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European Classification (ECLA)
The ECLA classification system is an extension of the International Patent Classification
system . It contains 129 200 subdivisions, ie about 60 000 more than the IPC
, and is therefore more precise. It is also more homogeneous and more systematic.
ECLA classifications are assigned to patent documents by EPO examiners in order to facilitate prior-art searches. ECLA is revised continuously and applied retrospectively.
The time lag between the availability of patent publication data and ECLA classification varies, and depends on EPO examiners' workload. PCT minimum documentation is classified under ECLA, with the exception of Japanese and Russian abstracts, which are not systematically classified. In addition to the PCT minimum documentation, Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg patent documents and many German utility models are also classified in ECLA. Other documents may be classified at the examiner's initiative.
When an ECLA classification is given to a document, it automatically propagates to the family members (documents having at least one common priority) of the document which was first classified in ECLA. If the content of a particular family member differs from the source document, the examiner may ask for a different ECLA classification.
It is estimated that 90% of the documents that have to be classified under ECLA are allocated a classification within eight months of publication.
In January 2004, 18.3 million documents had an ECLA class.
The classification symbol is made up of a letter denoting the IPC section, followed by a number (two digits) denoting the IPC class (eg B62).
Optionally, the classification can be followed by a sequence of a letter (eg B62J) denoting the IPC subclass, a number (variable, 1-3 digits, eg B62J11) denoting the IPC main group, a forward slash "/" and a number (variable, 1-3 digits, eg B62J11/00) denoting the IPC subgroup.
Optionally, the EC subgroup may be added to the IPC symbol. It has the form of a letter, followed by a number (optional), a letter (optional), etc. (eg B62J11/00B).
To view the text of a specific ECLA class, go to Classification Search, where you can navigate to any classification. Simply type the relevant classification symbol in the "Find description for a symbol" field in the top right-hand corner of the screen and click "Go".
For best results, searches should consist of a combination of both IPC/ECLA and Abstract fields.
For more information on patent searching, see the following pages:
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