked-indexing-code>
  </linked-indexing-code-group>
  <linked-indexing-code-group group="K">
    <main-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL1106715491" load-source="docdb">C04B  28/14</main-linked-indexing-code>
    <sub-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163379057" load-source="docdb">C04B  24:12</sub-linked-indexing-code>
    <sub-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163388853" load-source="docdb">C04B  24:26</sub-linked-indexing-code>
    <sub-linked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163385607" load-source="docdb">C04B  24:42</sub-linked-indexing-code>
  </linked-indexing-code-group>
  <unlinked-indexing-code mxw-id="PCL163364197" load-source="docdb">C04B 111/27</unlinked-indexing-code>
</classification-ipc>


These are the international classifications at the time of publication for documents published before IPCR went into effect (pre-2006).

Element

INID

Description

edition

51

Effective dates: 
        7: 2000-2006 
        6: 1995-1999 
        5: 1990-1994 
        4: 1985-1989 
        3: 1980-1984 
        2: 7/1974-1979 
        1: 9/1969-6/1974

main-classification

51

Format for all IPC is space-filled to 4-characters at main group: ANNA^^nn/n[...]. See XML example above.

further-classification

51

Further/secondary classification. Same format as main-classification.

additional-info

51

Additional information

linked-indexing-code-group

51

Indexing codes are used in association with classification symbols to provide technical information. Their format is similar to classification symbols, but they employ a colon in place of the slash. For example: ANNAnnnn:n[...]. Linked indexing codes show which classification symbols the indexing code is associated with. See Review of the Hybrid Systems in the IPC for more information.

unlinked-indexing-code

51

Unlinked indexing codes are similar to linked indexing codes, but are not linked to an associated classification symbol.

text

51

Not populated

technical-data/classification-ipc/linked-indexing-code-group

AttributeDescription
groupLetter designation that identifies a linked indexing code group
ElementDescription
main-linked-indexing-codeMain/primary linked indexing code
sub-linked-indexing-codeSub/further linked indexing code

technical-data/classifications-ipcr

<classifications-ipcr>
  <classification-ipcr load-source="docdb">E02B 3/12   20060101AFI20100519BHCN</classification-ipcr>
  <classification-ipcr load-source="docdb">E02D 17/20   20100101CLI20100519BHCN</classification-ipcr>
  <classification-ipcr load-source="docdb">E02D 17/20   20060101ALI20100519BHCN</classification-ipcr>
  <classification-ipcr load-source="docdb">E02D 15/00   20060101ALI20100519BHCN</classification-ipcr>
  </classification-ipcr>
</classifications-ipcr>

Element

INID

Description

classification-ipcr

51

International Patent Classification (IPCR) 
Format is strictly according to WIPO ST. 8. The full list of IPC codes can be found on the WIPO website.

technical-data/classification-locarno

<classification-locarno>
  <main-classification load-source="patent-office">0202</main-classification>
</classification-locarno>


US Design only and those prepared for issue after June 30, 1996 include Locarno International Classification.

Element

INID

Description

edition51Edition of the classification schedule

main-classification

51

Format follows CCSS, where CC is the Class (zero-filled) and SS is the subclass (zero-filled)

further-classification

51

Further/secondary classification. Same format as main-classification.

technical-data/classification-national

<classification-national country="US">
  <main-classification load-source="patent-office">606041</main-classification>
  <further-classification load-source="patent-office">606001</further-classification>
</classification-national>
<classification-national country="US">
  <text>395/500.05;500.06</text>
</classification-national>
<classification-national country="JP">
  <main-classification load-source="patent-office">C02F 3/02  B</main-classification>
  <further-classification load-source="patent-office">C02F 3/10  A</further-classification>
</classification-national>

Attribute

Description

country

Indicates whether the classification code is based on the USPTO classification (US) or on JAPIO FIndex (JP).

Element

INID

Description

edition52Edition of the classification schedule

main-classification

52

The format for all US classes is zero-filled to a 3-character class and 3-character subclass. Characters following those 6 numbers are not zero-filled, and non-significant trailing zeros are removed. There is no punctuation present. Slashes and decimal points can be easily inferred for display purposes. 
For JP classes, the format is the original delivered from JAPIO.

further-classification

52

Further/secondary classification. Same format as main-classification.

additional-info52Additional information
linked-indexing-code-group52Indexing codes are used in association with classification symbols to provide technical information. Their format is similar to classification symbols, but they employ a colon in place of the slash. For example: ANNAnnnn:n[...]. Linked indexing codes show which classification symbols the indexing code is associated with. See Review of the Hybrid Systems in the IPC for more information.
unlinked-indexing-code52Unlinked indexing codes are similar to linked indexing codes, but are not linked to an associated classification symbol.

text

52

In certain data parsing errors, the structure of the classification as delivered in the raw data cannot be established. In these cases, the raw classification data is output in the child: text.


As of 2015, the USPTO has transitioned from using the over 100-year-old U.S. Patent Classification (USPC) system to the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), a new classification system jointly developed with the European Patent Office (EPO). The USPTO currently only uses CPC for classifying new utility patent documents; however, it will continue to use U.S. Patent Classification for classifying design and plant patents.

technical-data/f-term-info/f-terms

<f-term-info>
  <f-terms>
    <theme-code>2C088</theme-code>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125233156" load-source="docdb">2C088BA02</f-term>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125234246" load-source="docdb">2C088AA42</f-term>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125236700" load-source="docdb">2C088AA11</f-term>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125252568" load-source="docdb">2C088EB28</f-term>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125261614" load-source="docdb">2C088AA36</f-term>
    <f-term mxw-id="PCL1125276981" load-source="docdb">2C088AA06</f-term>
  </f-terms>
</f-term-info>
ElementINIDDescription
theme code515-character alphanumeric code which represents a technical field.
f-term51See table below. More information about F-terms can be found at https://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/searchportal_e/classification.htm.
Characters
Value
Description
1-22CGroup of Theme
1-52C088Theme
6-7AAViewpoint
6-9AA02F-term
10AAdditional Code (optional)

technical-data/classifications-cpc

<classifications-cpc>
  <classification-cpc mxw-id="PCL-1437171692" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q 1/6869 20130101 FI20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
  <classification-cpc mxw-id="PCL-1437187236" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">G16B 30/20 20190201 LI20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
  <classification-cpc mxw-id="PCL-1437187457" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q 1/6827 20130101 LI20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
  <combination-sets>
    <combination-set group="1" load-source="docdb">
      <classification-cpc rank="1" mxw-id="PCL-1437182516" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q 1/6869 20130101 LI20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
      <classification-cpc rank="2" mxw-id="PCL-1437183463" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q2535/122 20130101 LA20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
      <classification-cpc rank="3" mxw-id="PCL-1437166528" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q2537/165 20130101 LA20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
    </combination-set>
    <combination-set group="2" load-source="docdb">
      <classification-cpc rank="1" mxw-id="PCL-1437169247" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q 1/6827 20130101 LI20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
      <classification-cpc rank="2" mxw-id="PCL-1437199121" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q2535/122 20130101 LA20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
      <classification-cpc rank="3" mxw-id="PCL-1437200085" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">C12Q2537/165 20130101 LA20190308BHEP</classification-cpc>
    </combination-set>
  </combination-sets>
</classifications-cpc>

Attribute

Description

scheme

Values include:

  • CPC: symbols that have been allocated to a document by the EPO, discontinued as of week 2019/36
  • CPCNO: symbols that have been allocated to a document by a national patent office, discontinued as of week 2019/36
  • CPCI: CPC-International. CPCI is maintained at the family level. When there has been a change to the CPCI picture for a given family, every member in the simple patent family (i.e., all members with the same family ID) will be updated. When different authorities have allocated the same classification symbol, the CPCI picture for one publication will contain duplicate symbols. Duplicate symbols for one publication will be made unique by a two-letter authority-code, which can be found in positions 41-42 in the CPC.
rankSequential number used to identify the rank of a symbol within a combination set
ElementINIDDescription
classification-cpc52
Cooperative Patent Classification. Format is according to WIPO ST. 8. For more information on CPC, see Cooperative Patent Classification in IFI CLAIMS Direct. The full list of CPC codes can be found on the CPC website or the USPTO website.

When available, F and L symbols may indicate first and later classifications as in the following example: 

<classification-cpc mxw-id="PCL-1583949427" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">G01F1/6965 20130101 FI20130101BHEP </classification-cpc> 
<classification-cpc mxw-id="PCL-1583981588" load-source="docdb" scheme="CPC">G01F1/72 20130101 LI20130101BHEP </classification-cpc>

The different elements of CPC codes are described in the following table:

ElementPosition in WIPO/ST.8 DescriptionValues
classification symbol1sectionA…H and Y
2,3class01…99
4subclassA…Z
5 to 8main group1…9999 right-aligned
9separator/
10 to 15subgroup00…999999
scheme date20 to 27version indicatorYYYYMMDD
classification value30inventive (equivalent to ECLA)
additional (equivalent to ICO or EPO keywords)

I
A

action date31 to 38date indicating when the code was assignedYYYYMMDD
classification status39original
reclassified
B
R
data source40human
machine
generated
H
M
G
generating office41,42country code, only present for CPCNOstandard 2-character code based on WIPO ST.3
combination-sets

Group of CPC symbols that have one base class and one or more subsequent ranked symbols that are linked together to convey special classification information.

C-Sets classification is a special classification technique, providing a mechanism for searching combined features that are otherwise not easy to find by single symbols, resulting in more precise and efficient retrieval of technical information from CPC. 

A C-Set brings together symbols from different groups within the same subclass or from different subclasses, in a certain order. 

  • The first symbol is designated as the base symbol, and has the Rank 1 in the database. 
  • The second symbol is designated as the subsequent symbol, and has the Rank 2 in the database. 
  • Any further symbol, if present, is also designated as a subsequent symbol, and has the Rank 3 or higher in the database. 
  • At the end of the C-Set is the information value

Example of C-sets presentation in patent documents and in the CPC database:

C05C9/005,C05D9/02,C05G3/0058,INV
BaseSubsequentSubsequentInformation Value
Rank 1Rank 2Rank 3

Source: Guide to CPC (EPO and USPTO)

See https://www.cooperativepatentclassification.org/Training for more information.


technical-data/classifications-cpc/combination-sets/combination-set

AttributeDescription
groupNumber used to identify a group of symbols, when allocating a combination set of symbols to a patent document


technical-data/classification-ecla

<classification-ecla>
      <classification-symbol scheme="ICO" mxw-id="PCL684638563">L65D519:00Y1B4</classification-symbol>
      <classification-symbol scheme="ICO" mxw-id="PCL684640847">L65D519:00Y3A1B</classification-symbol>
      <classification-symbol scheme="EC" mxw-id="PCL684643157">B65D 21/02E5</classification-symbol>
      <classification-symbol scheme="EC" mxw-id="PCL935789780">A63B 69/36P2</classification-symbol>
</classification-ecla>

Attribute

Description

scheme

Indicates when the ECLA code is based on the European Classification System (EC) or is an internal EPO classification (ICO=In Computer Only). Other scheme values are IDT (Indeling der Techniek), an old Dutch Patent Classification scheme, and ECNO, which indicates ECLA symbols that have been allocated to a document by a patent examiner who does not work for the EPO.

Element

Description

classification-symbol

ECLA codes assigned by EPO examiners

Further Reading

For information about the Solr search fields associated with this container, see Classifications.