A: Formally, the numbering of patent documents is a simple arrangement of Arabic numerals, but the simple arrangement of these Arabic numerals has very strict use occasions and different functions. Therefore, it is of great significance to find out the serial numbers of various patent documents. The number of patent documents includes application number and contribution number.
The application number is the application registration number, which is the serial number compiled by each industrial property office when accepting the patent (registration certificate) application, such as China invention patent application number 93 105342. 1. The application number can be divided into temporary application number and application number. Temporary application number is a serial number compiled by a few countries for temporary application. For example, the provisional application number of Australian patent application Au-4 1788/89 is PJ0609. The application number is the symbol that determines whether the application for invention-creation is accepted or not. The application number is usually used for file management in the process of various applications and approval within the Industrial Property Office, and it is also the basis for the applicant to communicate with them on patent affairs, such as the correction of application documents, the reply of various notices, the payment of various fees, the submission of objections or invalid requests, etc. The application number is usually the unique identification of all documents cited in the same family patent.
The submission number is the serial number compiled by each industrial property office when publishing patent documents (including public publication and reading and copying only). There are generally two ways to manage the published patent documents in various countries: one is to classify and store them according to a certain patent classification system, and the other is to store them in order according to the published contribution number (commonly called serial number documents). When the contribution numbers are arranged in the order of publication date, the serial number documents can effectively ensure the integrity of the documents. Therefore, the contribution number is the only basis for obtaining the patent specification. If uniqueness is the characteristic of application number, then the characteristic of contribution number is multiplicity. As mentioned above, once an application is accepted, it can be published once or more according to the examination and approval system and procedures, resulting in an application with only one application number but multiple submission numbers.
One-time publication: generally, it is the result of implementing the registration system and the complete review system. Usually, the authorized patent specification or announcement specification will be published. At this time, the contribution number is the patent number or announcement number.
Repeated publication: generally, it is the result of semi-review and delayed review. When an application is published in different stages, there will be different submission numbers, such as the uncensored public stage-submission number is WeChat official account, the examined and unauthorized stage-submission number is announcement number (approval number and exhibition number), and the authorized stage-submission number is patent number (certificate number).
hope this helps