What is the cause of national patent classification?

International Patent Classification (IPC) is an internationally unified and standardized patent classification method. Because of its integrity, scientificity and applicability, it is now adopted by almost all countries in the world that have established a patent system. This classification method has been adopted in China since the implementation of the patent system in April 1985.

In order to promote close cooperation and coordination in science and technology in Europe, in 195 1, Council of Europe Patent Expert Committee decided to set up a special working group on patent classification and began to compile an international patent classification table. After three years' research,1954 65438+February, 15 European countries, including Britain, France, Germany and Italy, signed the Agreement on International Classification of European Invention Patents in Paris as an annex to the Agreement. A "European Convention on the International Classification of Patent Inventions" was produced, and the classification and classification table (including its classification number) were abbreviated as IPC (International Patent Classification). The classification table was revised by the above-mentioned patent expert committee, adopted in February 1968, and came into effect in September 1968. This classification table is the first edition of the international patent classification table.

As the international patent classification was adopted by many countries (including the member countries of the Council of Europe and many non-member countries) in a short time, the International Intellectual Property Protection Bureau (the predecessor of the World Intellectual Property Organization) began to participate in the management and revision of the international patent classification in 1969, and held a special meeting in March 197 1. At this meeting, the signatory countries of the agreement reached 72 countries, so this meeting is an important symbol of the internationalization of international patent classification. It should be noted that although many countries have not joined the Strasbourg Alliance, they still adopt international patent classification, such as China.

According to the above agreement, the international patent classification table is revised every five years, and the eighth edition currently in use came into effect on June 65438+1 October1day, 2000. * * * Including eight departments and about 62,000 details.

It should be noted here that all countries have recorded the International patent classification number in the patent literature, which is generally written as int. CI×, where× is the version mark. Like Int. Cochlear implant .. 3a47c114 indicates that the classification number is classified according to the third edition.