IPC in the new millennium - challenge and opportunity

While lauding the efforts of the founding fathers of the International Patent Classification (IPC) in creating an international system for, primarily, patent specification placement and retrieval, the USPTO here also express strong reservations about its future value unless substantial changes are made. Problems highlighted are: - Inconsistent placement of patent documents in the system severely limits the IPC's value and utility. - IPC system presentation makes it difficult to locate related art. - Advantage of patent family information is not taken in patent document placement. - The backfile of patent documents is not reclassified when a new IPC edition issues. - Classifications containing a very large number of patent documents have resulted from the IPC system's revision process. - IPC indexing procedures are prohibitively expensive to follow. - No interface between the Standing Committee on Information Technology (SCIT) and the IPC now exists. Solutions proposed are: - Provide rules of placement and proof of concept. - Require either previous in-office use, or a test phase, prior to approving proposals for projects. - Improve access to training. - Investigate automated tools for indexing, schedule generation and document placement. - Investigate use of concepts found in existing tools, e.g., DE, EP, JP, UK, US systems. - Reclassify the backfile for all new reclassification projects and begin using the new classifications as the projects are completed. - Augment WIPO IPC support resources. - Use contractors or member offices for creating search tools, classifications and placing documents. - Defray expenses by per-document assessment. - Provide means for more effective participation by the IPC Committee of Experts in IPC improvement. - Coordinate efforts of IPC with SCIT to take advantage of new tools, methods and opportunities provided. Finally, Appendix A discusses in more detail the value of discretionary and non-discretionary indexing. A new concept is proposed, the alternative or supplemental use of 'catch terms', linked to each IPC term.