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
      • Searching Asian documents: patent search and monitoring services
      • EP full-text search
      • Bibliographic coverage in Espacenet and OPS
      • Full-text coverage in Espacenet and OPS
    • Legal information
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
      • European Patent Bulletin
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Searching Asian documents
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
      • Patent insight reports
    • Data
      • Overview
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
      • Web services
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
    • 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

    UP search

    Learn about the Unitary Patent in patent knowledge products and services

  • 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
    • MyEPO services
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
      • Get access
      • File with us
      • Interact on your files
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
      • Tutorials
    • Find a professional representative
    • Forms
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Fees
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
      • International fees (PCT)
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
      • Fee payment and refunds
      • Warning

    UP

    Unitary Patent

  • 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
      • EPC Guidelines
      • PCT-EPO Guidelines
      • Guidelines revision cycle
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
      • Unitary patent system
      • National law relating to the UP
    • 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

    legal text

    Legal texts

  • 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
      • Watch the 2022 ceremony
    • 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
      • Firefighting technologies
      • Green tech in focus
      • CodeFest on Green Plastics
      • Clean energy technologies
      • IP and youth
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Fighting coronavirus
      • 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

    Listen to our podcast

  • Learning

    Learning

    The e-Academy – the point of access to your learning

    Go to overview 

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

    European Patent Academy

    Boost your IP knowledge with (e-)training from the European Patent Academy

  • 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
      • A glimpse of the planned activities
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states of the European Patent Organisation
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Governance
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
      • Calendar
      • Select Committee documents
      • Administrative Council
    • Principles & strategy
      • Overview
      • Our mission, vision, values and corporate policy
      • Public consultation on the EPO's Strategic Plan 2028
      • Towards a New Normal
    • Leadership & management
      • Overview
      • President António Campinos
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Social responsibility
      • Overview
      • Environment and sustainability
      • Art collection
    • Services & activities
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
      • Consulting our users
      • European and international co-operation
      • European Patent Academy
      • Chief Economist
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Procurement
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • 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
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s

    about us

    Patent Index 2022

 
en de fr
  • Language selection
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
Main navigation
  • Homepage
  • New to patents
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • What's your big idea?
    • Are you ready?
    • What to expect
    • How to apply for a patent
    • Your business and patents
    • Is it patentable?
    • Are you first?
    • Why do we have patents?
    • 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
        • Cross-reference index for Euro-PCT applications
        • EP authority file
        • Help
      • Searching Asian documents
      • EP full-text search
      • Bibliographic coverage in Espacenet and OPS
      • Full-text coverage in Espacenet
    • 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
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • BG - Federated Register Service
            • GB - Federated Register Service
            • NL - Federated Register Service
            • MK - Federated Register Service
            • ES - Federated Register Service
            • GR - Federated Register Service
            • SK - Federated Register Service
            • FR - Federated Register Service
            • MT - Federated Register Service
          • Register events
      • European Patent Bulletin
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Download Bulletin
        • EP Bulletin search
        • Help
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Searching Asian documents
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Patent insight reports
    • Data
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 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)
          • Go back
          • EBD files (weekly download) - free of charge
            • Go back
            • Secure EBD ST.36 files (weekly download) - for national patent offices only
        • Boards of Appeal decisions
        • EP full-text data for text analytics
      • Web services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • European Publication Server
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
        • Go back
        • Weekly updates
        • Updated regularly
    • Helpful resources
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • First time here? Patent information explained.
        • 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
          • Unitary Patent Guide
          • Main features
          • Applying for a Unitary Patent
          • Cost of a Unitary Patent
          • Translation and compensation
          • Start date
        • 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
        • Online Filing 2.0 pilot
        • MyEPO Portfolio - pilot phase
        • Online Filing 2.0 pilot continuation
        • Exchange data with us using an API
      • Get access
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Installation and activation
      • File with us
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • What if our online filing services are down?
        • Release notes
      • Interact on your files
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
      • Tutorials
    • 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
      • 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
      • EPC Guidelines
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • PCT-EPO Guidelines
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • Guidelines revision cycle
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • Unitary Patent system
      • 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 finalists
      • Nominations
      • Watch the 2023 ceremony
      • European Inventor Network
        • Go back
        • Activities granted in 2023
    • 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
      • Firefighting technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Detection and prevention of fires
        • Fire extinguishing
        • Protective equipment
        • Post-fire restoration
      • Green tech in focus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About green tech
        • Renewable energies
        • Energy transition technologies
        • Building a greener future
      • CodeFest on Green Plastics
      • Clean energy technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Renewable energy
        • Carbon-intensive industries
        • Energy storage and other enabling technologies
      • IP and youth
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • 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
      • 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
        • Patents and standards
        • Artificial intelligence
        • Fourth Industrial Revolution
      • Additive manufacturing
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About AM
        • AM innovation
      • Books by EPO experts
    • Podcast
  • Learning
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • European Patent Academy
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Learning activities
      • Learning Paths
    • Professional hub
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • EQE - European Qualifying Examination
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
        • Candidates successful in the European qualifying examination
        • Compendium
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Pre-examination
          • Paper A
          • Paper B
          • Paper C
          • Paper D
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patent enforcement in Europe
        • Patent litigation in Europe
    • 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
        • Inventors' handbook
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Introduction
          • Disclosure and confidentiality
          • Novelty and prior art
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Is the idea ‘obvious’?
            • Prior art searching
            • Professional patent searching
            • Simple Espacenet searching
            • What is prior art?
            • Why is novelty important?
          • Competition and market potential
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Research guidelines
          • Assessing the risk ahead
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Exploitation routes
            • Significant commercial potential
            • Significant novelty
            • What about you?
            • What if your idea is not novel but does have commercial potential?
          • Proving the invention
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Help with design or redesign
            • Prototype strategy
          • Protecting your idea
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Forms of IPR
            • Patenting strategy
            • The patenting process
          • Building a team and seeking funding
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Building a team
            • Sources of funding
            • Sources of help for invention
          • Business planning
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Constructing a business plan
            • Keep it short!
          • Finding and approaching companies
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • First contact
            • Meetings
          • Dealing with companies
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Advance or guaranteed payment
            • Companies and your prototype
            • Full agreement – and beyond
            • Negotiating a licensing agreement
            • Reaching agreement
            • Royalties
        • 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
          • For IP professionals
          • For business decision-makers
          • For stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem
        • IP clinics
      • EQE Candidates
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Coffee-break questions
        • Daily D questions
        • European qualifying examination - Guide for preparation
      • 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
        • Academic Research Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Completed research projects
          • Current research projects
        • 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
        • IP Teaching Kit
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Download modules
        • Intellectual property course design manual
  • About us
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • 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
    • Governance
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • 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
      • Towards a New Normal
      • Data protection & privacy notice
    • Leadership & management
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the President
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Procurement
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • About eTendering
      • Procurement portal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • e-Signing contracts
      • Invoicing
      • 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
        • Statistics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
      • 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
      • 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
    • Statistics and trends
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • Social responsibility
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Environment
      • Art collection
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • The collection
        • Let's talk about art
        • Artists
        • Media library
        • What's on
        • Publications
        • Contact
    • History
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Transparency portal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • General
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • 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
  • Boards of Appeal
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Decisions of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Recent decisions
      • Selected decisions
    • Procedure
    • Annual reports
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Organisation
      • 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
        • Composition of the Presidium
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Archive
    • Code of Conduct
    • Business distribution scheme
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technical boards of appeal by IPC in 2023
      • Archive
    • Annual list of cases
    • Communications
    • Publications
    • Case Law of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Archive
    • Case Law from the Contracting States to the EPC
    • Oral proceedings
  • Service & support
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • FAQ
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
    • Ordering
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 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
      • Legal resources
      • Directories of patent attorneys
      • Patent databases, registers and gazettes
      • Disclaimer
    • Contact us
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Filing options
      • Locations
      • Specific contact
      • Surveys
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Search services
        • Examination services, final actions and publication
        • Opposition services
        • Patent filings
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Detailed methodology
          • Archive
        • Online Services
        • Patent information
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Innovation process survey
        • Customer services
        • Filing services
        • Website
        • Survey on electronic invoicing
        • Companies innovating in clean and sustainable technologies
    • Subscription centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Subscribe
      • Change preferences
      • Unsubscribe
    • Official holidays
    • Forums
    • Glossary
    • RSS feeds
Board of Appeals
Decisions

Recent decisions

Overview
  • 2023 decisions
  • 2022 decisions
  • 2021 decisions
https://www.epo.org/en/node/t140438eu1
  1. Home
  2. T 0438/14 18-12-2018
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email

T 0438/14 18-12-2018

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2018:T043814.20181218
Date of decision
18 December 2018
Case number
T 0438/14
Petition for review of
-
Application number
04793809.7
IPC class
G01N 25/66
H04N 5/33
Language of proceedings
EN
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)

Download and more information:

Decision in EN 342.84 KB
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the European Patent Register
Bibliographic information is available in:
EN
Versions
Unpublished
Application title

METHOD AND IR-CAMERA FOR DETERMINING THE RISK OF CONDENSATION

Applicant name
Flir Systems AB
Opponent name
Testo AG, Testo AG
Board
3.4.02
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
European Patent Convention Art 52(2)(c)
Keywords
Inventive step - main request (yes)
Catchword
-
Cited decisions
-
Citing decisions
G 0001/19

I. The appeal of the opponent is directed against the decision of the opposition division concerning maintenance of the European patent No. 1678485 in amended form. The opposition division in the contested decision came to the conclusion that the subject-matter of amended claim 1 involved an inventive step and that the patent and the invention to which it related met the requirements of the EPC.

II. The appellant (opponent) requested that the patent be revoked, because the subject-matter of claim 1 did not involve an inventive step.

III. The respondent (patent proprietor) requested that the patent as amended in first-instance opposition proceedings be maintained, i.e. that the appeal be dismissed (main request).

IV. As an auxiliary measure, both parties requested oral proceedings.

V. In a communication annexed to the summons to oral proceedings the board expressed its provisional opinion that inter alia the subject-matter of claim 1 involved an inventive step.

VI. With a letter dated 16 November 2018 the respondent filed amended claims 1 to 4 according to an auxiliary request and requested maintenance of the opposed patent with these claims as an auxiliary measure.

VII. Oral proceedings took place on 18 December 2018. At the end of the oral proceedings the parties confirmed their final requests as follows:

The appellant (opponent) requested that the decision under appeal be set aside and that the patent be revoked.

The respondent (patent proprietor) requested as a main request that the appeal of the opponent be dismissed and, as an auxiliary measure, that the decision under appeal be set aside and the patent be maintained in amended form on the basis of the claims according to the auxiliary request filed with the letter dated 16 November 2018.

The chairman then announced the decision of the board.

VIII. The following documents are relevant for the present decision:

E1: GB 2 288 878 A

E2: JP 61 134 652 A

E3: English translation of document E2

E4a: Final report "IR-Thermographie im Bauwesen", Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 2000, Stuttgart

E6: Operating instructions "VARIOSCAN compact, Modell 3011, 3011 - ST und 3012", JENOPTIC Laser, Optik, Systeme GmbH, October 1998, Jena

E13: JP 1 224 654 A

E14: US 6 033 107 A

IX. Claim 1 as maintained by the opposition division (main request) reads as follows:

"A method of determining at least one area of a surface in which there is an increased risk of condensation, comprising the steps of:

a) using an IR camera to create an image of the temperature distribution in at least a part of the surface;

b) inputting to the camera at least one value for the relative air humidity and at least one value for the air temperature in air surrounding the surface, wherein the step of inputting at least one value for the relative air humidity and at least one value for the air temperature in air surrounding the surface is performed manually;

c) determining, on the basis of the input humidity and temperature values at least one condensation temperature at which there is a risk of condensation on the surface;

d) comparing the temperature in at least one image point of the image to the condensation temperature;

e) colouring any image points having a temperature lower than the condensation temperature in a particular colour, or grey tone, selected to indicate an increased risk of condensation; and

f) simulating different conditions, by imaging the surface using different values for the air temperature and humidity in the preceding steps."

1. Main request - claim 1 - inventive step (Article 56 EPC 1973)

1.1 With the grounds of appeal the appellant challenged the inventive step of the claimed subject-matter.

1.2 The parties agree with the opinion of the opposition division that document E1 represents the closest prior art document and that the subject-matter of claim 1 differs from the disclosure of document E1 in that:

i) an IR-camera is used;

ii) colours or grey tones are used to indicate risk of condensation;

iii) humidity and temperature values are manually input; and

iv) different conditions corresponding to different humidity/temperature values are simulated.

1.3 Furthermore, the parties agree with the opinion of the opposition division that the distinguishing features can be dealt with independently and that solutions (i) and (ii) represent normal technical developments in the field of thermography (cf. section I of the grounds of appeal; points 4.1 to 4.4 of the respondent's reply dated 23 September 2014).

1.4 According to the appellant, manually inputting measured data was part of the usual practice of a person skilled in the art, as evidenced by document E3 (cf. page 4, last line to page 5, line 2), document E6 (cf. page 22), where a setting of the emission value for the current measuring point was described, and document E14 (cf. column 8, line 61 to column 9, line 4), where key parameters of the disclosed detection algorithm were to be specified by the user.

The simulation at different environmental conditions by using different values not related to measured data as defined in feature f) represented merely an instruction to the human mind ("Anweisung an den menschlichen Geist") within the meaning of Article 52(2)(c) EPC and did not contribute to inventive step. Feature f), therefore, included as the only technical feature the manual entry of the data and, therefore, was obvious in view of the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art (cf. section III of the grounds of appeal).

During the oral proceedings the appellant added that according to features a) to e) measured data was input manually in an IR-camera and feature f) merely represented an instruction to the user. This feature did not further define the camera and therefore did not provide a technical contribution. Therefore, feature f) should not be considered for assessing inventive step.

If feature f) were nevertheless to be considered for the assessment of inventive step, the appellant in that case concurred with the opinion of the opposition division that simulation was generally used in various technical areas to show different conditions. The appellant contested however that the differing features iii) and iv) were not obvious in view of the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art as it could be found in document E2/E3. In particular, document E2/E3 dealt with condensation on wall surfaces and methods indicating those condensations. It disclosed the use of an IR-camera for measuring the wall temperatures. These temperatures were used to detect condensation on the wall.

The appellant referred in particular to the passage from page 5, penultimate line to page 6, fifth line of document E3 where it was explained that the inside temperature of the wall was dependent on the outside temperature of the wall. This relationship was generally known to a person skilled in the art as demonstrated by documents E13 and E4a, and with this relationship it was possible to simulate the temperature of the inner wall surface when the temperature on the outside of the wall varied so that the condensation could be displayed depending on these outside temperatures which could be input manually (cf. page 3, penultimate paragraph to page 5, third paragraph of the grounds of appeal). The subject-matter of claim 1 differed from the combination of document E1 with the common general knowledge as disclosed in document E2/E3 in that it was not the inner wall temperature that varied in response to the outside temperature, but the temperature and humidity in the air surrounding the inner wall surface was varied. Since the outside temperature was already varied, it was evident to the person skilled in the art to vary the other parameters as well to simulate the influence of the inside air parameters on the condensation.

During the oral proceedings the appellant emphasised that just one prior art document and common general knowledge were necessary to arrive at the claimed invention without an inventive step. Document E2/E3 was simply evidence of the common general knowledge in the art. The common general knowledge as evidenced by document E2/E3 comprised simulating the inner wall temperature depending on the outside temperature. The person skilled in the art knew that inside temperature and humidity were also relevant for the assessment of the dew point. Starting from document E1, the claimed invention solved the problem of enabling simulation of different conditions and the person skilled in the art using their common general knowledge would arrive without inventive step at a simulation in which the inside air temperature and humidity were varied.

The appellant also maintained the line of argument it put forward in the grounds of appeal, according to which the claimed subject-matter was obvious in view of the combination of documents E1 and E2/E3 and common general knowledge.

1.5 According to the respondent the differing features iii) and iv) had the technical effect of enabling the indication of the risk of condensation on a surface for various environmental conditions which might occur during the service life thereof. At oral proceedings the respondent considered feature f) to be technical not only because of the implied act of manually inputting data, but also because the input values were used in a simulation to determine the risk of condensation. The method of determining the risk of condensation with the IR-camera was defined in steps a) to e), which were technical, and feature f) defined that the previous steps were also performed with different values. Therefore, feature f) was likewise technical.

The objective technical problem that was solved by the invention was therefore how to enable the indication of the risk of condensation on a surface for various environmental conditions which might occur during the service life thereof (cf. point 4.4 of the reply dated 23 September 2014).

During the oral proceedings the respondent was of the opinion that, in view of the disclosure of document E1, the claimed subject-matter solved the problem of enabling the indication of the risk of condensation on the surface during the service life thereof. The inclusion of the reference to the "various environmental conditions which might occur" in the previously formulated problem could be regarded as a hint to the claimed solution.

The respondent submitted that document E2/E3 disclosed the estimation of the temperature on the inside of the wall when the temperature on the outside of the wall varied. It did not disclose accounting for various conditions which were different from those at the time of determination, as the opposition division put it correctly on page 10, last but two paragraph of the contested decision. Furthermore, inside air humidity was not used as an input parameter, but rather outside air temperature was measured. Hence, document E2/E3 did not contribute to the claimed solution of how to enable the indication of the risk of condensation on a surface for various environmental conditions which might occur during the service life thereof. The appellant's combination of document E1 with document E2/E3 and in addition with the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art was a sign of inventive step (cf. point 4.7 of the reply dated 23 September 2014).

During the oral proceedings the respondent furthermore stressed that a single patent document such as document E2 and its translation E3 could not represent evidence for the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

But even if document E2/E3 were considered as evidence for the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art and the person skilled in the art were to use this knowledge to solve the above problem, starting from document E1 the skilled person would arrive at a method in which variations of the inner wall temperature depending on the outside temperature would be considered, as suggested by document E2/E3. The combination of the disclosure of documents E1 and E2/E3 and/or common general knowledge did not suggest simulating different conditions by varying the values for the inside air temperature and humidity. Therefore, for a person skilled in the art a lot more steps were necessary to arrive, with the defined problem, at the claimed method.

1.6 The board is of the opinion that step f) of simulating different conditions by imaging the surface using different values for the air temperature and humidity in the preceding steps does not constitute an instruction for a mental act within the meaning of Article 52(2)c) EPC. A mental act, if there were one, would be limited to the selection of suitable values for the air temperature and humidity in the claimed method to indicate a risk of condensation under varying conditions. However, step f) implies technical means for manually entering values and for calculating and displaying the surface areas that develop the risk of condensation at different parameter values. Method step f) therefore implies technical means and does not represent a mental act as such.

The board agrees with the parties' assessment of the closest prior art document and the differing features. With respect to the differing features iii) and iv) the board agrees with the respondent that they provide the effect of enabling the indication of the risk of condensation on a surface for various environmental conditions which might occur during the service life thereof. The objective technical problem that is solved by the invention is, therefore, enabling the indication of the risk of condensation on a surface for various environmental conditions which might occur during the service life thereof. The board considers that the reference to the "various environmental conditions which might occur" does not lead to the claimed invention as submitted by the respondent. By contrast, the problem suggested by the appellant of enabling simulation of different conditions already includes parts of the solution and is therefore not considered appropriate by the board.

The board is of the opinion that a single patent document such as document E2 and its translation E3 does not represent evidence for the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art (cf. Case Law of the Boards of Appeal, 8th edition 2016, I.C.2.8.2).

But even if, arguendo, document E2/E3 were considered as evidence for the common general knowledge, the person skilled in the art would not arrive at the claimed solution when looking for a solution to the above problem. Document E2/E3 does not suggest inputting different values for the inside air temperature and humidity to simulate different conditions of condensation at a given wall temperature distribution. The person skilled in the art would know from their common general knowledge as evidenced by document E2/E3 that the outside temperature of the wall can be considered to simulate variations of the inside temperature of the wall. The word "simulated" on page 6, first paragraph of document E3 is used to indicate that the temperature of each part of the inside wall surface is determined or calculated by applying a previously stored relational expression when the temperature on the outside of this wall surface varies. The board agrees with the opinion of the opposition division and the respondent that document E3 does not disclose the input of various values that are different from the actual outside temperature, as the appellant suggested. According to the board the passage from page 5, penultimate line to page 6, fifth line, of document E3 only discloses that the temperature of each part of the inner wall surface can be calculated when the actual temperature on the outside of this wall varies, without measuring the temperature on the inner wall. Combining the method of document E1 with the common general knowledge as evidenced by document E2/E3 would result in a method in which the apparatus also calculates the influence of the actual outside temperature on the inside temperature of the wall. However, document E2/E3 does not suggest inputting different outside temperature values independent from the actual outside temperature or inputting different inside temperature and humidity values and calculating the respective dew points on the wall. The person skilled in the art would have to find out without any specific hint from document E2/E3 or the corresponding common general knowledge in the art that manually inputting values for the relative air humidity and temperature could provide a solution if different input values were used. The board is of the opinion that without the knowledge of the claimed invention the person skilled in the art would not input different temperature and humidity values in the method disclosed in document E1 in view of the common general knowledge based on the teaching of document E2/E3.

In the board's view, the appellant's further line of argument, according to which the claimed subject-matter is obvious in view of the combination of documents E1 and E2/E3 and common general knowledge, is not convincing either. As demonstrated above, the combination of documents E1 and E2/E3 would result in a method in which the apparatus also calculates the influence of the varying outside temperature on the inside temperature of the wall. Document E2/E3 does not suggest inputting different inside values and calculating the respective dew points on the wall. The person skilled in the art would have to find out solely from their common general knowledge in the art that inputting manually different values for the relative air humidity and the temperature could also provide a solution. The board is of the opinion that without the knowledge of the claimed invention the person skilled in the art would not input different temperature and humidity values in the method resulting from a combination of document E1 and document E2/E3.

Furthermore, the line of argument presented by the appellant in which the combined features of documents E1 and E2/E3 were identified and the objective technical problem was determined from the difference between this combination of features and the claimed solution is not in line with the problem-solution approach applied at the EPO (cf. Case Law of the Boards of Appeal, 8th edition 2016, I.D.2). The board does not consider this line of reasoning to be convincing.

1.7 Therefore, the subject-matter of claim 1 involves an inventive step in view of document E1 in combination with the common general knowledge in the art, even if document E2/E3 were to be considered as evidence of the common general knowledge as well as in view of the combination of documents E1 and E2/E3 and common general knowledge.

1.8 The other prior art documents do not suggest using different values for air and humidity in the air surrounding the inner wall surface either.

Document E4a concerns the calculation of the temperature distribution of an outside wall considering the inside temperature and the structure and defects of the wall. The temperature at the outside of the wall can be calculated depending on the temperature difference between the outside temperature and the inside temperature and the solar radiation. Thus, it is not necessary to measure the wall temperature at cold outside temperatures to detect defects in the wall. The dew point is not considered in the disclosed calculations and different temperature and humidity values are not input to estimate the risk of condensation. Therefore, the person skilled in the art does not find the claimed solution in document E4a for the above-identified problem starting from E1.

In the method of document E13 the wall temperature is measured by a raster scanner, outside temperature Tb and room temperature Ta and humidity C are also measured, and a map is created indicating at which part of the wall and at which temperature condensation starts (cf. abstract). This document does not suggest inputting values other than the measured temperature and humidity values.

Document E14 deals with the creation of temperature maps to find hot spots on an object surface. Basic parameters of the algorithm can be specified by the user, so that valid hot spots can be detected. The user therefore manually enters an environment parameter. A variation of temperature and humidity for the determination of condensation is not suggested by this document.

1.9 The board therefore concludes that the subject-matter of claim 1 involves an inventive step.

2. The appellant did not raise any further objections which could prevent the maintenance of the patent in amended form. Neither are further objections apparent to the board. Therefore, the appeal of the opponent is to be dismissed.

Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

The appeal is dismissed.

Footer - Service & support
  • Service & support
    • FAQ
    • Contact us
    • Subscription centre
    • Official holidays
    • Publications
    • Procedural communications
    • Ordering
    • Glossary
Footer - More links
  • Jobs & careers
  • Press centre
  • Single Access Portal
  • Procurement
  • Boards of Appeal
SoMe facebook 0
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
SoMe instagram
EuropeanPatentOffice
SoMe linkedIn
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
EPO Procurement
SoMe twitter
EPOorg
EPOjobs
SoMe youtube
TheEPO
Footer
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Data protection and privacy
  • Accessibility