STN e-Seminar presentation on IPC Reform (02/2006)
IPC Reform Search Tips (Quick Reference!)
More information from our STN partner, CAS
The Comprehensive IPC Reform Search: Mission Impossible? presented by T. Dockter at PIUG 2007

With the 2006 edition of the International Patent Classification (IPC) the WIPO starts with the IPC 8, also known as Reformed IPC, and included many new features. On the WIPO IPC website some documentations were collected to inform more detailed about the reformed IPC:
http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en/reform/

These main features of the reformed IPC are:

1. A stable core level and a dynamic advanced level

The core level contains approximately 20,000 classification symbols at high hierarchical levels (classes, subclasses, main groups and, in some fields, subgroups) of the previous, seventh edition of the IPC. It is a relatively stable part of the IPC. Revision amendments to the core level are made in three-year revision cycles when necessitated by technological progress.

The advanced level represents a further elaboration of the core level, i.e., it includes the core level and additional subgroups. At present (early 2006) it includes approximately 70,000 symbols of the previous, seventh edition of the IPC. Its size will rapidly grow since it is planned to have a revision cycle of 3 months. These changes will be published on the WIPO website 3 months before the changes come into operation.

The electronic version of the IPC Reform is now published on the WIPO IPC website:
http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/ipc8/

The Internet version is considered as an official publication of the IPC. Compared to the printed version, which contains only the core level, the Internet version contains a complete text of the Classification. It incorporates the electronic layer including supplementary information, such as classification definitions, illustrating chemical formulae and main groups in a standardized sequence.

The WIPO has developed additional tools like a conversion table of IPC7 to IPC Reform etc.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) from WIPO about IPC Reform:
http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en/faq/

Use of the core or the advanced level of the IPC by industrial property offices is given in:
http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en/reform/table_use_core_adv.pdf
Core Advanced Patent Authorities

2. Reclassification of documents

So far in the past older patent publications have different classification symbols assigned according to different versions of the IPC (IPC 1-7). With the new IPC Reform all patent publications are subject to ongoing reclassifications, so that they always have the latest IPC codes assigned.

In 2005 the EPO started to reclassify these older documents using a conversion of the ECLA/ICO to IPC Reform. With each future revision all documents have been reclassified. Changes to the classification scheme will not be introduced until all documents have been reclassified (90% end of 2006). This will be done on the basis of EPO`s DOCdb database and will be stored in a Master Classification Database (MCD). All document having exactly the same originating application(s) form a Simple Patent Family". All old documents have been reclassified according to the "Simple Patent Family" with the same reclassified IPC Reform codes. As a result, it is possible under the new IPC to search all documents using a single edition of the IPC.

The EPO has installed a website with more information:
http://ipc-reform.european-patent-office.org/index.en.php

3. Change in the classification rules

In the past the IPC was indexed by using the claims information, now the whole document is used.
The differentiation in main, secondary, addition and index IPC is no longer valid. All important and inventive aspects, also from descriptions and drawings, have been classified by the qualifier "inventive information". The qualifiers I (inventive) and N (non-inventive) can now be found in the documents.

On STN this MCD data were used to reclassify the patent documents in many STN databases also.

We will inform you on this site as soon as possible. If you are using the IPC schemes in your searches please have a closer look into the new version.

STN e-Seminar presentation on IPC Reform (02/2006)

Search Tips for using IPC Queries

IPC Reform Search Tips (Quick Reference!)

If you search with the International Patent Classification you will have to change the queries beginning in 2006 due to the IPC Reform.

1.) The following changes have been made in the classification:

• Main IPC (ICM) and secondary IPC (ICS) are no longer existing for new applications. They were both replaced by classification symbols in the field IPC indicated as invention information.
• Indexed Classification (ICI) also are no longer used for new applications.
• Patent offices can classify using core and advanced IPC symbols.
• The new indicators in WIPO Standard ST.8 are used as new keywords (IPC.KW) to specify the IPC search.
• The old search fields MGR and SGR are no longer valid.
• SEARCH EDITS are used to allow searches in the old IPC format.
• For the time being we strongly recommend to use all IPC symbol versions (old and new), because the reclassification process will not be completed by the patent offices before the end of 2006.

2.) With a new SET command you have the option to display the old IPCs in the old or new IPC format:

SET ICFORMAT OFF displays the old IPCs in the old format: A61K001-02

SET ICFORMAT ON displays the old IPCs in the new format: A61K0001-02

3.) All old and new IPC symbols can be searched using the new search field IPC, which is no longer a supersearch field . It works now as any normal index search field and can be used in EXPAND also.

4.) The following keywords can be used to specify the IPC symbols:

Here are our tips how to convert and replace your IPC query formulations in 2006:

SEA A61K006/IPC

SEA A61K0006/IPC

S B23K009-06/IC

S B23K0009-06/IPC(S)(ICM or ICS or I)/IPC.KW

S B23K011/ICM

S B23K0011/IPC(S)(ICM or I)/IPC.KW

S B23K011-16/ICS

S B23K0011-16/IPC(S)(ICS or I)/IPC.KW

S C03b023-02/ICA

S C03b0023-02/IPC(S)(ICA or N)/IPC.KW

S C08B033-00/ICI

S C08B033-00/ICI

When searching a technology via advanced IPCs you must consider that some countries are classifying core levels only. To be complete, you can use the following formulation:

=>S (advanced level)/IPC or (corresponding 
  core level)/ipc(S)human/ipc.kw 

Example:

G03C 5/00 Photographic processes or agents therefor; Regeneration of such processing agents (C)

G03C 5/26 · Processes using silver-salt-containing photosensitive materials or agents therefor (C)

G03C 5/40 · · Chemically transforming developed images (C)

G03C 5/42 · · · · · Reducing; Intensifying (A)

G03C 5/44 · · · · · Bleaching; Bleach-fixing (A)

G03C 5/46 · · · · · Toning (A)

G03C 5/48 · · · · · Mordanting (A)

(C)= core level (A)= advanced level

( G03C0005/40 is the corresponding core level to the advanced level G03C 5/46 )

So the following query searches for the subject of G03C 5/44 completely.

=> S G03C0005-44/IPC OR G03C0005-40/IPC(S)HUMAN/IPC.KW

If you want to search all advanced symbols for a given core level the query formulation should be:

=> S G03C0005-40/IPC

In this case G03C0005-40 to G03C0005-48 will be searched due to the "roll-up" of the advanced levels to their corresponding core level.