What are patent classification schemes?
Patent classification schemes are akin to virtual filing cabinets filled with drawers, each containing similar items. Within these drawers, there are folders and subfolders, allowing for finer organization of the items.
Picture a vast library of patents as this filing system. When an inventor creates something new and applies for a patent, their invention's description is placed into one of these virtual filing cabinets, based on what the invention is about.
Just like how in a real filing cabinet you might have a drawer for "Animals" and inside that drawer folders for "Dogs," "Cats," and "Birds," in the patent classification system, there are drawers for broad categories like "Computer Technology," "Medical Devices," or "Chemical Processes." Inside each drawer, there are folders and subfolders for increasingly specific topics, allowing patents to be organised hierarchically based on their content.
This means that regardless of how an applicant has described an invention, e.g. "a lighting device for a vehicle" or "an illumination method for an automobile" or "a system for allowing a car to be driven in the dark" - a patent examiner can group all of them under the same classification.
This hierarchical organisation helps efficiently locate patents.
The two main classification schemes used across the world are the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).
International Patent Classification (IPC)
The IPC was created in the 1970's and is currently used by over 100 countries.
Each classification code follows a structured format, such as A01B 1/00, which relates to "hand tools" if you were curious.
The initial letter denotes the "section," ranging from A for "Human Necessities" to H for "Electricity."
Paired with a two-digit number, this letter represents the "class," where, for example, class A01 corresponds to "Agriculture; forestry; animal husbandry; trapping; fishing."
The final letter designates the "subclass," with A01B pertaining to "Soil working in agriculture or forestry; parts, details, or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general."
Following the subclass, there is a one-to-three-digit "group" number, followed by an oblique stroke and at least two digits representing a "main group" or "subgroup."
- Section A
- Class 01
- Subclass B
- Group 1
- Main group 00
- Group 1
- Subclass B
- Class 01
FYI - here's the mapping of sections:
A: Human Necessities
B: Performing Operations, Transporting
C: Chemistry, Metallurgy
D: Textiles, Paper
E: Fixed Constructions
F: Mechanical Engineering, Lighting, Heating, Weapons
G: Physics
H: Electricity
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) has been jointly developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The CPC evolved from the old European classification scheme (ECLA) which was in originally based on the IPC, and the CPC can be considered a 'refinement' of the IPC. The hierarchy works in the exactly the same way but goes into more detail in many areas, there are currently approximately 70,000 IPC headings and over 250,000 CPC headings.
For example, using the IPC, patents relating to spades or shovels can be classified under A01B1/02
A01B1/02 • Spades; Shovels
The CPC provides more granular subgroups:
A01B1/022 • • Collapsible; extensible; combinations with other tools
A01B1/024 • • Foot protectors attached to the blade
A01B1/026 • • with auxiliary handles for facilitating lifting
A01B1/028 • • with ground abutment shoes or earth anchors for facilitating lifting
Patently have simplified the use of these classifications by combining the two, using the more granular CPC codes where possible and IPC elsewhere meaning you don't have to worry about which country uses which scheme and scheme to choose etc. We have a dedicated classification filter to help you search for relevant patents; see our Using Quick Filters video for how to use it and other filters.