WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
IPC REVISION WORKING GROUP
Project: WG 171 Graphic Illustrations
Rapporteur Proposal
Date: October 20, 2008
INTRODUCTION OF GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE IPC
1.
The Working Group agreed, at its nineteenth session, that the selection of
illustrations should not be continued by systematically reviewing the available
illustrations, nor by prior identification of the areas in the IPC that would need such
illustrations. It was then decided that Rapporteurs of definition projects would identify
the areas that would need graphical illustrations and would review the available
illustrations in the OEPM, USPTO and EPO collections. In certain cases, it could be
necessary to draw new illustrations when the available ones are of limited usability for
the IPC.
2.
The Working Group also agreed that, further to the systematic treatment of this
task in the framework of definition projects, initiatives of individual offices would be
welcome; Proposals could be submitted for consideration by the Working Group, if
classifiers or examiners working in a particular field considered the availability of
illustrations helpful.
3.
Based on the above decisions, the International Bureau was invited to prepare a
new proposal on the guidelines for selecting suitable graphical illustrations, taken into
account the latest comments submitted to project WG 171. The Working Group agreed to
continue discussions on the issue based on this proposal at its twentieth session.
4.
Comments and submissions have been received from Brazil, Japan, Spain, the
United States, and the EPO. Following an invitation of the Working Group, the EPO
made available, as a first step, its collection of graphic illustrations relating to subclasses
D06F and B65D (see Annex 32 to project file).
5.
By summarising the Working Group discussions and comments submitted, the
International Bureau proposes the following draft guidelines for the selection of graphic
illustrations which could serve as a basis for consideration by the Working Group.
(a)
The task of introduction of graphic illustrations in the electronic layer of
the IPC should be carried out in the framework of Definition projects.
(b)
For subclasses where graphical illustrations are available in the OEPM,
USPTO, and EPO collections, or other collections to be made available in the future,
Rapporteurs of respective definition projects should identify the illustrations that could be
useful; Rapporteurs are also invited to consider if the available drawings need to be
amended in order to improve their clarity and simplicity.
(c)
Rapporteurs of definition projects are also invited to identify groups where
illustrations could be useful but are not available in the said collections, and should
therefore be created either by finding suitable examples in patent documents, or by
drafting new illustrations from scratch.
(d)
Proposals, containing the graphic illustrations, should be submitted to the
relevant definition projects.
(e)
Offices that are interested in participating in such exercise could also
submit proposals to the corresponding definition projects, or submit comments on
rapporteur proposals of definition projects.
(f)
Graphic illustrations should serve only for illustration purpose, generally
by way of examples, for facilitating the understanding of the subject matter covered by a
place in the IPC, and for drawing attention to the fact that the examplary illustration(s) is
definitely covered by the place although this might not be obvious from the wording of
its title; they should not have any limiting impact on the scope of corresponding IPC
places.
(g)
For the purpose of clarity and simplicity, the number of illustrations for
each IPC place should normally be limited to few examples; however, in some areas it
may be necessary to show a variety of embodiments in order to avoid that the viewers
understanding of the scope is unintentionally limited.
(h)
In the graphic illustrations, textual indications and explanations should
normally be avoided, and should be as short and clear as possible where needed;
handwriting or hand-drawing should also be avoided as far as possible.
(i)
The approved graphic illustrations should be presented in the electronic
layer of the IPC as they are currently presented, e.g. F23B 50/02-F23B 50/12. Such
illustrations should be of purely illustrative nature. The illustration should therefore be
headed by a short explanation reading “The following illustration(s) is only an examplary
illustration and should not be understood or interpreted as limiting the scope of this
place”. Any illustrations that are needed to define the scope should be put in the
respective definitions as foreseen by the “Guidelines for drafting definitions” (see Annex
1 to D000).
6.
The Annex to this document shows the areas of the IPC where graphic
illustrations are available and their corresponding definition projects where exist.
[Annex follows]
AREAS OF THE IPC WITH SUBMITTED GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS
IPC Area
(number of
groups
concerned)
Submitting
office
A 01B (1)
A 01H (1)
A 01K (2)
A 23J (5)
US
US
US
US
A41F (1)
A41G (2)
A41H (1)
A43B (1)
A44C (3)
A45D (2)
A47F (1)
A47G (2)
A 61B (13)
A61C (2)
A61M (3)
A 62B (1)
A63B (4)
A63J (1)
B01D (6)
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
B01F (3)
B08B (12)
B21J (1)
B21L (3)
B23B (4)
B23D (1)
B23Q (4)
B24B (18)
B25B (38)
B25C (2)
B25G (2)
B26D (3)
B26F (5)
B27F (1)
B28D (8)
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
D Project
Rapporteur
D 033 (C*)
SE
Remarks
Chemical
field?
D 134
EP
D 013 (C)
D 104
D 109
US
US
US
D 079
GB
D 024 (C)
GB
D 145 (?)
D 146 (?)
D 148 (?)
D 152 (?)
Chemical
field?
IPC Area
(number of
groups
concerned)
Submitting
office
B29C (9)
B32B (15)
B41M (6)
B42B (1)
B43K (4)
B60B (13)
B60C (4)
B60G (3)
B60J (2)
B60P (109)
B60Q (104)
B60R (1)
B60S (14)
B60T (3)
B61D (97)
B62B (3)
B62D (105)
B62J (8)
B62M (5)
B63B (27)
B64C (18)
B64D (4)
B64F (3)
B65D (250)
B65D (18)
B65G (10)
B67D (4)
D03D (1)
D06F (10)
E02F (1)
E03B (65)
E03C (1)
E04D (6)
E04H (1)
E05B (1)
E05D (1)
E05F (1)
E21B (3)
F01B (1)
F01D (1)
ES
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
EP
US
US
US
EP
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
D Project
Rapporteur
D 030 (C)
EP
D 015 (C)
GB
D 081
D 081
GB
GB
Remarks
IPC Area
(number of
groups
concerned)
Submitting
office
F01M (2)
F02B (1)
F02M (1)
F03B (1)
F04B (50)
F04F (4)
F15B (7)
F15C (3)
F16B (3)
F16C (13)
F16D (8)
F16F (3)
F16G (109)
F16H (642)
F16J (1)
F16K (199)
F16L (49)
F16N (1)
F16P (1)
F17C (3)
F17D (16)
F21 (109)
F23C (2)
F23D (1)
F24B (27)
F24D (1)
F24F (12)
F24J (71)
F26B (1)
G01B (12)
G01C (1)
G01D (4)
G01F (3)
G01J (1)
G01S (1)
G02B (10)
G02F (2)
G03B (3)
G03C (18)
G03F (2)
US
US
US
ES
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
ES
ES
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
D Project
Rapporteur
D 041 (C)
GB
D 101
D 102
DE
DE
D 103
DE
D 042 (C)
GB
D 055
D 020 (C)
DE
SE
D 050 (C)
D 051 (C)
D 0172
D 0173
D 0176
D 010 (D)
DE
DE
EP
EP
EP
DE
D 082 (C)
EP
Remarks
IPC Area
(number of
groups
concerned)
Submitting
office
G03G (11)
G05B (4)
G05D (2)
G05G (1)
G06G (1)
G06K (29)
G09B (1)
G09F (4)
G11B (12)
G11C (4)
H01B (1)
H01F (39)
H01J (1)
H01L (29)
H01P (3)
H01S (2)
H02P (5)
H03H (9)
H03M (2)
H05B (6)
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
US
D Project
Rapporteur
D 167
D 182
D 185
D 052 (C)
US
EP
EP
JP
D 118 (C)
D 120 (C)
D 122 (C)
D 011 (C)
D 047 (C)
D 083 (C)
D 053 (C)
US
US
US
DE
GB
EP
EP
D 138
GB
Remarks
* The C in brackets means that the definition project has been completed.
[End of Annex and of document]