Transcript IPC – a “sound” tool for Environmentally Sound Technologies?

IPC – a “sound” tool for
Environmentally Sound
Technologies?
Outline of IPC – EST relations
 1994: UNFCCC
• UNFCCC - EST technology inventory:
http://unfccc.int/ttclear/jsp/Technology.jsp
 2008: GB initial proposal in project WG020 (> project C456):
to establish IPC indexing scheme based on UNFCCC
inventory, to assist:
Access to EST
Technology transfer
Statistical analysis, monitoring EST
Identify technology trends
"Patent landscapes"
Outline of IPC – EST relation
• IPC WG favors "Catchword Index" type inventory of EST
related IPC symbols
• EP also proposes indexing scheme for alleged EST effects
• EP has also cooperation with UNEP,..
• EP has internal EST project (see later slides)
Criticism
• What is "environmentally sound" ?
" - protect the environment,
- are less polluting,
- use all resources in a more sustainable manner,
- recycle more of their wastes and products, and
- handle residual wastes in a more acceptable manner
than the technologies for which they were substitutes."
" - mitigate climate change
- support adaptation to climate change"
Criticism
• IPC describes technical concepts and should not
assess/describe alleged effects/benefits
• Comparative effects ("less polluting") are vague and may
change with time
• Patent examination does not verify claimed benefits, only
assesses novelty and inventive step,
i.e. the grant of a patent does not assure that the
claimed benefits are achieved !
Classification based on such (subjective) judgments may
lead to wrong conclusions, interpretation as a quality
seal!
Criticism
No need for new indexing scheme
• IPC comprises places for all relevant technical subject
matter in regular places
• If not yet: create new additional regular places for new
emerging technology
• Moreover: if new EST technology emerges, one should
create regular IPC places for that anyway and not only
indexing places !
• Reclassification problem for backfile, e.g. workload
• Limited use if applied only to frontfile
What to achieve in search ?
 Optimum:
All documents pertaining to specific technical area
(concept) are found
Recall =
# retrieved relevant documents
# existing relevant documents
=1
 < > Efficiency: no irrelevant documents
# relevant retrieved documents
Precision =
=1
# retrieved documents
Why classification?
► Advantages of using IPC in comparison to only
term / keyword searching:
–
–
–
–
–
Language independent
Terminology / ”jargon” independent
Concept search
Standardized application to documents by experts
Available for (old) patent documents where no full
text of claims / description is available
Regular <> Indexing symbols
Regular IPC symbols:
- describe "concept", i.e. specific subject matter
- usually defined by concatenated titles of several
hierarchical levels,
- i.e. by aggregations of several "keywords"
Indexing IPC symbols:
- describe one additional aspect by one symbol
- like adding one additional keyword
EPO approach
• New "indexing" entries, to be developed step by step for
different areas of EST; similar to EPO nanotech scheme
• Soon for "energy generation", "energy storage", e.g.
Y02E 10/00
Energy generation through renewable
energy sources
• Based on existing EPO internal classification tools:
- ECLA codes
- ICO codes
- Controlled Keywords
• I.e. new codes = "Queries" composed of existing ECLA,
ICO, CK
Y02E 10/00 = f(ECLA, ICO, CK)
EPO approach
• new EST codes:
Yabc xx/yy = f(ECLA, IKO, CK)
e.g.
Yabc xx/yy =
('ECLA1' OR 'ECLA2' OR 'ECLA3') AND 'ICO1' AND 'CK1'
• Is not true indexing scheme, rather represents concepts
EPO approach
• New codes are only coding (re)combinations of existing
ones;
• I.e. there will be no new codes describing aspects not yet
covered by existing codes
• Applied automatically to ECLA classified backfile via
relation to existing codes
• Application to frontfile: Automatic similar to backfile.
Also intellectually in individual cases.
EPO approach
Utility for other users outside EPO ?
• Because of use of ECLA, ICO, CK, the algorithms behind
each new code are not applicable in databases containing
only IPC
• Is, however, interesting analysis of EST concepts by using
concepts defined by queries (ECLA, IKO, CK)
Would allow to define similar or refined standardized EST
concepts using only IPC and keywords (language limitation)
But:
Does this improve examiner's search efficiency ? Or,
Does it simply add stable/refined concepts for statisticians ?
C456 approach
• WG proposal:
Inventory based on existing IPC codes relevant to EST
• as part of Catch Word Index
• To be developed if approval by CE
• Based on UNFCCC inventory ?
Broader than that ?
As compatible as possible with that ?
Seek cooperation in order to improve UNFCCC
inventory?
Last but not least
• Again: Does one need additional true indexing scheme for
alleged effects?
e.g. "reduced energy consumption"
• Remember: IPC knows indexing for alleged therapeutic
effects, which are never verified but simply alleged by
inventor