wongel-epo_ts1 - EU Science: Global Challenges, Global

Patent Information
To Support Research
EU Science: Global Challenges & Global Collaboration
European Parliament Brussels, 4 - 8 March 2013
Heiko Wongel
European Patent Office
Patent Information Promotion
Which resources do you use for research?
1
Why use patents as an information resource?
Patent documents = A wonderful collection (>70 million)
• Technical language
• Same content in many different languages ("family")!
The patent deal
This is what
patent information
is about!
Many people
think that's all!
Temporary exclusive right in return for disclosure
•
Search
• Examination
• Grant
•
Publication
• Searchability
• Legal status
2
The EPO: 38 member states
Albania • Austria • Belgium • Bulgaria •
Croatia • Cyprus • Czech Republic •
Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France •
Germany • Greece • Hungary • Iceland •
Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Liechtenstein •
Lithuania • Luxembourg • Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia •
Malta • Monaco • Netherlands • Norway
• Poland • Portugal • Romania • San
Marino • Serbia • Slovakia •
Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • Switzerland
• Turkey • United Kingdom
European patent applications and patents
can also be extended at the applicant's
request to the following states:
Bosnia-Herzegovina • Montenegro
The EPO: Autonomy
• Second largest
intergovernmental
institution in Europe
(~7000 staff)
• Not an EU institution
• Self-financing, i.e. revenue
from fees covers operating
and capital expenditure
3
Why use patents as an information resource?
• 80% technical ideas published in patents and
nowhere else
• High percentage of patent docs in English
• Often English abstracts exist
• Patents always explain how an invention works
– it's mandatory!
Why use patents as an information resource?
• 80% of technical ideas published in patents and
nowhere else
• High percentage of patent docs in English
• Often English abstracts exist
• Patents always explain how an invention works
– it's mandatory!
4
80% ideas published in Patents
• Patents are always published
– "patent" means open or manifest
• Published even before the patent is granted
– every "invention" applied for is available for you
• You just have to know where to find them
Why use patents as an information resource?
• 80% of technical ideas published in patents and
nowhere else
• High percentage of patent docs in English
• Often English abstracts exist
• Patents always explain how an invention works
– it's mandatory!
5
Patent documents in English
• Many patenting countries speak English:
USA, Canada, UK, Australia, etc
• Most international patent offices accept
English patent applications:
– EPO, ARIPO, WIPO
• Look for an English "family member"
• Use EPO's PatentTranslate
Patent families
JAPAN
A patent
family !
CHINA
USA
CANADA
EPO
6
Why use patents as an information resource?
• 80% of technical ideas published in patents and
nowhere else
• High percentage of patent docs in English
• Often English abstracts exist
• Patents always explain how an invention works
– it's mandatory!
English abstracts
• Japan, Korea, Russia, China patent offices
publish English abstracts
• Commercial patent abstract service:
Thomson Scientific (formerly Derwent)
• EPO gets translations made for its databases
• EPO has 4 million abstracts in English!
7
Why use patents as an information resource?
• 80% of technical ideas published in patents and
nowhere else
• High percentage of patent docs in English
• Often English abstracts exist
• Patents always explain how an invention works
– it's mandatory!
Disclosure
Patent documents:
• Standard format, description of:
– background & technical field
– what exists and the problems experienced
– how other people have solved the problem
– the invention itself, including examples
– claims
• Usually published as patent applications after 18
months (after filing or priority date).
8
EPO's policy on patent information
• We publish all our own data
– EP patent applications
– EP granted patents
– information from our Register
(this is normal for a patent office)
• We also collect data from all over the world
• We make that publicly available too!
EPO's policy on patent information
• >70 million documents in the EPO collection
• many in English or with English abstracts
• machine translation available
• all available on the internet free of charge.
9
Conclusions so far
Patent information
• helps you in your research
• is free to use!
10