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
    Plastics in Transition

    Technology insight report on plastic waste management

  • 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
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the finalists
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventor Prize
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
    • 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
      • 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
  • 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
        • 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
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • 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
          • The PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa initiative (KT2A)
          • KT2A core activities
          • Success story: Malawi University of Science and Technology and PATLIB Birmingham
  • 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
      • Innovation against cancer
      • Innovation actors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Startups and SMEs
      • 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 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 0220/91 20-06-1995
Facebook X Linkedin Email

T 0220/91 20-06-1995

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:1995:T022091.19950620
Date of decision
20 June 1995
Case number
T 0220/91
Petition for review of
-
Application number
83102017.7
IPC class
F02D 41/18
Language of proceedings
EN
Distribution
DISTRIBUTED TO BOARD CHAIRMEN (C)

Download and more information:

Decision in EN 568.69 KB
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the European Patent Register
Bibliographic information is available in:
EN
Versions
Unpublished
Application title

Electrical fuel injector control

Applicant name
Hitachi, Ltd.
Opponent name
Robert Bosch GmbH
Board
3.2.04
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
Keywords
Inventive step (yes)
Catchword
-
Cited decisions
T 0229/85
G 0001/84
Citing decisions
-

I. The decision of the Opposition Division to revoke European patent No. 0 087 809 (resulting from application No. 83 102 017.7) was dispatched on 28. January 1991.

The Opposition Division decided that the subject-matter of each of the claims then on file lacked an inventive step over the state of the art represented by:

D1: US-A-4 280 189

D2: US-A-4 214 306

D3: GB-A-1 449 491

II. On 15 March 1991 the Appellant (Proprietor) filed an appeal against this decision. The appeal fee was paid on the same day and the Statement of Grounds of Appeal was received on 7 June 1991.

III. In the appeal proceedings, the Appellant argues essentially as follows:

The invention teaches filtering the engine intake air amount signal or engine speed signal with a first filter coefficient when the engine is idling (as unambiguously defined by conditions I to IV in Claims 1 and 2) and with a second filter coefficient when the engine is in a normal driving state.

D1 discloses different filter coefficients for input signals but not when these different coefficients should be used.

While D2 and D3 teach the use of different filter effects, neither discloses switching therebetween dependent on idling and each relates to a different problem and a different solution to those of the invention.

IV. The Respondent (Opponent) argues in the appeal proceedings essentially as follows:

D1 does not disclose when and why the different filter coefficients should be used and so leaves open the question of how to achieve the desired optimal control of the engine.

To suppress fluctuation to improve engine operating behaviour without affecting acceleration, D3 teaches filtering the engine air amount signal to a greater degree in stationary operating conditions than outside these conditions.

D2 describes filtering the engine speed signal below an engine speed threshold to avoid mechanical vibration. To retain rapid response to changes, no filtering is performed above the threshold. The threshold lies between low speed or idling and high speed or acceleration.

Since Claims 1 and 2 add to the teachings of D1 to D3 merely a definition of the idling state by the conditions I to IV and since this definition is obvious for the person skilled in the art, the subject-matter of Claims 1 and 2 lacks inventive step.

V. Following a communication from the Board the Appellant submitted amended patent documents with the letter of 16. February 1995. The Respondent made no comment on either the Board's communication or the Appellant's reply.

The independent Claim 1 is as follows:

"An electrical fuel injection device comprising

- an injection valve (3) for injecting fuel into an internal combustion engine (10);

- an air flow meter (9) for detecting an amount of intake air fed to said internal combustion engine (10) through a throttle valve (2);

- a revolution counter (20) for measuring the rotational speed of said internal combustion engine (10);

- an electronic circuit (15) for determining an opening and closing time of said injection valve (3) based on output signals from said air flow meter (9) and said revolution counter (20); and

- digital filter means (31, 32) in said electronic circuit (15), having variable filter coefficients, characterized in that there is provided a first digital filter (31, 32) which attenuates an input signal with a first coefficient (X1) when said engine is in an idling state, wherein the following conditions are met:

I. the opening degree of said throttle valve is smaller than a predetermined opening degree (e.g. 1 );

II. the revolution count is less than a predetermined rotational speed N (e.g. 1500/min);

III. the valve opening pulse width of the injection valve is shorter than a predetermined pulse width Tp (e.g. 1,7 ms);

IV. the air intake amount is less than a predetermined amount Qa (e.g. 125 g/min);

and attenuates the input signal with a second coefficient (X2) larger than said first coefficient (X1) when said engine is in a normal drive state, wherein one or a plurality of following conditions is met:

V. the opening degree of said throttle valve is larger than said predetermined opening degree;

VI. the revolution count is more than said predetermined rotational speed N;

VII. the valve opening pulse width of the injection valve is longer than said predetermined pulse width Tp;

VIII. the air intake amount is more than said predetermined amount Qa;

and the output signal from said airflow meter (9) is applied to said electronic circuit as the input signal through said first digital filter, whereby said digital filter has a larger attenuation effect with said first coefficient than with said second coefficient."

The independent Claim 2 is as follows:

"An electrical fuel injector device comprising

- an injection valve (3) for injecting fuel into an internal combustion engine (10);

- an air flow meter (9) for detecting an amount of intake air fed to said internal combustion engine (10) through a throttle valve (2);

- a revolution counter (20) for measuring the rotational speed of said internal combustion engine (10);

- an electronic circuit (15) for determining an opening and a closing time of said injection valve (3) based on output signals from said air flow meter (9) and said revolution counter (20); and

- digital filter means (31, 32) in said electronic circuit (15), having variable filter coefficients, characterized in that there is provided a first digital filter (31, 32) which attenuates an input signal with a first coefficient (X1) when said engine is in an idling state, wherein the following conditions are met:

I. the opening degree of said throttle valve is smaller than a predetermined opening degree (e.g. 1 );

II. the revolution count is less than a predetermined rotational speed N (e.g. 1500/min);

III. the valve opening pulse width of the injection valve is shorter than a predetermined pulse width Tp (e.g. 1,7 ms);

IV. the air intake amount is less than a predetermined amount Qa (e.g. 125 g/min);

and attenuates the input signal with a second coefficient (X2) larger than said first coefficient (X1) when said engine is in a normal drive state, wherein one or a plurality of following conditions is met:

V. the opening degree of said throttle valve is larger than said predetermined opening degree;

VI. the revolution count is more than said predetermined rotational speed N;

VII. the valve opening pulse width of the injection valve is longer than said predetermined pulse width Tp;

VIII. the air intake amount is more than said predetermined amount Qa;

and the output signal from said revolution counter (20) is applied to said electronic circuit as the input signal through said first digital filter, whereby said digital filter has a larger attenuation effect with said first coefficient than with said second coefficient."

VI. The Appellant requests that the decision under appeal be set aside and that the patent be maintained amended in the following form:

Claim 1: page 5, lines 62 to 65 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809), and

page 6, lines 1 to 22 as filed with the letter of 16 February 1995;

Claims 2 to 4: as filed with the letter of 16 February 1995;

Description: pages 2 and 2a as filed with the letter of 16 February 1995,

page 3, line 1 to page 5, line 58 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1- 0. 087 809); and

Drawings: pages 1 to 6 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809).

The Appellant auxiliarily requests oral proceedings.

VI. The Respondent requests dismissal of the appeal.

1. The appeal is admissible.

2. Amendments

2.1. The words "wherein one or a plurality of the following conditions is met" in Claims 1 and 2 as granted (lines 6, 7 and 32, 33 respectively of page 6 of the patent specification as granted) have been amended to "wherein the following conditions are met" to arrive at the present Claims 1 and 2.

These amendments do not contravene Article 123(2) EPC in view of page 8, lines 1 to 15 of the application as originally filed and do not contravene Article 123(3) EPC because they restrict the scope of the claims.

2.2. Claims 3 and 4 filed with the letter of 16 February 1995 are identical to Claims 3 and 4 as granted.

2.3. The present description is identical to that in the patent specification as granted except that the discussion of D1 on page 2 has been amended. In view of the explanation given by the Appellant in the letter of 16. February 1995 the Board considers that the original discussion in the description as granted was incorrect (see section 7.1 below) and has no objection under Article 123 EPC to the reworded page 2a filed with said letter.

2.4. Thus the Board has no objection under Article 123 EPC to the present version of the patent documents.

3. The term "idling state"

The wording of Claims 1 and 2 as granted led to doubt as to what was meant by the term "idling state". This doubt has been removed in the present versions of Claims 1 and 2. For the engine to be deemed to be in the idling state the (i.e. all of) the four conditions I to IV must be fulfilled. It follows from this that the four other conditions V to VIII when the engine is not idling are correctly preceded in said Claims by the words "wherein one or a plurality of following conditions is met" since it needs only one of these conditions V to VIII to be met (e.g. a wide open throttle) for the skilled person to know that the engine cannot be idling.

4. Novelty

After considering the documents present in the appeal proceedings the Board considers that none of them discloses an electrical fuel injection device according to either Claim 1 or Claim 2. Novelty was moreover not disputed in the appeal proceedings by the parties.

5. The closest prior art

5.1. Like the parties and the Opposition Division, the Board considers that the closest prior art is represented by D1 since it discloses the features of the pre- characterising portion of each of Claims 1 and 2.

5.2. According to the characterising portion of Claim 1 the claimed device differs from the state of the art in that the digital filter attenuates the engine intake air amount signal with a first coefficient when the engine is idling (as defined by conditions I to IV) and with a second filter coefficient when the engine is in a normal driving state, the first coefficient providing a larger attenuation effect than the second.

Claim 2 differs from Claim 1 in that it is the engine speed signal instead of the engine intake air amount signal which is filtered.

6. Problem and solution

6.1. In the letter of 16 February 1995 the Appellant formulates the problem to be solved in such a way as to fix the attention on the idling and non-idling states and so impermissibly to point to the solution (see decision T 229/85, OJ EPO 1987, 237).

The Board in fact sees the problem to be solved when starting from the apparatus according to D1 as being to provide an electrical fuel injection device which can improve engine control under each operating condition including idling and driving conditions.

6.3. The Board is satisfied that this problem can be solved by the features of the present Claims 1 and 2, and in particular by the features of their characterising portions.

7. Inventive step

7.1. D1 explains in column 1, lines 40 to 48 that it is known to control how much fuel is injected into an internal combustion engine by opening a fuel injection valve for a time which is dependent on the amount of air entering the engine and the rotational speed of the engine. However (continues D1 in column 1, line 61 to column 2, line 5), the signal representing the intake air flow rate contains ripple due to the engine's intermittent sucking of air, moreover the signal representing the engine's rotational speed contains ripple due to the engine's unevenness of rotation.

These ripples render optimal engine control impossible, and D1 proposes (see column 26, line 18 to column 27, line 26) to eliminate the ripple component of the signal representing the rotational speed of the engine.

Therefore in D1 the problem to be solved appears to be different from that according to the invention.

The solution proposed in D1 consists of filtering the signal by using the present sampled value of the rotation speed parameter (obtained in the present calculation cycle), the previous filtered value of the parameter (arrived at in the immediately preceding calculation cycle) and a filter coefficient between zero and one, in order to arrive at the present filtered value of the rotational speed of the engine. One of several different filter coefficients stored in a read only memory (see Figure 20) can be used but it is not stated when and why different filter coefficients should be used.

While different filter coefficients are disclosed in D1, see e.g. Figure 20, the Board indeed cannot find a disclosure of the use of different filter coefficients for one particular signal.

Since moreover the Appellant now argues (in section 2 of the letter of 16 February 1995) that the acknowledgement of D1 in the granted patent specification (see page 2, lines 22 to 24) is incorrect and that in fact a (single) predetermined filter coefficient is used for a particular input signal, and since the Respondent has not contradicted said allegation, the Board can accept that D1 teaches no more than the choice of a filter coefficient once and for all for a particular signal in a particular engine.

Therefore the Board considers that variable filter constants for a particular signal are not known from D1 and that, contrary to the Opposition Division's opinion, the contribution by the skilled person to the teaching of D1 is not merely that of deciding how to set the variable filter constants to match the driving conditions.

Moreover, even if two filter coefficients for a particular signal were known from D1, the document gives the skilled person no reason to view idling and non- idling as being important for signal filtering because even when D1 mentions idling in column 3, lines 53 to 68 this is not in connection with filtering signals but purely in the context of adjustment of air flow around the throttle valve through a bypass 42 (Figure 1 and column 3, lines 63 to 68) or through the bypass air regulator 48 (Figure 1 and column 4, lines 1 to 11) to achieve a preset fixed value of idle speed by a feedback control (column 25, lines 30 to 35).

7.2. Also D2 discusses a problem which is different from that to be solved by the invention. The aim of D2 is to prevent the periodic vibratory back-and-forth motion resulting from a resonance between the change in the output torque of an engine and the mechanical structure of the engine (see column 1, lines 30 to 44) when the engine is decelerated with the throttle valve being closed or accelerated from a low rotation speed.

Moreover the solution given in D2 has nothing to do with the invention since, in order to prevent this vehicle surge, a value of engine rotation speed below which the potential of a vehicle surge is high is determined experimentally (see column 4, lines 21 to 53) and if the engine rotation speed is below the predetermined value, indicating a high surge potential, then the value of engine rotation speed used to calculate the amount of fuel to be injected is a value based on the current engine rotation speed, the calculated engine rotation speed from the previous calculating step and a constant K, see step 107 on Figure 2.

In a second embodiment (see column 6, line 47 to column 7, line 15), the calculation uses a constant K (see step 107 on Figure 3) whose value is large or small (see steps 115 and 116 on Figure 3) dependent on whether the change in intake air amount and the change in engine rotation speed between the current and preceding calculation cycles are above or below predetermined values (see steps 113 and 114 on Figure 3).

7.3. The problem described in D3 is also different from that of the patent since D3 deals with transitional enrichment of the fuel/air mixture, particularly during the warming-up phase of the engine, in order that the engine can be accelerated with sufficient rapidity, see page 2, lines 21 to 31. Fluctuations in the air inlet manifold during specific operating conditions cause fluctuations in the signal representing the intake air flow amount which can be largely suppressed with a low- pass filter which however has a poor transition characteristic during acceleration since its damping and time constant are too great, see page 2, lines 67 to 88. This disadvantage can be overcome by e.g. by switching the frequency-determining capacitors of the low-pass filter dependent on acceleration or quantity of air (see page 4, lines 89 to 106).

7.4. The choice of filter coefficients in D2 and D3 results in a larger attenuation effect being achieved in lower load states than in higher load states. Moreover these lower and higher load states can be characterised by rotation speed values above or below a predetermined limit (D2) or air flow values above or below a predetermined limit (D3).

The Opposition Division's finding on page 9 of its decision that the subject-matter of Claims 1 and 2 resulted from a combination of D1 and D2 or D2 and D3 respectively referred to the claims in their granted form with an imperfect definition of the idling state. Now that the claims have been clarified in this respect it follows that while low load and idling states overlap, they are not the same i.e. they are not co- extensive. Thus D2 and D3 do not teach the skilled person that the criterion for switching filter constants should be the presence or absence of idling. D2 and D3 teach other criteria for switching filter constants and do not concern idling problems but vehicle surge due to resonance between engine output torque and the vehicle mechanical structure (D2) and transitional enrichment of the fuel/air mixture, particularly during the warming-up phase of the engine, in order that the engine can be accelerated with sufficient rapidity (D3).

7.5. Accordingly the Board finds that the skilled person would not have been led to combine the teachings of documents D1 and D2 or of D1 and D3. Even if he had done so, he would not have arrived at the subject-matter of either of Claims 1 or Claim 2 in an obvious manner.

8. Thus the subject-matter of each of the independent Claims 1 and 2 involves an inventive step in the meaning of Article 56 EPC and is patentable in the meaning of Article 52 EPC. Claims 3 and 4 are dependent on Claim 1 and so are also patentable. The patent can thus be maintained with these claims.

9. The description

The description needs some amendment to adapt it to the new independent Claims 1 and 2, e.g. concerning the words "wherein one or a plurality of the following conditions is met" in line 44 of page 2 filed with the letter of 16 February 1995 and in line 5 of page 3 of the granted patent specification, and concerning page 4, lines 28 to 31.

In order to avoid prolonging the appeal proceedings, the case is remitted to the first instance to have these amendments to the description carried out before maintaining the patent.

The granted patent specification contains also some minor errors but since they would cause no problems to the person skilled in the art, the Board has no objections to these. It sees extensive minor improvements as being unnecessary and undesirable in both opposition and appeal proceedings since the latter are not designed to be, and should not be misused as, extensions of examination procedure (see point 9 of decision G 1/84, OJ EPO 1985, 304).

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 in the following form:

Claim 1: page 5, lines 62 to 65 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809), and

page 6, lines 1 to 22 as filed with the letter of 16 February 1995;

Claims 2 to 4: as filed with the letter of 16 February 1995;

Description: page 2 as filed with the letter of 16. February 1995, to be adapted in line with the Claims;

page 2a as filed with the letter of 16. February 1995;

pages 3 and 4 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809), to be adapted in line with the Claims;

page 5, lines 1 to 58 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809); and

Drawings: pages 1 to 6 of the patent specification as granted (EP-B1-0 087 809).

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