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Wednesday, 14 October 2020 |
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09.00 hrs |
Introduction Gemma Mitchell, Chairperson of the Search Matters Committee, EPO |
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09.20 hrs |
Welcome speech Stephen Rowan, Vice-President, Patent Granting Process, EPO |
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09.30 hrs |
Plenary 1: Additive manufacturing, space missions and IP: latest developments Tommaso Ghidini, Head, Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division, ESA |
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10.30 hrs |
Workshop session I WS01 Artificial intelligence - one of the most disruptive technologies in history Elena Virnik, examiner, EPO WS02 Advanced features in Espacenet Johannes Schaaf, administrator, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO WS03 The problem-solution approach - a powerful search tool Anne-Cécile Derrien, examiner, EPO |
| 11.30 hrs |
Break |
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11.45 hrs |
Workshop session II WS04 Patent insight reports: frontiers of additive manufacturing Nigel Clarke, research manager, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO Björn Jürgens, Senior Analyst, CITPIA patent information centre, Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia (IDEA) WS05 Andrew Thean, examiner, EPO Stefan Ziegler, examiner, EPO WS06 Maxime Delaitre, examiner, EPO |
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12.45 hrs |
Closing remarks day 1 Gemma Mitchell, Chairperson of the Search Matters Committee, EPO |
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Thursday, 15 October 2020 |
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09.00 hrs |
Welcome to the day Gemma Mitchell, Chairperson of the Search Matters Committee, EPO |
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09.15 hrs |
Plenary 2a: Finding the way in the maze of disruptive technologies/1: exploiting the CPC Pierre Held, administrator, Directorate Classification and Documentation EPO Plenary 2b: Finding the way in the maze of disruptive technologies/2: exploiting Espacenet, GPI and PATSTAT Johannes Schaaf, administrator, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO |
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10.30 hrs |
Workshop session III WS07 Searching cross-technology inventions Anna Kajzar, examiner, EPO WS08 CPC international and Asian documentation Bart Degroote, examiner/team manager, EPO Yann Aubry, examiner, EPO WS09 Forward search: a complementary tool to keyword- and class-based prior art searches Marion Sigrist, examiner, EPO |
| 11.30 hrs |
Break |
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11.45 hrs |
Workshop session IV WS10 Beyond patent families - interrelated patents and applications Alain Materne, examiner, EPO Gershom Sleightholme-Albanis, senior expert/examiner, EPO Nigel Clarke, research manager, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO WS02 Advanced features in Espacenet Johannes Schaaf, administrator, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO WS03 The problem-solution approach - a powerful search tool Anne-Cécile Derrien, examiner, EPO |
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12.45 hrs |
Closing remarks day 2 Gemma Mitchell, Chairperson of the Search Matters Committee, EPO |
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Friday, 16 October 2020 |
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09.00 hrs |
Welcome to the day |
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09.15 hrs |
Plenary 3: Trends in industrial additive manufacturing and the relevance of patents Mike Shellabear, Director, IP & Technical Services, EOS |
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10.30 hrs |
Workshop session V WS11 Computer-implemented inventions for additive manufacturing Boyan Radev, examiner, EPO WS02 Advanced features in Espacenet Johannes Schaaf, administrator, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO WS12 Access to Japanese prior-art using classification, indexing and citation information Adam Cohen, examiner, EPO Christoph Wirner, examiner, EPO |
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11.30 hrs |
Plenary 4: On the trail of disruptive technologies, clues from patent analysis Nigel Clarke, Patent Knowledge research manager, Patent Knowledge Promotion, EPO |
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12.15 hrs |
Conference closing remarks Xavier Seuba, Director, Patent Academy and EQE, EPO |
Panelists and speakers
Yann
Aubry, FR, Mobility and Mechatronics. MSc in Mechanics (ENSAM, Paris and
Lille). MSc in internal combustion engine (IFP School, Rueil-Malmaison). Joined
the EPO as a patent examiner in 2012. Passed the EQE in 2017. Active in the
Continuous Knowledge Transfer network and Asian Patent Expert Group.
Anne-Cécile
Derrien, FR, examiner, Healthcare, Biotechnology and Chemistry, EPO The
Hague. PhD in biomaterials from the University of Rennes 1 (FR) in
2004. Joined the EPO as an examiner in 2005. Also active in opposition
proceedings. Involved in recruitment and coaching of new colleagues. Has been a
presenter at Search Matters and Examination Matters for several years.
Nigel Clarke, GB,
Patent Knowledge Research Manager, EPO Vienna. PhD in neutron science. After a
career in R&D, joined the EPO in The Hague as a patent examiner, going on
to become an IT project manager. Moved to international co-operation at the EPO in Vienna as co‑ordinator of the PATLIB
programme. Responsible for Espacenet and the EP Register for many years. Now in
charge of the Future and Emerging Technologies analysis projects. He has many years' experience of presenting
patent information to the user community worldwide.
Adam Cohen, GB, examiner, Mobility and Mechatronics,
EPO The Hague. PhD in electrical and information sciences/photonic engineering from
Cambridge University. Worked in Japan, Canada, the USA and in the UK. Joined
the EPO as an examiner in 2003. Gives Japanese classification workshops at
internal and external training seminars, manages internal IT projects and is involved in quality
control activities and machine translation projects. Coaches new examiners and
is an expert on Japanese translation queries. Former committee member of the
Asian Patent Expert Group.
Bart Degroote, BE, team manager, Information and
Communications Technology, EPO The Hague. PhD in physics from the University of
Leuven. Worked for Imec, a micro- and nanoelectronics research centre, for
three years. Joined the EPO as an examiner in 2006. Member of the Asian Patent
Expert Group. Passed the EQE in 2018.
Maxime Delaitre, FR,
examiner, Mobility and Mechatronics, EPO Munich. Engineering degree in material
science from the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT) in France. Worked in
the steel industry on the quality and development of flat steel coils, and in
the nuclear industry as a process expert and trainer. Joined the EPO as a patent
examiner in 2012. Involved in oppositions since 2018. Passed the EQE in 2018.
Tommaso Ghidini, IT, is the Head of the Structures,
Mechanisms and Materials Division at the European Space Agency. After obtaining
his PhD in Germany, and before joining ESA, he worked for Airbus on all major
civil and military programmes of the European aeronautical industry including
the A380, A350 and A400M aircrafts. He has received a number of international
awards for major aerospace industrial achievements and developments and has
been invited to lecture in some of the most prestigious European universities.
Pierre
Held, FR, administrator, Directorate Classification and Documentation, EPO
The Hague. PhD in organic chemistry, University of Strasbourg. Joined the EPO as a patent
examiner in 1997 and moved to the Directorate Classification in 2004. Co‑ordinates
all of the directorate's international classification activities and manages
the trilateral and IP5 co‑operation on classification. Member of the EPO-USPTO
bilateral Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) Joint Governance Board
and of the Asian Patent Expert Group. Trainer and presenter at in-house and
external events.
Björn Jürgens, DE, is a senior analyst at the CITPIA patent
information centre of the Innovation and Development Agency of Andalusia
(IDEA), a major public institution dedicated to fostering innovation and
R&D for SMEs in southern Spain. He has worked for more than ten years in
the field of patent analytics and competitive intelligence and has extensive practical
experience in patent searching and using patent databases on a daily basis. He holds a degree in
information and knowledge management from the University of Applied Sciences
Darmstadt (Germany), a master's degree in information science from the
University of Granada (Spain), and a PhD in the field of bibliometric patent
analysis.
Anna
Kajzar, PL, examiner, Healthcare, Biotechnology and Chemistry, EPO Munich. PhD
in biophysics and worked as a scientist at a research institute (Forschungszentrum
Jülich, Germany) before joining the EPO as a patent examiner. Works
in the fields of particle and light therapy and surgery and is also active in opposition
proceedings.
Alain Materne, FR, examiner, Information and Communications
Technology, EPO Berlin. Degree in electronic engineering from ENSEA in
Cergy-Pontoise (FR), completed with a thesis project at Berlin's Technical
University. Worked in the electronics industry at Wandel & Goltermann in
Reutlingen, Germany, prior to joining the EPO in 1988. Develops various ranking scripts in
ooRexx for retrieving related files and prior art.
Boyan Radev, BG, patent examiner, Information and
Communications Technology, computer
aided design, EPO Munich. Master's degree in computer science and computer
systems from the Technical University Sofia, Bulgaria. Worked for five years in
industry and three years at the Bulgarian Academy of Science. Joined the EPO as
an examiner in 2003. Experienced chairperson in examination and opposition,
coach, classification expert ("gérant").
Johannes Schaaf, DE, administrator, EPO Vienna. MBA
and master's degree in physics. Worked as an engineer and innovation consultant
in the corporate technology unit at Siemens and led the community of practice "innovation
management". Examiner in the area of laser technology at the German Patent and
Trade Mark Office. Joined the EPO in Vienna in 2005, and now works in the
directorate Patent Knowledge Promotion, PATLIB.
Mike
Shellabear, GB.
Graduated in mechanical engineering at Loughborough University of Technology
(England) where he also gained his PhD. In 1991 he joined EOS GmbH of Munich,
Germany, as an engineering manager for 3D optical metrology, and has held
positions as market development manager, assistant to the management board,
product manager for direct metal laser sintering and head of technical
management metals since then. He is currently Director of IP & Technical
Services. He has more than 25 years' experience in additive manufacturing and
has presented and published many papers relating to laser-sintering technology
and applications.
Marion Sigrist, FR, examiner, Mobility and
Mechatronics, EPO The Hague. Degree in engineering and PhD in fluid mechanics
(IMFT, Toulouse). Studied patent law at CEIPI in Strasbourg. Worked as a junior
patent attorney in France. Joined the EPO in 2014. Passed the EQE in 2019.
Examiner in the field of horology (mainly mechanics). Member of the EPO's
Corporate Governance Service.
Gershom
Sleightholme-Albanis, GB/AU, senior expert, Healthcare, Biotechnology and
Chemistry, EPO Berlin. Degree in mechanical engineering from the University
of Melbourne and a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. Worked for
several years in the steel industry, at Jaguar Cars and in the British civil
service prior to joining the EPO in 1996.
Andrew Thean, GB, examiner, Information and Communications
Technology, EPO The Hague. Patent examiner in the fields of image processing
(G06T), pattern recognition
(G06K9) and speech technology (G10L) since 2008. Member of the EPO artificial intelligence
core team.
Elena Virnik, DE, examiner, Information and
Communications Technology, EPO Berlin. PhD in applied mathematics. Joined the
EPO in 2009. Works in the field of complex mathematical methods and, in
particular, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Passed the EQE in
2017 and has been a CEIPI tutor since 2018.
Christoph Wirner, DE,
examiner, Information and Communications Technology, EPO The Hague. Studied
physics at Technical University Munich and conducted research at the affiliated
Walter Schottky Institute. Completed the EU Science and Technology Fellowship
programme at Osaka University, and worked at Fujitsu Laboratories in Japan. Joined
the EPO in 1997. Member and former chair of the committee of the Asian Patent
Expert Group and member of EPO's Japanese language expert group.
Stefan Ziegler, DE, examiner, EPO The Hague. Studied media
technology at TU Ilmenau and obtained a PhD in computer science from University
of Rennes 1 working on speech recognition. Joined the EPO in 2014 as an examiner
in the field of speech recognition and audio coding.
Workshops
Artificial intelligence - one of the most disruptive technologies in history
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are considered by many as being the most disruptive innovations in history. The number of applications involving AI and ML algorithms is mushrooming in many different technological fields. But
searching these applications is challenging:
Firstly, AI/ML algorithms are essentially mathematical and computational methods. This makes it difficult to use the patent classification system to search them.
Secondly, a particular AI/ML algorithm may find applications in diverse technical areas ranging from chemistry to aerospace, which often necessitates a very complex and extensive search.
Thirdly, when searching for AI/ML methods, you are often faced with the additional problem of how to search for mathematical formulae or numerical algorithms.
Finally, a major part of the prior art is to be found in non-patent literature, which adds a further layer of complexity to the search.
So for AI/ML it is essential to develop efficient and effective search strategies, in particular using the World Wide Web.
In this interactive presentation based on examples and case studies, we will show you how to develop search strategies best suited to dealing with these challenges.
Keywords: AI (artificial
intelligence), internet search, case studies
Level of knowledge: field-specific, advanced
Advanced features in Espacenet
In this interactive workshop we will demonstrate advanced features of searching with Espacenet. We will explain the CPC classification system and how to search with CPCI and CPC indexing codes (2000 series) in Espacenet. We will use the Advanced search function of Espacenet to construct more complex statements using amongst others the proximity operators. It will be demonstrated how the filter module can help users to limit and create basic statistical analyses of the result set. We will also indicate when it is advised to use more professional tools such as GPI and PATSTAT.
The examples used will be from the field of chemistry and also include disruptive technologies in biotechnology. However, the workshop is suitable for experienced searchers from any technical field.
Keywords: Espacenet, CPC
Level of knowledge: intermediate / advanced, not
field specific
The problem-solution approach - a powerful search tool
The problem-solution approach (PSA) is the key method used at the EPO to determine if an application is inventive. It provides for objectivity and reduces the risk of using ex post facto analysis in the assessment of inventive step. While this approach is well known to applicants in the context of the examination procedure, the aim is to show that it is also a powerful tool at the search stage.
In this presentation we will discuss the impact of the PSA for evaluating and adapting a search strategy, bearing in mind the following two questions:
- What are the important conditions for correctly assessing inventive step?
- How can the PSA be used at the search stage?
In order to answer these questions, we will focus on the following points:
- Definition of key notions: Inventive Step, Closest Prior Art (CPA) and Problem Solution Approach (PSA).
- What are the different steps of the Problem Solution reasoning?
- How to focus and refocus a search, using the PSA.
Developing the problem solution approach using examples but also starting from your expertise in search, we will explain how the search strategy can be refocused, resulting in increased efficiency and reactivity in the search strategy.
Keywords: closest prior art, inventive
step
Level of knowledge: general
Patent insight reports: frontiers of additive manufacturing
Recently the EPO has started to produce reports based on patent data. Such reports are often called "Landscape Reports" even though they do not always include "landscapes". We called ours "Patent insight reports".
Our Patent insight reports, focus on future and emerging technologies - in other words technical fields that have yet to reach a critical mass of patent applications. They are designed to provide valuable insights into these potentially disruptive technologies.
The methodology and data underlying these reports are free to use, meaning that anyone can apply our analytical approach to reveal trends and prospects in other future and emerging technologies.
In this session you will build your own Patent insight report. You will learn how to identify emerging trends in additive manufacturing, how to create search queries, how to extract , clean and analyse data, and report. You will have hands-on experience of visualising patent data at the frontiers of this disruptive technology.
Keywords: future & emerging
technologies, insight, visualising patent data
Level of knowledge: general
The ABC of search engines
Search engines are the primary tool of patent searchers, yet many regard them as black boxes whose inner workings are a mystery. This workshop demystifies search engines by introducing the computer algorithms behind document retrieval. No background in computer science is required.
The presentation explains how search engine algorithms compare keyword queries to millions of documents and rank matching texts according to their relevance. By better understanding how document retrieval works, participants will be able to design more effective queries whichever search engine they use.
The workshop will cover topics such as choosing keywords, influencing the importance of individual keywords, using keyword order, and the role of grammar in query construction.
Participants will have the opportunity to explore the concepts covered using
hands-on examples that illustrate tips and tricks for bridging the gap between the results returned by a search engine and the intended target of the search.
The presentation will conclude by discussing recent progress in document retrieval and looking forward to the next generation of search engines, exploring topics such as semantic search, multilingual search and audio-visual search.
Keywords: search engine, computer
algorithm, document retrieval
Level of knowledge: general
Lost in machine translation?
Machine translation has developed rapidly and today represents an important tool in the world of patents, be it in drafting, search and examination or prosecution. As such, the use of machine translation has been directly incorporated into the work of the EPO in all phases, and is defined as a valuable tool in the EPC-guidelines.
In the future, the role of machine translation can only be expected to increase in importance, especially as, in the framework of the unitary patent, manual translations into languages other than the official ones of the EPO are no longer foreseen.
This presentation aims to shed light onto the development of machine translation, and to provide an overview of tools currently available to applicants, as well as the current capabilities and shortcomings of the technique. Furthermore, overlap of machine translation algorithms and artificial intelligence will be highlighted.
Finally, open questions regarding machine translations, for example concerning their validity as prior art, and most particularly questions regarding errors in the translations and the influence thereof on the legal path of a patent will be addressed.
Keywords: machine translation, tools,
validity
Level of knowledge: general
Searching cross-technology inventions
Creativity means thinking out of the box, combining seemingly unrelated concepts and ideas. However, patent offices and scientific sites organise documents into technical field classes to facilitate document search. But what if you are interested in a cross-technology invention not fitting into any "box"?
This workshop will show you how to tackle this challenge. We will discuss in particular:
- finding and combining relevant classes
- finding important keywords
- getting more out of a web search.
One of the cross-technology fields we will be discussing relates to medical treatment planning using AI, but the workshop does not require field-specific knowledge.
Keywords: CPC, Espacenet, cross-fields
Level of knowledge: general
CPC International and Asian documentation
The CPC International project was launched in August 2019. It enables all CPC allocations to be stored at simple patent family level, whether they are provided by the EPO, USPTO, or any other CPC National Office.
In this workshop we will present the impact of the CPC International project on searching Asian patent documentation. We will demonstrate how to analyse the patent documentation coverage of the CPC vs. other classification schemes to arrive at an efficient classification-based search strategy.
In particular, we will focus on searching inventions where two remote technologies that are covered by different classification symbols are being combined, for example inventions where additive manufacturing techniques are applied in a specific field of application, e.g. airplane engines or printed electronics.
Keywords: Asian prior art, CPC, additive
manufacturing
Level of knowledge: general
Forward search: a complementary tool to keyword- and class-based prior art searches
Prior art searching is most commonly carried out using keyword- and/or class-based search strategies. In this workshop a complementary technique to these more traditional prior art search strategies, namely forward prior art search, will be presented. By definition, prior art search involves looking backwards, whereas forward searching implies taking as a starting point a known prior-art document and retrieving related prior-art documents through citation indexing between the known document and documents citing it as well as through document similarity ranking.
At the end of the workshop you will be fully aware of the advantages such a "forward" approach can bring, such as:
- greater efficiency in searching for subject-matter/concepts difficult to express in words
- greater confidentiality in searching online
- revealing the timeline in technology development
- defining the context and the technical problem when drafting patents
- adding further search dimensions to keyword and class search.
The presentation will use a case study to illustrate the recent evolution of available online search tools that make forward searching even more efficient.
Keywords: Espacenet, google patent,
scopus, webofscience
Level of knowledge: general
Beyond patent families - interrelated patents and applications
Beyond patent families there are other closely interrelated patents and patent applications. Firms who wish to be active in a particular area of technology need to ensure that their products will not infringe existing patents or existing patent applications which might later be granted. This requires an adequate patent search to uncover all interrelated patents and applications. Frequently, these are from a single applicant, but often with multiple inventors or sets of inventors and concern similar but not identical subject-matter.
The challenge is to identify such relationships between patents and applications, as distinct from other relationships such as citations or patent families, which may include divisional applications.
This workshop presents simple-to-use but effective techniques to retrieve such related applications. The techniques are based on the applicant name, inventors and titles. Additional possibilities derive from the application number, priority dates and classes. Compared to existing techniques such as patent landscaping, the ones proposed here are simpler to use, quicker and less expensive.
Examples from various fields of technology will be presented using Espacenet.
Keywords: Espacenet, interrelated
applications/patents
Level of knowledge: general
Computer-implemented inventions for Additive Manufacturing
Additive Manufacturing (AM) ranges from various AM materials, covers apparatus and methods for AM and extends to the application of the products - from medical to aerospace.
AM technology depends on the corresponding computer implemented inventions (CIIs). CIIs are used for designing, simulating and optimizing the parts before manufacture, modifying the shapes and processing the geometry to produce a series of commands for controlling AM equipment. CII in the field of AM are implemented using mathematical algorithms.
Searching such CIIs poses unique challenges due to the complexity of the algorithms themselves, the broad range of technical fields which need to be identified, and the fact that non-patent sources may bring the best results.
Moreover, CII are often drafted using abstract non-technical features. An extra effort of analysing and identifying the features with technical character is required. A successful search strategy must be based on this analysis.
This interactive workshop, based on examples, aims to provide a better understanding of CIIs for AM, identify the available search tools, and elaborate on the challenges of this field in order to arrive at efficient and effective search strategies.
Keywords: Additive Manufacturing, CIIs,
non-technical features
Level of knowledge: general, field specific
Access to Japanese prior art using classification, indexing and citation information
The purpose of this workshop is to optimise prior art retrieval via Japanese FI classes and F-term indexing terms, alone and combined with keyword searches. Strategies are presented for efficient and complete searches in Japanese documentation using publicly available sources and search tools. The workshop is suitable for those who already have an understanding of the FI classification and F-term indexing systems and at least basic experience of finding the appropriate codes and using them in simple search strategies.
The workshop will include the following topics:
- the underlying "philosophy" of the Japanese FI classification and F-term indexing systems, and their concordance with the IPC
- the dynamics of the Japanese FI and F-term systems: amended and new schemes, reorganisation of existing classes/terms, international co-operation
- publicly available sources, with a focus on J-PlatPat, in particular the major changes (including full-text keyword searching) introduced in 2018 and 2019
- access to prior-art citation information retrieved by the JPO and its outsourced search organisations
- search engines, search syntax, search strategy
- example cases
Keywords: Asian prior art, F-terms,
keywords, J-PlatPat
Level of knowledge: intermediate / advanced