Press Releases
New features in Inspec

International Patent Classification (IPC) Codes

Inspec is now mapping its own indexing schemes to the WIPO IPC scheme enabling IPC symbols to be assigned to relevant records.

The Inspec implementation of IPC codes will be a valuable tool for the prior art searcher, allowing the ready clustering of relevant non-patent literature within the same familiar code structure used for patents. This functionality can be used for Inspec records all the way back to 1969. Initial trials indicate that about 75% of Inspec records will contain IPC codes, and that the average record with these codes will have two assigned to it.

The IPC scheme and Inspec do not cover exactly the same conceptual territory or approach. Consequently the level of precision of the IPC symbols applied varies depending on the relationships between the schemes and specific subjects themselves.

To assist customers with their searches, a list of IPC codes used in Inspec is available to download from the main Inspec site. The list also contains the hierarchical context to help understand the codes and their text. 

WIPO has kindly granted the IET the right to use IPC codes but these codes remain the copyright of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Video presentations in Inspec

Inspec is planning to cover video presentations from the websites of a variety of organisations. This will start by covering the 2,000 or so video presentations that are on the IET website as IET.tv. These are videoed presentations from conferences and other events and they will start to appear on the Inspec database from the end of 2010.