New patent information database for subject classifications
STN International is now making available an on-line database containing the full IPC - International Patent Classification - published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the German Patent and Trademark Office. The new database will allow those searching for patent information to identify quickly the relevant IPC codes for their search prior to consulting other databases containing the raw patent information. Around 17,000 records are contained in the database, representing editions 1 to 6 of the IPC dating back to 1968. The records may be searched for words in titles and/or texts, as well as for IPC codes and the 'catchword' index. Use of the index is charged at a flat rate of DM 50 per hour on-line. Display of the search results is free although there is an optional 'select' command which allows more sophisticated ranking of search returns, charged at a small additional fee. The full index is available in English, while only editions 4 to 6 are available in German for the moment.