Articles on: PATOffice Search
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How is PATOffice search structured?

The PATOffice search in total has 3 sections.
The first section "Patent Information" needs information about the patent itself, the bibliographic data so to say.
The second section "Rating" needs information about given ratings.
And the thrid section "Properties" needs information about the characteristics added to the patent once it was imported.

You may use all sections and fields simultaneously to make your search even more precise which makes our search a very powerful tool.

How to use the search function:

In the PATOffice search you normally need to enter text or numbers to have it look for it through your patents / documents.

1 - The terms may be either included in your search or excluded.
Excluding specific terms will result in showing patents from your database that specifically do not have the terms in the defined text field.

2 - You may also duplicate search fields. E.g. if you want to search two or more patent numbers, of if you want to search for various inventors or applicants at the same time, simply duplicate the field. This is specifically interesting when looking for a specific technology, e.g. via the title, from one inventor (included), but not the other (excluded).

3 - You may also hide certain fields. As you might have recognized, in the first section "Patent Information" for example, we have several search fields available, but need to make others visible at the bottom of the box. This is where you can find your hidden search fields. By using this icon you can completely personalize the upper section of this box according to your needs.





Please find now further information about the structure of the PATOffice Search:

Patent Information





Patent number
The patent number is the number a patent application is given once it is filed. It serves as the unique identifier of a patent.
If you are searching for a specific patent and you already know the number, then this is the field you need to fill.

Title, abstract or claim
In order to look a little broader you may fil this field with text that should be part of either the title, the abstract and/or the claim. The PATOffice search will look in all 3 places if the term you inserted is part of it.
The title is the document title, the abstract is the summary of the patent and the claims can be found in the numbered list, mostly in the beginning of the document, that shows everything the patent should cover.

Inventor
A patent inventor is the individual or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the creation of an invention. They are the ones responsible for conceiving and developing the inventive idea or concept. The inventor is typically named in the patent application and plays a crucial role in providing technical details, drawings, and explanations to support the patent claims. In many jurisdictions, the inventor is required to be named and acknowledged in the patent document. However, it's important to note that the inventor may not always be the same as the patent applicant, as ownership and assignment of patent rights can vary based on employment agreements or other contractual arrangements.

Applicant
A patent applicant is an individual, organization, or entity that applies for a patent with the purpose of securing exclusive rights to an invention. The applicant is the party seeking legal protection for their invention and is responsible for providing a detailed description of the invention, its technical aspects, and its potential applications.

Application date range
The patent application date range refers to the period during which an applicant can file their patent application. It begins on the date the application is filed with the patent office and ends when the application is either granted or abandoned. This range represents the timeframe within which the applicant's rights are established and determines priority over similar inventions filed after the application date.

Publication date range
The patent publication date range refers to the timeframe in which a patent application is made publicly available. It starts from the date of publication by the patent office and extends until the patent is either granted or abandoned. During this period, the details of the patent application, including the invention's description and claims, become accessible to the public.

All text fields
To search in all text fields of the patent, either title, date ranges or names of persons or companies, you may fill this field with whatever information you are interested in. Filling this out will not restrict the search to sepcific text fields, but will search in all text fields available.

Title
The patent title is a brief and descriptive name given to a patent document, which represents the main subject or focus of the invention. It serves as a concise label or heading that provides a general idea of what the patent document encompasses. The patent title is designed to be informative, specific, and representative of the invention, helping users quickly identify and understand the nature of the invention without having to read the entire document. A well-crafted patent title effectively captures the essence of the invention, allowing researchers, inventors, and other interested parties to easily locate and assess the relevance of the patent document to their needs.

Now it is getting a little bit more specific. Everything you enter here will be limited to the search of titles.
This is important to note, as terms that are not in the title, but might be part of the claims or the abstract will not be shown.

Abstract
The patent abstract is a concise summary of a patent document that provides a brief overview of the invention. It is typically a standalone paragraph or a few paragraphs at the beginning of the patent document. The purpose of the abstract is to provide a clear and concise understanding of the technical aspects, features, and potential applications of the invention without delving into excessive detail. It serves as a summary to help readers quickly grasp the essence of the invention before delving into the more detailed description, claims, and drawings of the patent document. The abstract plays an important role in facilitating patent searches and enabling interested parties to assess the novelty and relevance of the invention.

Filling this out has the same prerequisites as the title above. Everything you enter here, will only be searched in the text field of the abstract.

Claims
Patent claims are the most critical part of a patent document and define the scope and boundaries of the protection sought for an invention. They are legally enforceable statements that describe the specific elements, features, and characteristics of the invention for which the applicant seeks exclusive rights. Patent claims serve as a technical and legal framework to clearly define what is covered by the patent and what falls outside its protection. They outline the unique aspects or novel combinations of the invention that distinguish it from existing technologies. Patent claims are typically written in a specific format, using precise and technical language to provide a clear and detailed description of the invention's essential elements. By interpreting and assessing the patent claims, one can understand the extent of the protection granted by the patent and assess potential infringement by other parties.

Filling this out has the same prerequisites as the title and abstract above. Everything you enter here, will only be searched in the text field of the claims.

Description
The patent description, also known as the specification, is a detailed written explanation of an invention provided within a patent document. It serves as a comprehensive disclosure of the invention's technical aspects, functionality, and practical implementation. The description typically includes background information, a summary of the invention, a detailed explanation of its components or steps, and often includes accompanying figures, diagrams, or examples to aid in understanding. The patent description aims to enable someone skilled in the relevant field to replicate and understand the invention based on the information provided. It provides context, technical details, and supporting information to substantiate the claims made in the patent. The description plays a vital role in providing a complete understanding of the invention and supporting the patent claims during examination and potential legal disputes.

Filling this out has the same prerequisites as the title, abstract and claims above. Everything you enter here, will only be searched in the text field of the description. However please be aware: The description is long and you might find various words and terms in numerous description. We suggest to not only use this text field to look for specific patents.

Family ID
The patent family ID refers to a unique identifier that is assigned to a group of patent documents related to the same invention. It represents a collection of patents and patent applications filed in different countries or regions that share the same priority or common priority application. The patent family ID allows for easy tracking and organization of related patent documents across different jurisdictions. It helps identify and link together various versions of the invention, including granted patents, pending applications, and related documents such as divisional or continuation applications. The patent family ID provides a convenient way to analyze the global coverage and status of an invention and facilitates comprehensive patent searches and monitoring of its legal protection worldwide.

In order to fill this out / to search for a specific family you need to know the exact identifier for this family.

IPC-Class
The International Patent Classification (IPC) is a standardized system used for classifying patents and patent applications based on the technical subject matter they cover. It provides a hierarchical framework that categorizes inventions into different classes, subclasses, groups, and subgroups based on their technological field and characteristics. The IPC system enables efficient searching and retrieval of patent documents by organizing them into specific categories according to their technical content. Each IPC classification code consists of a combination of alphanumeric symbols that represent a particular technical feature or concept associated with the invention. By using the IPC, patent examiners, inventors, researchers, and other stakeholders can navigate through the vast amount of patent information more effectively, identify prior art, and assess the novelty and relevance of inventions within a specific technological domain.

In order to fill this out / to search for a specific family you need to know the exact classification.

CPC-Class
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a patent classification system jointly developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It is based on the International Patent Classification (IPC) system but includes additional detailed subcategories for more precise classification of patent documents. The CPC system provides a comprehensive and granular classification structure that allows for more specific categorization of inventions based on their technical features and characteristics. It enhances the search and retrieval of patent documents by providing more specific and accurate results within a particular technological field. The CPC classification codes consist of a combination of alphanumeric symbols, similar to the IPC system, to represent specific technical features or concepts associated with the invention.

Country code
The country code of a patent refers to the two-letter code that represents the country or jurisdiction in which the patent is granted or registered. Each country or region has its own unique country code assigned to its patents. These codes are typically based on the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard, which provides internationally recognized codes for countries and territories. Examples of country codes for patents include US (United States), EP (European Patent Office), CN (China), JP (Japan), and DE (Germany). The country code is an essential element for identifying the jurisdiction in which a patent is granted and for distinguishing between patents issued by different countries or regions. It is often included as part of the patent publication or identification number to clearly indicate the country of origin or grant.

Kind code
The kind code in a patent refers to a specific alphanumeric code that indicates the status or type of a patent document within a particular patent system. It provides information about the legal status, publication stage, or type of document associated with the patent. The kind codes can vary between different patent offices and jurisdictions, but they typically follow a standardized format.
Kind codes provide a standardized way to differentiate between various types of patent documents, allowing users to quickly understand the status or nature of a particular patent within a specific patent system.

The most commons we have listed here
A1 first publication of the disclosure document
B1 granted patent
A8/A9 correction of the disclosure document
B3 first publication of the patent specification
B4 second publication of the patent specification
B8/B9 correction of the patent specification
C5 amended patent specification
T1 publication of intl. or EU applications in German translation
T8/T9 their corrections
U1 utility model specifications
U8/u) their corrections


Jurisdiction of priority
The jurisdiction of priority refers to the country or regional patent office where the priority application for a patent was initially filed. When filing a patent application, an applicant may claim priority based on an earlier-filed application in another country or region. The jurisdiction of priority indicates the specific jurisdiction where the initial application was filed and serves as the reference point for determining the priority date of the invention. The priority date is crucial in establishing the novelty and priority of an invention over subsequent filings in other jurisdictions.

Priority date range
The priority date range refers to the period during which an applicant can claim priority for their patent application based on an earlier-filed application. It starts from the date of filing the first application in a specific jurisdiction and extends for a certain period, typically 12 months for most countries. Within this range, the applicant can file subsequent applications in other jurisdictions while claiming the priority date of the initial application. The priority date range is significant for determining the novelty and priority of an invention, as it establishes the effective filing date from which the invention is assessed against prior art.


Rating



In the "Rating" section you can search based on ratings, comments and assignments.



Mean rating
The mean rating shows the average mean rating that was calculated by all rating given for certain documents.
For example a patent was rated with 3 stars from 2 people, the mean would be 3 stars: (3+3) / 2 = 3.
Another example: a patent was rated with 3 stars and 1 star from 2 people: (3+1) / 2 = 2

Additionally you can also set this field to "at lease" showing all documents that have a rating of at least your defined star rating.

Comment
This field works similar to the text fields about, but will search in the comments section of the rated patents. Inserting text here will look for the terms in the comments of your rated patents.

Has rating
This is a new form of filtering. Here you can simply choose between two answer options:
Yes
No
If you click yes, all patents that have already been rated will be shown.
Of course you can add additional search filters to specify your search.

Has own rating
See above, but with the slight difference that you will only get patents rated by yourself!

Has rating from
See above, but this time you may enter your colleague's names. Normally this can be accessed via a dropdown menue. You simply need to choose the colleague you want to see ratings from.
This is also how you can check as an admin, which documents were assigned to a specific colleague / team member.

Has comment
See above "Has rating"

Has own comment
See above

Has comment from
See above "Has rating from"

Minimum rating
This search field works similar to the one above "has rating". You may give a minimum rating here and the search engine will offer you all patents with a rating of at least the one given.

Maximum rating
See above

Minimum own rating
See above, but with the difference that the minimum rating only will refer to patents that you have rated yourself!

Maximum own rating
See above


Properties



Refine your search with assigned workspaces, custom tags and many more.



Workspaces
This field exactly works like "has rating from" and may be translated to "belongs to workspace". All available workspaces will be displayed in a dropdown menue and you will be able to select the workspace you want to see patents from.

Tags
Entering information here follows a new structure here. You will be able to exclude and include multiple tags at once. The available tags are also shown in a dropdown menue. What you can do additionally: You may select whether you want to include/exclude "at least one" (which means you may include various tags, and the patent is found if event one of the tags is included) or you may select whether you want to include/eclude "all" (which means a patent is only found if all tags included/excluded are part of the document.)

Users
This one follows the exact same logic as "tags".
You may enter the assigned users here and are therefore able to specifically search for patents that are assigned to a specific user.

Has tag
This one follows the "yes/no" functionality. Please click yes, if the patents you are searching for do already have tags given from colleagues.

Has assigned user
See above. This will search for patents that already have assigned users. Specifically interesting when you are looking for patents that not yet have assigned users and which need to be distributed accordingly.

Assigned to me
See above, with the difference that only patents assigned to yourself will be searched.

Bookmarked
See above (yes/no functionality) will only search for/within patents that are bookmarked.

Import date
As we are importing new hits on a regular basis, you can search for specific import dates here. Might make sense for imports that happened in a specific timeframe.

Import source
This one refers to your monitoring profile and will only look for hits coming from a certain monitoring profile.

Read
This field (yes/no functionality) will only search within patents that have already been read by any user.

Own read
See above, but it will only search within patents that were read by yourself.

Read by
In order to specify hits that were read by certain person you may enter her/his name here respectively select froma dropdown menue.

Content Scoring
The content scoring is a score that we calculate based on our monitoring profiles. It is a relevance score that shows how much the patents sticks to your profile and by which we can pre-evaluate how relevant the document might be for you.
The content score ranges from 0 - 100, where 100 shows the biggest relevance for your company / search profile.

Status monitored
Yes / No functionaly. This will (not) show the patents that were assigned a status monitoring from anyone previously.

Own status monitored
This will only show patents where you yourself switched on the status monitoring.

Status monitored by
See above - however you may choose the person who switched on the status monitoring for specific patents.

Family monitored
See above, just for family monitoring

Own family monitored
See above, just for family monitoring

Family monitored by
See above, just for family monitoring

Citation tracker
See above, just for citation tracking

Own citation tracker
See above, just for citation tracking

Citation tracker set by
See above, just for citation tracking

Clear all filters
This will set all your search fields back to default, i.e. empty them So be aware.

Updated on: 23/05/2023

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