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What are "classification definitions"?
The titles of IPC groups sometimes leave room for interpretation, and differences in interpretation have led to inconsistencies in the application of the IPC for classification and search purposes. The new classification definitions, which will be available on the internet version of the IPC, should bring about some improvement to the situation by helping classifiers and searchers to identify the classification entries relevant to a given technical subject.
The classification definitions will provide a detailed explanation of the intended coverage of a classification place and its borderlines with other technical fields. The definitions are subdivided into seven categories, shown in the table, in order to make it easier for users to find the information they need.
| Definition statement | A more detailed explanation of the subject matter appropriate for the classification place. |
| Relationship between large subject matter areas | When the scope of the subclass is generally affected by its relationships with other large subject matter areas (eg other subclasses), those relationships are stated here. |
| References relevant to classification in this subclass (limiting references) | When subject matter otherwise covered by the classification place is collected elsewhere. |
| Informative references | References that indicate the location of subject matter that could be of interest for searching, but is not within the scope of the classification place, for example references from application-oriented places to general (function-oriented) places. |
| Special rules of classification within this subclass | Classification rules which apply within the whole subclass or group, such as the last-place priority rule or first-place priority rule. |
| Glossary of terms | Significant words or phrases found in titles or definition statements. This is particularly useful when terms are used in the IPC in a more precise or restricted manner than in their common usage. |
| Synonyms and keywords | A list of synonyms, keywords, abbreviations and acronyms from terms used in the patent documents themselves or in technical literature. This will aid in formulating search queries for text searching in the technical field. |
These definitions are being drawn up by experienced patent examiners from various patent offices, with the EPO as a major contributor. Of course, such a process will take a while. By the time the IPC reform is introduced in 2006, only a fraction of the IPC classification entries (some subclasses and main groups) will have definitions such as the example shown in Fig.1. WIPO and the major patent offices will be continuing to work on adding to these definitions.
Fig.1: IPC subclass definition