IPCPatent
The ‘IPCPatent’ scalar type represents a single International Patent Classification, as defined by the parameters outlined by the World Intellectual Property Organization
Any IPC Patent can be broken down into a hierarchical structure of four subsections
- Section designates the eight bodies of knowledge (labeled from A-H) which a patent generally belongs to. For patent B01D 17/032, B would be the Section designator.
- Class specifies a specific body of knowledge within a section, and is represented by two digits. For patent B62D 21/00, 62 would be the Class designator.
- Subclass specifies a specific body of knowledge within a class, and is represented by any character from A-Z. For patent H04M 11/00, M would be the Subclass designator.
- Subgroup specifies a specific body of knowledge within a subclass. It is separated from the
sub class by a space and is represented by a sequence of characters consisting of two groups of
digits separated by a ”/” character. In a patent with the label A61K 31/495, 31/495 would be
the Subgroup designator.
- Subgroup Part A A sequence of 1 to 2 digits. For patent A61K 31/495, this would be 31.
- Subgroup Part B A sequence of 2 to 4 digits. For patent A61K 31/495, this would be 495.