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140
Guide to STN Patent Databases
It is common that not only one priority but multiple priorities are claimed. This can lead to very complex patent
families. To understand these patent families it is necessary to look into the patent law of the individual countries.
One finds a few terms in this context, which, however, we will not explain here:
Multiple priority and partial priority,
DE: Internal Priority, Division, Additional Application, Utility Model Derivation,
US: Continuation, Continuation-in-part, Division, Provisional Application.
21.2.1 Publications within one patent family
National applications: each family member as an application and a publication/patent number,
International applications: application is made through the PCT procedure
Granted national patents get a number
Entry into the national phase is published by these countries in the legal status: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, BZ,
CA, CH, CN, CZ, DE, EA, EG, ES, FI, GB, GE, IL, JP, KE, KR, LI (über CH), LT, LV, MX, NZ, PH, RO, RU, SE, SI, SK,
US, UZ, WO, ZA
Non-entry into the national phase of PCT applications is published by these coutries in the legal status:
CA, DE, JP, KR
European applications: application and grant are made through the EPO, some countries assign a national
application/publication number::
Countries with national application/publication numbers: DE, ES, AT
maintenance fees: AT, BE, BG, CH, CZ, CY, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, IE, IL, IT, LI, LT, LU, LV,
MC, MD, NL, PL, PT, RO, RU, SE, SI, SK, TR
21.2.2 Example of a simple patent family
Priority application Applications
Publication of the
Grant of patent National number for
claiming priority
application
EP patent
US
USA1
USB2
2007-11-08
2008-05-15
2008-09-02
DE
DEA1
DEB4
2006-11-15
2008-05-21
2008-09-18
EP
EPA1
EPB1
DED1
2007-11-13
2008-05-20
2010-01-06 2010-02-25
0 Up to 12 months After 18 months Up to 20 years patent
term
21.3 Family information in STN patent databases
Database Countries Families Family relations
CA,
>40 countries,
Selected families National
CAPLUS including EP, WO
International, conventional
DWPI >40 countries, EP, WO >40 countries, EP, WO National
International, conventional
International, non-conventional
INPADOCDB, 90 Patent authorities, 90 countries,
National
INPAFAMDB including EP, WO including EP and WO International, conventional