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International Patent Classification |
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The rights that are granted by state to its citizens for a definite time in return of revelation of an invention is popularly called a patent. The classification of the patents which was done under the Strasbourg Agreement in the year 1971 is called the International Patent Classification.
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The Strasbourg Agreement
The Strasbourg Agreement which is also known as IPC agreement was signed on 24th March, 1971, in Strasbourg, France. The agreement was enforced on 7th October 1975. The agreement which was concerned about the International Patent Classification placed a general classification of the patents that were applied for invention. The certificates of the inventors, the models and the utility models were also the chief concerns of the Strasbourg Agreement . The amendment of the agreement was done on 28th September, 1979.The treaty which updates the classification and the related issues under the experts is one of the various treaties recognized by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Any individual applying for a patent has to undergo a thorough research in order to knoe whether the invention is entirely new or claimed by any other individual. To help in the research WIPO has conducted 4 treaties, each of which gives a clear classification of the inventions, trademarks and other related issues. The classifications are updated in a regular intervals.
The International Patent Classification
A specific method is followed for the classification. Each term classified has a symbol like A01B 1/00 which is represented as hand tool. Each alphabet has a specific meaning of its own. For example A symbolizes human necessities where as H is representative of electricity. The alphabets are followed by a two digit number which is regarded as class symbols. If the alphabet is followed by A01 then it means agriculture, forestry, trapping, fishing and animal husbandry.
The final letter is for the subclass. In A01B, B represents “ soil working in agriculture or forestry; parts, details and accessories of agricultural machines or implement in general”. You will find a group number following the sub class. The group number usually varies from 1 to 3. During International Patent Classification, the examiner after a proper examination gives the classification number.
The classification of the patents is done mainly under the categories of human necessities, chemistry, metallurgy, textiles and paper, fixed constructions, performing operations and transports, physics, electricity, mechanical engineering, lighting, heating and weapons.
Initially the update was done after an interval of 5 years. The eighth edition of the International Patent Classification was enforced on 1st January, 2006. The classification was mainly done in 2 levels, the davanced and core levels. The advanced level which is modiofied quite often gives a detailed description of the patents. The core level on the other hand is updated evert three years.
You can also make a researc of the classification under three categories, the Nice classification, Lorcano classification and the Vienna classification. The Nice classification deals with the classification of the goods and also services required for registration of trademarks. Lorcano classification is concerned with the classification in the industrial spheres. The Vienna classification deals with the symbols and the figures.
For more information about patents log on to patentshub.com.
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