Standard ST.34

The aim of this Recommendation is to facilitate the exchange of bibliographic data, particularly those which are used as priority application numbers for patents, among industrial property offices, organizations and other institutions.

This Recommendation contains provisions on how to record numbers of applications for patents, industrial designs and other industrial property rights which can give rise to citing priorities for patents on an electronic data carrier, such as CD‑ROM or magnetic tape. It defines the format of application numbers on exchange media, in which format the complete information, i.e., the two‑letter code according to WIPO Standard ST.3, the one‑letter code which identifies the type of industrial property right (or the kind‑of‑application code) and the application number, is presented in one single fixed‑length string.

For the exchange of bibliographic data (including bibliographic data other than application numbers), abstracts, full texts and facsimile information of patent documents, or of mixed mode patent documents, references are made to WIPO Standards ST.30, ST.32, ST.33 and ST.35. It should be noted that Standards ST.30 and ST.32, in particular, also provide for the exchange of application and priority numbers, however, in a format which differs from Standard ST.34 in that the basic components of the application and/or priority numbers (see paragraph 6, below) are not recorded within a single fixed‑length field, but are split up and recorded under different bibliographic tags.

As regards the recording formats for the different numbering systems, it should be noted that this Recommendation is applicable to all types of application numbering systems regardless of whether they are based on WIPO Standard ST.13 or on other systems.

For the purposes of this Recommendation:

(a) the term “patents” includes such industrial property rights as patents for inventions, design patents and utility models. For the purposes of this Recommendation United States Statutory Invention Registrations are also regarded as patents;

(b) the term “industrial designs” includes two‑dimensional and three‑dimensional features of shape and surface of objects, and thus covers both concepts of “designs” and “models” where a distinction is made between the former and the latter. The term “industrial designs” does not include design patents.

References to the following Standards are of relevance to this Recommendation:

• WIPO Standard ST.3:
  Recommended Standard on Two‑Letter Codes for the Representation of States, Other Entities and Intergovernmental Organizations;

• WIPO Standard ST.13:
  Recommendation for the Numbering of Applications for Industrial Property Rights (IPRs)

It is recommended that the format for the recording of application numbers consist of a 15‑position field. The recording format should be comprised of three data elements, i.e., the two‑letter code according to WIPO Standard ST.3, the one‑letter code which identifies the type of industrial property right (or the kind‑of‑application code) and the application number the format of which consists of up to 11 alphanumeric characters.

Examples:

●EPA●●●782ØØØØ1
●IBW●●●●94ØØ426

With regard to positions 1 to 4, the following arrangement should be used:

Position 1:  Blank

Positions 2 and 3:  Country code according to WIPO Standard ST.3, which identifies the office or organization with which the application has been filed

Position 4:  Letter code, which identifies the type of industrial property right (or the kind‑of‑application code in the case of PCT applications):

• Letter A for applications for patents,

• Letter U for utility model applications,

• Letter W for international applications under the PCT,

• Letter S for applications for design patents,

• Letter F for industrial design applications,

• Letter Q for industrial model applications having a numbering series different from the series for industrial design applications.

(It should be noted that the letters used in this Recommendation, except W, are identical to those provided for in WIPO Standard ST.13; however, the letters A, F, S, U and W do not have the same meaning or significance as the same letters in WIPO Standard ST.16 “Recommended Standard Code for the Identification of Different Kinds of Patent Documents”.)

Application numbers, including the ones having year indicators, are to be right‑adjusted in positions 5 to 15; letters preceding the numerical part of the application “number” are to be left‑adjusted in positions 5 to 15. Positions between the last letter and the first digit should be filled with zeros.

Left zeros, unless they are a meaningful part of the application number, are preferably to be omitted and the positions left blank.

The following are not to be recorded in positions 5 to 15:

(a) Letters and numbers relating, for example, to the examination division or classification of a document and not essential for defining the application number;

(b) Letters and numbering indicating the type of industrial property right, for example, patent or utility model;

(c) Dots, dashes, slashes and spaces between the numerical and the year positions of an application number.

Examples of types of application numbers and their Recommended Recording Formats are given in the Appendix to this Recommendation. It should be noted that, for historical reasons, some of the Recommended Recording Formats do not follow the rules set out in paragraphs 7 to 11, above.

It is desirable that this Recommendation be implemented by industrial property offices at the latest as of January 1, 2000. An earlier date of implementation can be agreed upon between exchange partners of industrial property information.