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Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) Search and Display Capabilities Available in CASM/CAplusSM Family of Databases and USPAT Databases on STN
The new CPC classification system was launched on January 1, 2013. The European Patent Office (EPO) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will jointly maintain the new patent classification system. The CPC replaces the European patent classifications, ECLA and ICO, and will eventually replace the U.S. National Patent Classification, USPC (also referred to as USNCL). Usage of the U.S. classification system will continue until 2015.
On January 12, 2013, STN added CPC search and display capabilities and a CPC thesaurus to the CA/CAplus family of databases and the USPATFULL/USPAT2 databases. CPC capabilities are already available in the INPADOCDB/INPAFAMDB databases on STN.
Plans for additional CPC implementation include the Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPISM), a number of full-text patent databases and USPATOLD.
ECLA, ICO and USPC searching capabilities remain available in relevant STN databases.
For more detailed information regarding implementation of CPC functionality, see the specific database banner message.
New CPC search fields include:
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/CPC
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Search and select a CPC code
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/CPC.KW
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Search using CPC code metadata including:
- CPC codes applied for inventive aspects in a patent
- CPC codes initially assigned to the patent vs. during a reclassification
- Patent authority that assigned the CPC code
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CPC code custom displays are available in STN databases offering CPC information. New display capabilities, in addition to the CPC display field, include:
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CPC.TAB
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CPC codes and the available metadata per CPC code
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| CPC.UNIQ |
Deduplicated list of CPC codes for the patent family* |
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CPC.HIT
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HIT display of the CPC code searched*
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*CA/CAplus family of databases and USPAT databases only
CPC thesaurus structure is similar to the IPC and ECLA patent classification thesauri on STN. Monthly thesaurus updates will begin in 2Q2013.
Use of CPCs in SDIs. Please note that not all patents will have CPC classifications immediately available upon patent publication. CPC codes will be available soon after publication for:
- All European patent (EP) and U.S. patent documents (USPTO)
- PCT-publications with the EPO as searching authority
- All patent documents classified by the national patent offices
For comprehensive SDIs, include the closest corresponding IPC code for each CPC code in a strategy.
More information is available by entering HELP CPC in the database of interest. Get more information on CPC Search and Display Fields.
Training is scheduled for February 26, 2013 in an e-Seminar The Cooperative Patent Classification System on STN. Please register for this event here.
Reloaded MEDLINE on STN Now Includes 2013 MeSH Vocabulary and New Fields
The MEDLINE reload on STN (effective January 26, 2013) includes enhancements such as records with updated 2013 MeSH (Medical Subject Heading) indexing, the 2013 MeSH Thesaurus and four new fields.
Revised 2013 MeSH
STN loaded the revised 2013 MeSH vocabulary on December 8, 2012. Changes include:
Key changes to MeSH involve carboxylic acid terminology and the addition of human genetic disease names. For the most comprehensive searching in MEDLINE:
- Consult the updated MeSH thesaurus for new or better search terms
- Consult the new MeSH vocabulary to determine whether your SDIs need updated
New Field - UNII
The new UNII search and display field provides UNique Ingredient Identifier information. Created and maintained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, alphanumeric UNII codes (e.g., A150AY412V) document substances used in drugs, biologics, foods and devices. With the introduction of UNII codes, MEDLINE’s producer, the National Library of Medicine (NLM), has provided UNII codes in preference to CAS Registry Number® identifiers (CAS RNs) for certain substances for the Registry Number (/RN) field. STN has generated RNs in these cases. UNII data is available only in its own field.
Helpful hints:
- Rely on http://fdasis.nlm.nih.gov/srs/srs.jsp to find UNII codes for searching or to determine the definition of a UNII code.
- Create a set of MEDLINE records including UNII code data using the FA field (i.e., UNII/FA).
New Field – AUID
The Author Identifier field is expected to include author identifier information from the ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) registry. ORCID codes (e.g., 0000-0002-3843-3472) distinguish between authors with the same name and amass an individual’s publications under different author names of that individual. See http://about.orcid.org/ for more information about ORCID codes. Note: the NLM has not yet provided data for this field.
Helpful hints:
- Use the /FA (Field Availability) field (i.e., AUID/FA) to make a set of records including data in the AUID field.
- Create sets of records with data in the Group Authors (AUGR/FA) and Collaborators (AUCL/FA) fields using new entries in the FA field.
New Fields for Electronic Publications – EPD and EPY
Search and custom display electronic publication date information for documents indexed in MEDLINE using the new /EPD (Electronic Publication Date) and /EPY (Electronic Publication Year) fields. SELECT and SORT using these fields.
Ahead of Print Electronic Publications
Changes for 2013 to STN record processing for EPUB AHEAD OF PRINT records include:
- EPUB AHEAD OF PRINT records will now be updated as new or additional information becomes available
- EPUB AHEAD OF PRINT records removed from PubMed will be retained on STN to benefit prior art searches
- Records are easily identified by the EPUB PMID WITHDRAWN tag in the /AN and /FS fields
- Records with the EPUB PMID WITHDRAWN tag will be updated at the annual reload
Sample:
Recent INPADOC Database Enhancements:
CPC Backfile Data Now Available
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is now available for the complete INPADOCDB/INPAFAMDB databases, comprising CPC data for 36 million applications and 16 million inventions (Inpadoc families), respectively.
As the CPC is a replacement for the European Patent Classifications (ECLA and ICO) and the U.S. National Patent Classification (USPC), users no longer need to include the historical ECLA and ICO classifications in their search strategies.
Please note that a comprehensive search for U.S. patent documents requires CPC and U.S. patent classification codes, because the USPTO will have a transition period of two years during which CPC and USPC codes are assigned.
For the time being ECLA and ICO codes will be kept as historical classification data for all patent documents not being updated.
For all updated INPADOC records only CPC codes will be available.
Calculated Expiration Dates
As of January 30, 2013, the INPADOC databases on STN have been enhanced with calculated expiration dates for granted IP rights of major patent authorities worldwide. This data enhancement offers new options to identify patents which are potentially in force. Calculated expiration dates help users to narrow down FTO search results to active patent families and eliminate old patents which have naturally expired.
Expiration dates are calculated for granted publications of 30 patent authorities with an application date from 1980 onwards. This coverage accounts for almost 97% of all grants since 1980. Patent authorities included are the following: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CN, DE, DK, EP, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HU, IE, IT, JP, KR, MX, NL, PL, RU, SE, SU, TW, US, ZA.
Citing Patent Information
Citing patent information (forward citations) has been added to more than 19 million patent applications, complementing the enormous amount of backward citations available in INPADOCDB/INPAFAMDB. In addition to the referenced patent citations, these forward citations help users to identify additional prior art and identify key patents of a company or a particular technology area.
Forward citations include detailed information such as citing patent number (PN.G) with publication date, citing patent assignee names and cited patent number with citation details.
NPL Citations in INPADOC with Enhanced DOI Links
Non-patent literature citations are available for 4.2 million patent applications, including more than 310,000 applications with links to Internet references. These Internet links comprise more than 65,000 Digital Object Identifier (DOI) links, which have been enhanced and now directly take you to the publishers full-text portals. View further details and display examples.
Legal Status for El Salvador Available
Legal status information from El Salvador is now available from May 1971 onwards. Legal status information is provided for more than 600 applications from El Salvador up to February 2012, current data from March 2012 onwards will be added in due course.
PCT entry into national phase data are not available for El Savador.
Following Legal Status Codes are available:
- SVFA ABANDONMENT
- SVFC REFUSAL
- SVFD LAPSE
- SVFG GRANT
Patent Family Counts in INPAFAMDB
INPAFAMDB on STN comprises all publications of the INPADOC family in one database record. The new family counts in INPAFAMDB provide tools to analyze the family size of inventions, including counts for application (ACNT), priority numbers (PRCNT) and the number of EPO simple families (FCNT).
The family size could be a useful indicator for the filing behavior of a company. Application number counts could also be used to separate very large INPADOC families from an answer set.
***********For further details and search examples of the latest INPADOC enhancements, please see INPADOC News 2013/01.
Enhancements to COMPENDEX
COMPENDEX has been reloaded to incorporate these enhancements:
- The Numeric Property Search Feature (NPS) has been implemented
- The Element Terms field (ET) has been removed
- Authors and their corresponding corporate source have been linked by a number mark in the display in fields AU and CS. Authors are no longer repeated in field CS.
See also Help RLOad in the database.
2013 Update - Older Versions of STN Express® to be Discontinued
To ensure an improved, more consistent user experience with newer features and maximized security for all STN sessions, we plan to discontinue support and access to older versions of STN Express below v8.4 during 2013. Support and software are now discontinued for all versions below 8.0. Please note that you can upgrade for free at any time to the current version of STN Express, Version 8.5, from the STN Software License and Download website. Software and support for versions of STN Express will be discontinued according to the following schedule:
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Version
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Support
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Software
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Version below 8.3
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August 31, 2012
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February 9, 2013
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Versions below 8.4
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February 9, 2013
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June 8, 2013
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Support discontinuation = You may continue to use the software, but technical support and documentation for this version may no longer be available.
Software discontinuation = Access to STN will no longer be possible with this version of STN Express.
Whether you've already upgraded to STN Express, Version 8.5, or will be doing so in the near future, we want to make sure you get the support you need. Contact your local STN Service Center for assistance.
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