F-term (patent law)
Encyclopedia
In Japanese patent law
, F-term is a system for classifying
Japan
ese patent
documents according to the technical features of the invention
s described in them. It is not a replacement for the International Patent Classification
(IPC) or other patent classification
s, but complements other systems by providing a means for searching documents from different viewpoints. A symbol attached to a patent document, indicating that the invention disclosed in the document has a particular technical feature, is also called an F-term.
(JPO) and is maintained by the same body. The F-term system does not have any legal foundation, whereas the IPC system was agreed by the Strasbourg Agreement of 1971.
The F-term system is used by examiners in the JPO who give appropriate F-terms, together with IPC categories, to each patent document published by the JPO.
As with other patent classification systems, F-terms attached to a patent document do not affect the technical scope of the patent right, they simply serve as an index for patent documents.
The IPC system is similar to the scientific classification of organisms; both being hierarchical classification systems based on a single viewpoint. In contrast, the F-term system is like a picture book that presents various views such as "lives in rainforests" or "creatures having wings". The IPC system could be said to be systematic, while the F-term system is intuitive.
The F-term system was developed on the principle that computers will be employed for searching documents using the system. This is evident from the fact that F-terms did not appear on patent documents printed on paper before 2000, only being present in the electronic records up to that date. In particular, the system assumes the availability of set operations such as union
or intersection
, because all applicable F-terms are applied to each document. (See the fictional example below.) This contrasts with the original basic idea of the IPC that each patent document falls into one subgroup only and documents are stored in book stacks.
The coverage area of the IPC is divided into approximately 2900 themes with each theme spanning a range of IPC subgroups. A theme is identified by the title describing the range or the theme code which consists of five digits allocated uniquely to each theme; for example, a theme spanning IPC range
s" and its theme code is
Each theme has a number of viewpoints and each document is classified repeatedly for each viewpoint in the respective theme. For example, theme
From each viewpoint, documents are classified into several groups and labeled with a four-digit code called the term or F-term. For example, from the viewpoint "tape measures", which focuses on measuring tape itself rather than winding mechanism or housing of tape, all measuring tape documents are classified into eight groups such as
All terms concerning a theme are put into a tabular form called an F-term list, which are available online, e.g., 2B019 and 2F011. (Some descriptions of F-terms may seem strange because of incorrect translation from the original Japanese
.)
The fictional IPC-style classification of recipes may be as follows:
X99Y 1/00 Dishes
X99Y 1/02 . Meat dishes
X99Y 1/04 . . comprising beef
X99Y 1/06 . . comprising pork
X99Y 1/08 . . comprising lamb
X99Y 1/10 . comprising seafood
X99Y 1/12 . comprising vegetables
This classification of recipes is based on a single viewpoint—the main ingredient of the dishes. Hence we can browse all recipes of meat dishes by selecting recipes labeled
Japanese patent law
Japanese patent law is based on the first-to-file principle and is mainly given force by the Patent Act of Japan. Article 2 defines an invention as "the highly advanced creation of technical ideas by which a law of nature is utilized"...
, F-term is a system for classifying
Categorization
Categorization is the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Categorization implies that objects are grouped into categories, usually for some specific purpose. Ideally, a category illuminates a relationship between the subjects and objects of knowledge...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
documents according to the technical features of the invention
Invention
An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...
s described in them. It is not a replacement for the International Patent Classification
International Patent Classification
The International Patent Classification is a hierarchical patent classification system created under the Strasbourg Agreement and updated on a regular basis by a Committee of Experts, consisting of representatives of the Contracting States of that Agreement with observers from other...
(IPC) or other patent classification
Patent classification
A patent classification is a way the examiners of patent offices or other people arrange documents, such as patent applications, disclosing inventions according to the technical features of the inventions...
s, but complements other systems by providing a means for searching documents from different viewpoints. A symbol attached to a patent document, indicating that the invention disclosed in the document has a particular technical feature, is also called an F-term.
Background
The F-term system was developed in 1987 by the Japan Patent OfficeJapan Patent Office
The Japan Patent Office is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry...
(JPO) and is maintained by the same body. The F-term system does not have any legal foundation, whereas the IPC system was agreed by the Strasbourg Agreement of 1971.
The F-term system is used by examiners in the JPO who give appropriate F-terms, together with IPC categories, to each patent document published by the JPO.
As with other patent classification systems, F-terms attached to a patent document do not affect the technical scope of the patent right, they simply serve as an index for patent documents.
The IPC system is similar to the scientific classification of organisms; both being hierarchical classification systems based on a single viewpoint. In contrast, the F-term system is like a picture book that presents various views such as "lives in rainforests" or "creatures having wings". The IPC system could be said to be systematic, while the F-term system is intuitive.
The F-term system was developed on the principle that computers will be employed for searching documents using the system. This is evident from the fact that F-terms did not appear on patent documents printed on paper before 2000, only being present in the electronic records up to that date. In particular, the system assumes the availability of set operations such as union
Union (set theory)
In set theory, the union of a collection of sets is the set of all distinct elements in the collection. The union of a collection of sets S_1, S_2, S_3, \dots , S_n\,\! gives a set S_1 \cup S_2 \cup S_3 \cup \dots \cup S_n.- Definition :...
or intersection
Intersection (set theory)
In mathematics, the intersection of two sets A and B is the set that contains all elements of A that also belong to B , but no other elements....
, because all applicable F-terms are applied to each document. (See the fictional example below.) This contrasts with the original basic idea of the IPC that each patent document falls into one subgroup only and documents are stored in book stacks.
Detail
The F-term classification system consists of themes and terms.The coverage area of the IPC is divided into approximately 2900 themes with each theme spanning a range of IPC subgroups. A theme is identified by the title describing the range or the theme code which consists of five digits allocated uniquely to each theme; for example, a theme spanning IPC range
A01K 87/00–87/06 is identified by its title "Fishing rodFishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
s" and its theme code is
2B019. Some themes only span one IPC subgroup, such as theme 2F011, "Tape measures" which covers IPC G01B 3/10.Each theme has a number of viewpoints and each document is classified repeatedly for each viewpoint in the respective theme. For example, theme
2F011 "Tape measures" has the following four viewpoints: tape measures, housings, driving of tape measures and accessories.From each viewpoint, documents are classified into several groups and labeled with a four-digit code called the term or F-term. For example, from the viewpoint "tape measures", which focuses on measuring tape itself rather than winding mechanism or housing of tape, all measuring tape documents are classified into eight groups such as
AA02 "scales for special applications", AA05 "tapes with cores containing synthetic resins", etc.All terms concerning a theme are put into a tabular form called an F-term list, which are available online, e.g., 2B019 and 2F011. (Some descriptions of F-terms may seem strange because of incorrect translation from the original Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
.)
Fictional example
Below is a fictional example of classifying a patent application within the F-term system. The fictional example of a cooking recipe database will be used as this avoids the need for any subject-specific knowledge.The fictional IPC-style classification of recipes may be as follows:
X99Y 1/00 Dishes
X99Y 1/02 . Meat dishes
X99Y 1/04 . . comprising beef
X99Y 1/06 . . comprising pork
X99Y 1/08 . . comprising lamb
X99Y 1/10 . comprising seafood
X99Y 1/12 . comprising vegetables
This classification of recipes is based on a single viewpoint—the main ingredient of the dishes. Hence we can browse all recipes of meat dishes by selecting recipes labeled
X99Y 1/02, X99Y 1/04 and X99Y 1/06, and likewise we can browse all recipes of beef dishes by selecting recipes labeled X99Y 1/04.
However, the system does not allow the user to find all Chinese recipes, or all halaal lamb recipes, because the system is based on a single viewpoint. This is solved by the F-term system by the use of multiple viewpoints.
A fictional F-term classification of recipes may be as follows:
9Z999 Dishes (X99Y 1/00—1/12)
AA INGREDIENTS
AA11 Meat
AA12 . Beef
AA13 . Pork
AA14 . Lamb
AA21 Seafood
AA22 . Fish
AA31 Vegetable
BB CUISINE
BB41 Asian
BB42 . Chinese
BB43 . . Cantonese
BB44 . Turkey
BB51 European
BB52 . French
BB53 . Italian
CC COOKING
CC11 Boiled
CC21 Fried
CC31 Roasted
CC41 Steamed
DD SPECIAL
DD11 Halaal
DD12 Vegetarian
9Z999 identifies an F-term sheet, or theme. X99Y 1/00--1/12 in the parentheses indicates that the sheet covers the IPC range X99Y 1/00–1/12. AA, BB, or CC identify the different viewpoint of the theme and the combination of two letters and two numbers AA11 etc. identifies features viewed from a specific viewpoint. This 4-symbol construction is known as an F-term. We can therefore find all Chinese recipes by selecting recipes having an F-term of BB42.
Since all applicable F-terms are applied to a given document a boolean-logic search can be used to find combinations of features—for example to find halaal lamb recipes a search can be made for recipes having both AA14 and DD11 F-terms. The latter search is conducted by calculating the intersection of set AA14 and DD11.
Traps
Because some F-term sheets of practical use are fairly large and complicated like 2H171 and 3C007, examiners sometimes drop applicable F-terms by mistake when they classify documents. In addition, some documents are classified into inappropriate IPC and therefore do not have any appropriate F-terms.
Taking these errors into account, a "defensive" search is conducted by
- using text keywords as well as F-terms or IPCs;
- calculating unionUnion (set theory)In set theory, the union of a collection of sets is the set of all distinct elements in the collection. The union of a collection of sets S_1, S_2, S_3, \dots , S_n\,\! gives a set S_1 \cup S_2 \cup S_3 \cup \dots \cup S_n.- Definition :...
rather than intersectionIntersection (set theory)In mathematics, the intersection of two sets A and B is the set that contains all elements of A that also belong to B , but no other elements....
of F-terms; and
- using several F-term sheets that are different but describing similar technologies
at the expense of additional time for browsing more documents.
External links
F-term lists and F-term search on the Industrial Property Digital LibraryIndustrial Property Digital LibraryThe Industrial Property Digital Library is a free online service for searching Japanese patents, patent applications, utility models, designs and trademarks. It makes available to the public the intellectual property Gazettes of the Japan Patent Office...
(IPDL) by INPIT, a Japanese governmental agency
- Japanese FI classification and F-terms now available in English (March 2001) by the European Patent OfficeEuropean Patent OrganisationThe European Patent Organisation is a public international organisation created in 1977 by its contracting states to grant patents in Europe under the European Patent Convention of 1973...
on Japanese patent classifications (version archived by www.archive.org)