Skip to main content Skip to footer
HomeHome
 
  • Homepage
  • Searching for patents

    Patent knowledge

    Access our patent databases and search tools.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
      • European Publication Server
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
      • European Patent Bulletin
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
      • Web services
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
    • Technology platforms
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
      • Water innovation
      • Space innovation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
      • Firefighting technologies
      • Clean energy technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Overview
      • First time here?
      • Asian patent information
      • Patent information centres
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
    Image
    EPO TIR study-PV-web-720 x 237

    Technology insight report on advances in photovoltaics

  • Applying for a patent

    Applying for a patent

    Practical information on filing and grant procedures.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • European route
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Request for extension/validation
    • International route (PCT)
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide – PCT procedure at the EPO
      • EPO decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • Find a professional representative
    • MyEPO services
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
      • Get access
      • File with us
      • Interact with us on your files
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Forms
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Fees
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
      • International fees (PCT)
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
      • Fee payment and refunds
      • Warning

    UP

    Find out how the Unitary Patent can enhance your IP strategy

  • Law & practice

    Law & practice

    European patent law, the Official Journal and other legal texts.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
      • Unitary patent system
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent
    • Court practices
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
    Image
    Law and practice scales 720x237

    Keep up with key aspects of selected BoA decisions with our monthly "Abstracts of decisions”

  • News & events

    News & events

    Our latest news, podcasts and events, including the European Inventor Award.

    Go to overview 

     

    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Overview
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the finalists
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventors Prize
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
      • The 2025 event
    • Press centre
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • Innovation and patenting in focus
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
      • Green tech in focus
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
      • The future of medicine
      • Materials science
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
      • Patent classification
      • Digital technologies
      • The future of manufacturing
      • Books by EPO experts
    • "Talk innovation" podcast

    Podcast

    From ideas to inventions: tune into our podcast for the latest in tech and IP

  • Learning

    Learning

    The European Patent Academy – the point of access to your learning

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Overview
      • Learning activities
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Overview
      • EQE - European qualifying examination
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
      • National offices and IP authorities
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and technology transfer centres (TTOs)
    Image
    Patent Academy catalogue

    Have a look at the extensive range of learning opportunities in the European Patent Academy training catalogue

  • About us

    About us

    Find out more about our work, values, history and vision

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Overview
      • Official celebrations
      • Member states’ video statements
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states of the European Patent Organisation
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
      • Administrative Council
    • Principles & strategy
      • Overview
      • Our mission, vision, values and corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
      • Towards a New Normal
    • Leadership & management
      • Overview
      • President António Campinos
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Overview
      • Environmental
      • Social
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Services & activities
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
      • Consulting our users
      • European and international co-operation
      • European Patent Academy
      • Chief Economist
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Overview
      • Technologies
      • Innovation actors
      • Policy and funding
      • Tools
      • About the Observatory
    • Procurement
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering and electronic signatures
      • Procurement portal
      • Invoicing
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Transparency portal
      • Overview
      • General
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
      • "Long Night"
    Image
    Patent Index 2024 keyvisual showing brightly lit up data chip, tinted in purple, bright blue

    Track the latest tech trends with our Patent Index

 
en de fr
  • Language selection
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
Main navigation
  • Homepage
    • Go back
    • New to patents
  • New to patents
    • Go back
    • Your business and patents
    • Why do we have patents?
    • What's your big idea?
    • Are you ready?
    • What to expect
    • How to apply for a patent
    • Is it patentable?
    • Are you first?
    • Patent quiz
    • Unitary patent video
  • Searching for patents
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • National patent office databases
        • Global Patent Index (GPI)
        • Release notes
      • European Publication Server
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
        • Cross-reference index for Euro-PCT applications
        • EP authority file
        • Help
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes archive
        • Register documentation
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Deep link data coverage
          • Federated Register
          • Register events
      • European Patent Bulletin
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Download Bulletin
        • EP Bulletin search
        • Help
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Manuals
        • Sequence listings
        • National full-text data
        • European Patent Register data
        • EPO worldwide bibliographic data (DOCDB)
        • EP full-text data
        • EPO worldwide legal event data (INPADOC)
        • EP bibliographic data (EBD)
        • Boards of Appeal decisions
      • Web services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • European Publication Server web service
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
        • Go back
        • Weekly updates
        • Updated regularly
    • Technology platforms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Plastics waste recovery
        • Plastics waste recycling
        • Alternative plastics
      • Innovation in water technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Clean water
        • Protection from water
      • Space innovation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Cosmonautics
        • Space observation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Prevention and early detection
        • Diagnostics
        • Therapies
        • Wellbeing and aftercare
      • Firefighting technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Detection and prevention of fires
        • Fire extinguishing
        • Protective equipment
        • Post-fire restoration
      • Clean energy technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Renewable energy
        • Carbon-intensive industries
        • Energy storage and other enabling technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Vaccines and therapeutics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Vaccines
          • Overview of candidate therapies for COVID-19
          • Candidate antiviral and symptomatic therapeutics
          • Nucleic acids and antibodies to fight coronavirus
        • Diagnostics and analytics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Protein and nucleic acid assays
          • Analytical protocols
        • Informatics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Bioinformatics
          • Healthcare informatics
        • Technologies for the new normal
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Devices, materials and equipment
          • Procedures, actions and activities
          • Digital technologies
        • Inventors against coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • First time here?
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Basic definitions
        • Patent classification
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
        • Patent families
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • DOCDB simple patent family
          • INPADOC extended patent family
        • Legal event data
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • INPADOC classification scheme
      • Asian patent information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • China (CN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Chinese Taipei (TW)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • India (IN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
        • Japan (JP)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Korea (KR)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Russian Federation (RU)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Numbering system
          • Searching in databases
        • Useful links
      • Patent information centres (PATLIB)
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
  • Applying for a patent
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • European route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
        • Go back
        • Oral proceedings calendar
          • Go back
          • Calendar
          • Public access to appeal proceedings
          • Public access to opposition proceedings
          • Technical guidelines
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Unitary Patent
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Legal framework
          • Main features
          • Applying for a Unitary Patent
          • Cost of a Unitary Patent
          • Translation and compensation
          • Start date
          • Introductory brochures
        • Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Extension/validation request
    • International route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide
      • Entry into the European phase
      • Decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
        • Go back
        • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme outline
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • MyEPO services
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Exchange data with us using an API
          • Go back
          • Release notes
      • Get access
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
      • File with us
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • What if our online filing services are down?
        • Release notes
      • Interact with us on your files
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Fees
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • International fees (PCT)
        • Go back
        • Reduction in fees
        • Fees for international applications
        • Decisions and notices
        • Overview
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • Fee payment and refunds
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Payment methods
        • Getting started
        • FAQs and other documentation
        • Technical information for batch payments
        • Decisions and notices
        • Release notes
      • Warning
    • Forms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Find a professional representative
  • Law & practice
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Documentation on the EPC revision 2000
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the EPC
            • Travaux préparatoires
            • New text
            • Transitional provisions
            • Implementing regulations to the EPC 2000
            • Rules relating to Fees
            • Ratifications and accessions
          • Travaux Préparatoires EPC 1973
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • EPC Guidelines
        • PCT-EPO Guidelines
        • Unitary Patent Guidelines
        • Guidelines revision cycle
        • Consultation results
        • Summary of user responses
        • Archive
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • Unitary Patent system
        • Go back
        • Travaux préparatoires to UP and UPC
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent 
    • Court practices
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
  • News & events
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the inventors
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
        • Go back
        • 2024 activities
        • 2025 activities
        • Rules and criteria
        • FAQ
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventors Prize
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
      • The 2025 event
    • Press centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • European Patent Office
        • Q&A on patents related to coronavirus
        • Q&A on plant patents
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • In focus
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
        • Go back
        • CodeFest Spring 2025 on classifying patent data for sustainable development
        • Overview
        • CodeFest 2024 on generative AI
        • CodeFest 2023 on Green Plastics
      • Green tech in focus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About green tech
        • Renewable energies
        • Energy transition technologies
        • Building a greener future
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patents and space technologies
      • Healthcare
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Medical technologies and cancer
        • Personalised medicine
      • Materials science
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Red, white or green
        • The role of the EPO
        • What is patentable?
        • Biotech inventors
      • Classification
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
        • Climate change mitigation technologies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • External partners
          • Updates on Y02 and Y04S
      • Digital technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About ICT
        • Hardware and software
        • Artificial intelligence
        • Fourth Industrial Revolution
      • Additive manufacturing
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About AM
        • AM innovation
      • Books by EPO experts
    • Podcast
  • Learning
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Learning activities: types and formats
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • EQE - European Qualifying Examination
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compendium
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Paper F
          • Paper A
          • Paper B
          • Paper C
          • Paper D
          • Pre-examination
        • Candidates successful in the European qualifying examination
        • Archive
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Innovation case studies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • SME case studies
          • Technology transfer case studies
          • High-growth technology case studies
        • Inventor's handbook
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Introduction
          • Disclosure and confidentiality
          • Novelty and prior art
          • Competition and market potential
          • Assessing the risk ahead
          • Proving the invention
          • Protecting your idea
          • Building a team and seeking funding
          • Business planning
          • Finding and approaching companies
          • Dealing with companies
        • Best of search matters
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Tools and databases
          • EPO procedures and initiatives
          • Search strategies
          • Challenges and specific topics
        • Support for high-growth technology businesses
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Business decision-makers
          • IP professionals
          • Stakeholders of the Innovation Ecosystem
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Paper F brain-teasers
        • Daily D questions
        • European qualifying examination - Guide for preparation
        • EPAC
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compulsory licensing in Europe
        • The jurisdiction of European courts in patent disputes
      • National offices and IP authorities
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Learning material for examiners of national officers
        • Learning material for formalities officers and paralegals
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and TTOs
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF)
        • Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • For students
          • For universities
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • IP education resources
            • University memberships
          • Our young professionals
          • Professional development plan
        • Academic Research Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Completed research projects
          • Current research projects
        • IP Teaching Kit
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Download modules
        • Intellectual property course design manual
        • PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa
          • Go back
          • Core activities
          • Stories and insights
  • About us
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Go back
      • Official celebrations
      • Overview
      • Member states’ video statements
        • Go back
        • Albania
        • Austria
        • Belgium
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
        • Cyprus
        • Czech Republic
        • Denmark
        • Estonia
        • Finland
        • France
        • Germany
        • Greece
        • Hungary
        • Iceland
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Latvia
        • Liechtenstein
        • Lithuania
        • Luxembourg
        • Malta
        • Monaco
        • Montenegro
        • Netherlands
        • North Macedonia
        • Norway
        • Poland
        • Portugal
        • Romania
        • San Marino
        • Serbia
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Spain
        • Sweden
        • Switzerland
        • Türkiye
        • United Kingdom
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Member states by date of accession
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
        • Go back
        • 2024
        • Overview
        • 2023
        • 2022
        • 2021
        • 2020
        • 2019
        • 2018
        • 2017
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • 2013
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Select Committee documents
      • Administrative Council
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Composition
        • Representatives
        • Rules of Procedure
        • Board of Auditors
        • Secretariat
        • Council bodies
    • Principles & strategy
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Mission, vision, values & corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
        • Go back
        • Driver 1: People
        • Driver 2: Technologies
        • Driver 3: High-quality, timely products and services
        • Driver 4: Partnerships
        • Driver 5: Financial sustainability
      • Towards a New Normal
      • Data protection & privacy notice
    • Leadership & management
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the President
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Environmental
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring environmental inventions
      • Social
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring social inventions
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Procurement
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) publications
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering
      • Invoicing
      • Procurement portal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • e-Signing contracts
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Services & activities
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Foundations
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • European Patent Convention
          • Guidelines for examination
          • Our staff
        • Enabling quality
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Prior art
          • Classification
          • Tools
          • Processes
        • Products & services
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
          • Continuous improvement
        • Quality through networking
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • User engagement
          • Co-operation
          • User satisfaction survey
          • Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels
        • Patent Quality Charter
        • Quality Action Plan
        • Quality dashboard
        • Statistics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
        • Integrated management at the EPO
      • Consulting our users
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Objectives
          • SACEPO and its working parties
          • Meetings
          • Single Access Portal – SACEPO Area
        • Surveys
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Detailed methodology
          • Search services
          • Examination services, final actions and publication
          • Opposition services
          • Formalities services
          • Customer services
          • Filing services
          • Key Account Management (KAM)
          • Website
          • Archive
      • Our user service charter
      • European and international co-operation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Co-operation with member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
        • Bilateral co-operation with non-member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Validation system
          • Reinforced Partnership programme
        • Multilateral international co-operation with IP offices and organisations
        • Co-operation with international organisations outside the IP system
      • European Patent Academy
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Partners
      • Chief Economist
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Economic studies
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Innovation against cancer
        • Assistive robotics
        • Space technologies
      • Innovation actors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Startups and SMEs
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Publications
        • Research universities and public research organisations
      • Policy and funding
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Financing innovation programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Our studies on the financing of innovation
          • EPO initiatives for patent applicants
          • Financial support for innovators in Europe
        • Patents and standards
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Publications
          • Patent standards explorer
      • Tools
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Deep Tech Finder
      • About the Observatory
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Work plan
    • Transparency portal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • General
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Annual Review 2024
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Executive summary
          • Driver 1 – People
          • Driver 2 – Technologies
          • Driver 3 – High-quality, timely products and services
          • Driver 4 – Partnerships
          • Driver 5 – Financial Sustainability
        • Annual Review 2023
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • 50 years of the EPC
          • Strategic key performance indicators
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
        • Annual Review 2022
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
        • Go back
        • Insight into computer technology and AI
        • Insight into clean energy technologies
        • Statistics and indicators
          • Go back
          • European patent applications
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Top 10 technical fields
              • Go back
              • Computer technology
              • Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
              • Digital communication
              • Medical technology
              • Transport
              • Measurement
              • Biotechnology
              • Pharmaceuticals
              • Other special machines
              • Organic fine chemistry
            • All technical fields
          • Applicants
            • Go back
            • Top 50
            • Categories
            • Women inventors
          • Granted patents
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Designations
      • Data to download
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
        • Go back
        • Catalyst lab & Deep vision
          • Go back
          • Irene Sauter (DE)
          • AVPD (DK)
          • Jan Robert Leegte (NL)
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #1
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #2
          • Péter Szalay (HU)
          • Thomas Feuerstein (AT)
          • Tom Burr (US)
          • Wolfgang Tillmans (DE)
          • TerraPort
          • Unfinished Sculpture - Captives #1
          • Deep vision – immersive exhibition
          • Previous exhibitions
        • The European Patent Journey
        • Sustaining life. Art in the climate emergency
        • Next generation statements
        • Open storage
        • Cosmic bar
      • "Long Night"
  • Boards of Appeal
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Decisions of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Recent decisions
      • Selected decisions
    • Information from the Boards of Appeal
    • Procedure
    • Oral proceedings
    • About the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • President of the Boards of Appeal
      • Enlarged Board of Appeal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Pending referrals (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Decisions sorted by number (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Pending petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
        • Decisions on petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
      • Technical Boards of Appeal
      • Legal Board of Appeal
      • Disciplinary Board of Appeal
      • Presidium
        • Go back
        • Overview
    • Code of Conduct
    • Business distribution scheme
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technical boards of appeal by IPC in 2025
      • Archive
    • Annual list of cases
    • Communications
    • Annual reports
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
      • Go back
      • Abstracts of decisions
    • Case Law of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Archive
  • Service & support
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • FAQ
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
    • Ordering
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Knowledge Products and Services
      • Terms and conditions
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patent information products
        • Bulk data sets
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • Fair use charter
    • Procedural communications
    • Useful links
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent offices of member states
      • Other patent offices
      • Directories of patent attorneys
      • Patent databases, registers and gazettes
      • Disclaimer
    • Contact us
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Filing options
      • Locations
    • Subscription centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Subscribe
      • Change preferences
      • Unsubscribe
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
    • RSS feeds
Board of Appeals
Decisions

Recent decisions

Overview
  • 2025 decisions
  • 2024 decisions
  • 2023 decisions
  1. Home
  2. T 0822/01 13-07-2004
Facebook X Linkedin Email

T 0822/01 13-07-2004

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2004:T082201.20040713
Date of decision
13 July 2004
Case number
T 0822/01
Petition for review of
-
Application number
91307355.7
IPC class
H04H 1/00
Language of proceedings
EN
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)

Download and more information:

Decision in EN 34.54 KB
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the European Patent Register
Bibliographic information is available in:
EN
Versions
Unpublished
Application title

A method of selecting receiving frequency for RDS receiver

Applicant name
MITSUBISHI DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Opponent name

Interessengemeinschaft für Rundfunkschutzrechte GmbH

Schutzrechtsverwertung & Co. KG

Board
3.5.03
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 123 1973
European Patent Convention Art 84 1973
European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
Keywords

Amendments - added subject-matter (no)

Extension of protection (no)

Reformatio in peius

Inventive step (yes)

Catchword
-
Cited decisions
G 0001/99
T 0301/87
Citing decisions
-

I. This appeal is against the decision of the Opposition Division finding European patent No. 0 476 826 in amended form to meet the requirements of the EPC.

II. An opposition was filed against the patent as a whole and on the grounds that the claimed subject-matter was not new and did not involve an inventive step (Article 100(a) EPC). During the opposition proceedings, the opponent referred, inter alia, to the following documents:

D3: DE 3917236 C1; and

D6: DE 3934314 A.

III. Following oral proceedings, the Opposition Division held that the patent in amended form, including claims 1 to 5 according to a main request as filed during the oral proceedings, met the requirements of Article 123(2) EPC and that the claimed subject-matter was new and involved an inventive step.

IV. The opponent lodged an appeal against the decision and requested that the impugned decision be set aside and the patent be revoked in its entirety. The appellant argued that claim 1 violated Article 123(2) EPC and that its subject- matter lacked an inventive step having regard to D3 and D6. Oral proceedings were conditionally requested.

V. In response to the notice of appeal, the respondent (proprietor) argued that the appeal should be rejected (main request). Further, the Board was requested to consider an alternative formulation of claim 1 (auxiliary request). Oral proceedings were conditionally requested.

VI. The parties were summoned by the Board to oral proceedings. In a communication accompanying the summons, the Board gave a preliminary opinion.

VII. In response to the Board's communication, the respondent filed a new main request and three new auxiliary requests.

VIII. Oral proceedings were held on 13 July 2004 during which the respondent withdrew all existing requests and filed an amended independent claim 1, which reads as follows:

"1. A receiving frequency selecting method for a RDS receiver comprising the steps of:

receiving RDS broadcast waves including a list of alternative frequencies data (AF) for a group of broadcasting stations (A-E) in the same broadcasting network and program identification codes (PI);

storing in a memory of the RDS receiver a list of alternative frequencies data for previously received broadcasting stations;

storing a list of alternative frequencies data transmitted by the currently received broadcasting station (A-E) in addition to the stored list of alternative frequencies data for previously received broadcasting stations to create a new list of alternative frequencies data;

chasing the same broadcast program by varying a receiving frequency of the RDS receiver to a frequency that corresponds to one of the list of alternative frequencies data (AF) for currently and previously received broadcasting stations (A-E) characterised in that

said chasing step occurs in order to maintain a receiving signal level at or above a prescribed receiving signal level or that of the broadcasting station presently in contact, and

that said new list includes a count value associated with each alternative frequency (AF), the method including the step of adding one count uniformly to said count value every time the alternative frequencies data are renewed through the operation of chasing the same broadcast program and of setting the count value to zero for each of the alternative frequencies of the currently recieved [sic] broadcasting station, to designate an old and new history of the alternative frequencies data, whereby the larger the count values are the older the alternative frequencies data are."

The respondent requested that the appeal be dismissed and that the patent be maintained on the basis of claim 1 above and dependent claims 2 to 5 as in the decision under appeal and of an amended description.

IX. With respect to the respondent's single request as filed during the oral proceedings the appellant argued that claim 1 contravened Article 84 EPC and that its subject-matter lacked an inventive step having regard to D3. Further, the appellant argued that, if the Board were to decide to maintain the patent on the basis of this claim, it would put the opponent and sole appellant in a worse position than under the impugned decision, which was contrary to the principle of the prohibition of reformatio in peius.

The appellant requested that the impugned decision be set aside and that the patent be revoked.

X. At the end of the oral proceedings the chairman announced the Board's decision.

1. Amendments (Article 123 EPC)

1.1. Claim 1 is based on claim 1 as originally filed, inter alia amended by the introduction of features based on page 4, lines 47 to 49 and page 5, lines 28 to 29 and 56 to 58 (reference is made to the application as published), these features concerning the storage of previously received alternative frequencies and the definition of the memory as part of the RDS receiver. The claim has further been restricted by the introduction of features based on Figures 5 and 7A and the corresponding passage on page 6, lines 1 to 13 of the application as published and relating to count values associated with the stored alternative frequencies.

1.2. At the oral proceedings the appellant did not raise objections under Article 123(2) EPC with respect to present claim 1. The objection under Article 123(2) EPC raised in the statement of grounds of appeal does not apply to present claim 1, since it does not include the wording in question. Further, issues under Article 123(2) EPC mentioned in the Board's communication have been satisfactorily dealt with by amendment.

1.3. The Board is thus satisfied that claim 1 does not contain subject-matter which extends beyond the content of the application as filed (Article 123(2) EPC).

1.4. As compared to claim 1 as granted, present claim 1 additionally includes the feature that the memory is part of the RDS receiver as well as features relating to the count values. Although features from the preamble and characterizing portion have been combined and/or reworded, in the Board's view none of the features of claim 1 as granted has been deleted without adequate replacement.

1.5. Consequently, the Board is satisfied that claim 1 of the patent has not been amended in such a way as to extend the protection conferred (Article 123(3) EPC).

2. Reformatio in peius

2.1. At the oral proceedings the appellant submitted that in present claim 1 the count value merely indicated that the larger the count value, the older the associated alternative frequency was. This was said to be an indication in relative terms. It no longer indicated when the associated alternative frequency was received, i.e. in absolute terms, as was implied by the wording in the amended claim 1 according to the impugned decision, which stated that the count value was changed "to indicate how recently the associated alternative frequency was received". If the Board were to decide to maintain the patent on the basis of present claim 1, it would put the opponent and sole appellant in a worse position than under the impugned decision, since the scope of the claim was broader than that of the claim accepted by the Opposition Division, thereby violating the principle of the prohibition of reformatio in peius.

2.2. The Board cannot follow this argument for the following reasons. The deleted feature of "changing said count value to indicate how recently the associated alternative frequency was received" was replaced by other features concerning the count values. More specifically, whereas the deleted feature was open to different interpretations, e.g. that the count value indicated at which point in time the associated alternative frequency was received or at which chasing operation the alternative frequency was received, the present claim specifically defines when the count value is changed and what the value represents: one count is added to each of the count values "every time the alternative frequencies are renewed through the operation of chasing the same broadcast program" and the count values for each of the alternative frequencies of the currently received broadcasting station are set to zero, whereby "the larger the count values are the older the alternative frequencies data are". In other words, the larger the count value, the more renewals of alternative frequencies data through the chasing operation have occurred since the associated alternative frequency was received for the last time. This is a more specific indication of how recently the alternative frequency was received, thereby limiting the scope of the claim as compared to claim 1 according to the impugned decision.

2.3. Consequently, the amendment did not put the appellant in a worse position than under the impugned decision and, hence, the principle of the prohibition of reformatio in peius has not been contravened.

2.4. Even if for the sake of argument it were assumed that the amendment of claim 1 led to an extension of the scope beyond that of the claims held allowable in the decision under appeal, the Board notes that in accordance with G 1/99 (OJ EPO 2001, 381, point 15) an exception to the principle of the obligation to reject an amended claim, which would otherwise have put the opponent and sole appellant in a worse situation than if it had not appealed, may be made in order to meet an objection put forward by the opponent/appellant during the appeal proceedings, in circumstances where the patent as found by the Opposition Division to comply with the EPC would otherwise have to be revoked as a direct consequence of an unallowable amendment held allowable by the Opposition Division in its interlocutory decision. In the present case, in the Board's view, the deleted feature did not comply with Article 123(2) EPC, as was also argued by the appellant. Hence, the above-mentioned circumstances would have applied to the present case and would thus have permitted the exception.

3. Clarity (Article 84 EPC)

3.1. At the oral proceedings the appellant argued that the word "uniformly" introduced in claim 1 rendered the claim unclear, since it did not have a well-defined meaning. It was also unclear whether "every time the alternative frequencies data are renewed" related to the event of changing the received frequency of the same program or of selecting a different program.

3.2. On reading the claim as a whole, the expression "uniformly" is understood by the Board as to indicate that the step of adding one count to the count value is applied to each of the count values associated with the alternative frequencies stored in the new list. This understanding is supported by the description (see page 5, lines 2 to 4, and Figure 7A of the patent as published). Hence, the expression "uniformly" does not render claim 1 unclear. The same applies to the wording "every time the alternative frequencies data are renewed", since it is immediately followed by the wording "through the operation of chasing the same broadcast program", rendering it clear that the count values are incremented by one count after every chasing operation that resulted in a retuning of the radio to another broadcasting station within the group of broadcasting stations.

3.3. The appellant further argued that the feature of setting the count value to zero for each of the alternative frequencies of the currently received broadcasting station as introduced in present claim 1 contradicts the counter values as shown in Figure 7A. However, as follows from the passage in the description concerning Figure 7A (page 4, last line, to page 5, line 2 of the patent as published), Table 1 and the corresponding text on page 2, lines 41 to 45, the currently received alternative frequencies in the service area of station E are fb, fd, fv and fw, and for each of these frequencies the count value is set to zero, which is as illustrated in Figure 7A.

3.4. A further objection raised by the appellant concerning a lack of clarity arising from an alleged contradiction between the preamble and the characterizing portion as to the number of stored lists is inadmissible, since it does not arise out of the amendments made (following T 301/87 (OJ EPO 1990, 335, point 3.8)).

3.5. The Board thus does not consider valid the appellant's objections under Article 84 EPC.

4. Inventive step

4.1. It was common ground between the parties that the receiving frequency selecting method according to both claim 1 and D3 was based on a radio data system in which alternative frequencies (AF) data for currently and previously received broadcasting stations were stored in a memory together with count values for each of the alternative frequencies.

4.2. More specifically, according to the method disclosed in D3, through the operation of chasing the same program, the count value of a specific alternative frequency stored in the working memory 21 (Figure 1) is incremented each time the radio is retuned to another station which broadcasts the same program, provided that the specific alternative frequency is also found in the list of the alternative frequencies transmitted by that station (D3, column 2, lines 30 to 39). Newly received alternative frequencies are stored with their corresponding count values set to 1 (column 2, lines 39 to 40). Hence, the count values each indicate the number of times the associated stored alternative frequency has so far, i.e. after every chasing operation, been found in the AF-lists of the received stations; the higher the count value the more often the alternative frequency was found in these successively received AF-lists.

4.3. The method according to present claim 1 particularly differs from the method according to D3 by the step of adding one count to each of the stored count values every time the alternative frequencies data are renewed through the operation of chasing the same broadcast program and of setting the count value to zero for each of the alternative frequencies of the currently received broadcasting station. Hence, the larger the count value the more renewals of AF data through the chasing operation have occurred since the associated alternative frequency was received for the last time.

4.4. In both methods, the count values constitute weight factors for the associated alternative frequencies and may, for example, be used in order to determine which of the stored alternative frequencies is to be deleted first when account is to be taken of the limited memory capacity (see D3, column 2, line 51 to column 3, line 9, and the patent specification, page 5, lines 12 to 15). As compared to the method according to D3, due to the different counting steps, the claimed method provides an alternative weighting of the stored alternative frequencies. D3 does not hint at any alternative weighting of the stored alternative frequencies.

4.5. At the oral proceedings the appellant argued that in the method according to D3 each time the received frequency was changed, each of the count values in memory 21 was incremented by one, which was equal to the adding step according to claim 1.

4.6. The Board cannot follow this argument. In D3, not all of the stored count values are incremented, as required in present claim 1, but only those which are also found in the AF- list of the currently received station (see point 4.2). The other count values are not incremented and, in the Board's view, there is no suggestion in D3 to do so.

4.7. The appellant further argued that according to the method of D3, in practice, frequent travelling between the service areas of two broadcasting stations automatically resulted in the count values associated with alternative frequencies of a third service area visited a long time ago to be the lowest and, therefore, its associated AF-data to be the oldest ones. Hence, like in the claimed method, the count values provided an indication of how old the AF-data are. Furthermore, these oldest AF-data would be the first ones to be deleted when their corresponding count values reached the value zero after having selected another program as described in D3 (column 2, lines 51 to 59). This was also in line with the well-known general principle of deleting the oldest entries in a memory first (first-in-first-out principle).

4.8. The Board however notes that whereas in the above case the lower the count values the older the AF-data are, the claimed method requires the opposite: the larger the count values the older the data. Further, according to the claimed method the setting to zero concerns the count values of the alternative frequencies of the currently received broadcasting station, whereas according to D3 the count values of these alternative frequencies are either incremented by one or, if the associated alternative frequency had not been registered before, given the value 1 (see point 4.2). In the method according to D3 the count values associated with the stored alternative frequencies of the currently received broadcasting station are never all set to zero, since any alternative frequency having a corresponding count value equal to zero is deleted (D3, column 2, lines 51 to 59). Further, whether or not the same principle is followed when deleting AF-data in the patent in suit is not relevant here, since the claimed method does not include any steps relating to the deletion of AF-data.

4.9. In the statement of grounds of appeal the appellant additionally referred to D6, which discloses an RDS receiver in which a list of alternative frequencies is stored in the order of distance to the broadcasting station which is currently received (column 7, lines 32 to 41 and Figure 7). After each successful chasing, the AF-list is overwritten by the alternative frequencies transmitted by the newly received station broadcasting the same program (column 7, lines 60 to 66. and column 8, line 57, to column 9, line 3). Hence, there is no suggestion to keep previously received alternative frequencies or to maintain, in any way, count values associated with the alternative frequencies.

4.10. Consequently, the appellant's objections under Article 56 EPC to present claim 1 are not convincing.

Order

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The decision under appeal is set aside.

2. The case is remitted to the first instance with the order to maintain the patent on the basis of:

- claim 1 as submitted during the oral proceedings; claims 2 to 5 as submitted on 8 March 2001;

- description pages 2 to 4 and 6 as filed on 8 March 2001 with insert as filed during the oral proceedings on page 3, line 45; page 5 as granted; and

- drawings as granted.

Footer - Service & support
  • Service & support
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
    • FAQ
    • Publications
    • Procedural communications
    • Contact us
    • Subscription centre
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
Footer - More links
  • Jobs & careers
  • Press centre
  • Single Access Portal
  • Procurement
  • Boards of Appeal
Facebook
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
Instagram
EuropeanPatentOffice
Linkedin
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
EPO Procurement
X (formerly Twitter)
EPOorg
EPOjobs
Youtube
TheEPO
Footer
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Data protection and privacy
  • Accessibility