The technical and legal framework for patents

In this module, we’ll explore how patents are assigned numbers and what the numbers and codes can tell us about the invention or technology being protected. We’ll investigate how to use patent numbers to distinguish between applications and granted patents and how to use ‘kind codes’ to determine the type of document.

Additional Resources
WIPO Country names and two letter codes
WIPO Kind Codes by authority
Do it in PatSnap: Use publication numbers and kind codes in searches
Module 2 - Transcript

In this module, we’ll look at the legal status of patents, how they differ around the world, and what they mean in terms of protection (or non-protection). We’ll consider how these patent statuses can be used to determine whether a patent is active, inactive or pending.

Additional Resources
Good news for Divisional Patent Applications in the UK
Do it in PatSnap: Search by Simple Legal Status
Module 3 - Transcript

Since patents have to be applied for at a national rather than an international level, it means that a single invention is often associated with numerous identical patents around the world. For this reason, the idea of a patent family was introduced so that patent analysts can rapidly identify patents that relate to a single invention around the world. In this session, we dive into the details of how patent families work, how patents are linked together using databases such as INPADOC and how they can impact interpretations of data from patent analysis.

Additional Resources
EPO defintion of simple patent family
EPO guide to INPADOC
Do it in PatSnap: Use PatSnap Extended Family to find related patents
Module 4 - Transcript

Classification codes are a type of categorization for patents which are used to classify the contents of a patent in a uniform manner. There are various different types of classification codes that are used which are used for different kinds of patents and in some cases are jurisdiction-specific. In this module, we’ll take a look at what these codes are, how they are applied and how they can be used.

Additional Resources
Nanotechnology and the Art of the Patent Search
Do it in PatSnap: Refine your search by specific classification code
Module 5 - Transcript

Patents can have complex patterns of ownership, including both individual and joint ownership as well as having the ability to be sold, or ‘assigned’ to other parties. There can be many different names that appear on a patent, both inventor names and names of organizations. In this module, we’ll discover what information can found relating to patent documents and how we can evaluate patent ownership.

Additional Resources
Licensing adds value to your Intellectual property
Do it in PatSnap: Refine a search by Assignee
Module 6 - Transcript