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IPC reform
The IPC reform is without doubt the most significant development in patent databases for many years. Aimed at making the IPC a more efficient search tool for patent offices of all sizes and to exploit the possibilities of a modern, electronic environment, the reformed IPC entered into force on 1 January 2006.
One of the most important characteristics of the January 2006 reform of the International Patent Classification (IPC) is that changes can now be made to the classification scheme at much shorter intervals than before.
As a result the first revision took place on 1.1. 2007
The main features of the new IPC are:
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A stable core and a dynamic advanced level - the IPC now
has a relatively stable subset of about 20 000 entries, known as the core level;
in addition to this, the dynamic advanced level covers the entire set of entries
in the IPC. This advanced level is continuously updated.
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Reclassification of older documents: whenever the IPC is
changed, older documents published under an earlier version are reclassified. In
other words, you can search all the documents in patent databases by using the
symbols of the latest IPC version.
- Additional definitions - the US Patent Classification system, for example, has extensive sets of definitions. Similar definitions are available in the new IPC.
Administration
WIPO is in charge of the administration of the IPC classification schemes. The text of the latest version of the IPC, edition 8, or "IPC8", is available on the WIPO website.
All documents classified according to the IPC are stored in a Master Classification Database (MCD), managed by the European Patent Office (EPO).