The Harmony Project: Trilateral Classification Harmonisation

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The Harmony ProjectTrilateral Classification
Harmonisation
Status January 2008
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Why Harmonisation?

• Increase in published documents
• currently in EPO gt 500,000 docs/year
• further increase expected
• Reduce classification effort
• collaborate in classification
• avoid to classify twice
• Increase search quality
• harmonise search practice
• Prepare and test IPC revision

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OBJECTIVES

• Common classification schemes in selected areas

ECLA FI USPC . EPtitle1 . JPtitle1 .
UStitle1 . . EPtitle2 . . JPtitle2 . UStitle2 . .
EPtitle3 . . JPtitle3 . UStitle3 . . . JPtitle4
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HARMONY . JPtitle1 . UStitle1 . . New
title1 . . EPtitle2 . . . New title2 . .
JPtitle3
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• 2. Integrate common scheme in the IPC

H A R M O N Y
Advanced level extension 20k 50k 70k
Advanced level 20k 50k
Core level 20k
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MEANS
1. Informal Promote direct interaction between
examiners
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• ... by opening various informal communication
  channels

E - mail
Video-Conference or Telephone
Trilateral Wiki (hosted by WIPO)
Trilateral Examiner Exchange Trilateral Harmony
Visit
Meetings
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The Trilateral Harmony Visit programme

• Launched in 2005
• Face-to-face meetings of examiners of the
  Trilateral Offices
• Duration one week
• Specific objectives
• start new project
• finalize / make progress in existing project

Effective and flexible tool to push projects
forward
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Programme in 2007
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MEANS (continued)
1. Informal Promote direct interaction between
examiners

• 2. Formal
• For each subproject
• project plan
• target dates for each step
• record of project history

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• ... on an official electronic platform (hosted by
  WIPO)
• Trilateral E-forum
• www.wipo.int/ipc-tef

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• Overall Project management

• Steering Committee
• Trilateral Working Group on Classification

• Harmony Project Manager appointed in each
  Trilateral Office

• Harmony Project Coordinators (EPO
  Classification Board members) Coordination for a
  group of subprojects

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STATUS

• over 50 active projects
• all technical areas (T002-T074)

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2007
Seven new Harmony projects created
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Eight Harmony projects forwarded to the IPC
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Four Advanced Level revision projects adopted for
introduction into the IPC
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Thank you for your attention!