Each item on the front page of a patent is preceded by a number. These numbers are called "INID codes" after "internationally agreed numbers for the identification of bibliographic data" and are usually shown in parentheses, brackets or circles. Because these numbers are consistent in every country, they allow you to read important information from a patent even if you don't understand the language it's printed in.
(10) Identification of the publication
(11) Number of the publication
(12) Kind of the publication
(13) Kind of document code (according to ST.16)
(19) Country code (ST.3), or other identification, of the country of publication
(20) Local filing details
(21) Number given to the application
(22) Date of making application
(23) Other date(s) of filing, such as of complete application
(24) Date from which industrial property rights may have effect
(25) Language in which the published application was originally filed
(26) Language in which the application is published
(30) Priority details
(31) Number assigned to priority application
(32) Date of filing of priority application
(33) Country in which priority application was filed
(34) Priority filings under regional or international arrangements. At least one Paris Convention member state (or WTO member) must be named
(40) Date of publication
(41) Date of making available to the public by viewing, or copying on request, an unexamined specification which has not yet been granted
(42) Date of making available to the public by viewing, or copying on request, an examined specification which has not yet been granted
(43) Date of publication by printing of an unexamined specification which has not yet been granted
(44) Date of publication by printing of an examined specification which has not yet been granted
(45) Date of publication by printing of a granted patent
(46) Date of publication by printing of the claim(s) only
(47) Date of making a granted patent available to the public by viewing, or copying on request
(48) Date of issuing a correction
(50) Technical information
(51) International Patent Classification
(52) Domestic or national Classification or Cooperative Patent Classification
(53) Universal Decimal Classification
(54) Title of the invention
(55) Keywords
(56) List of prior art documents
(57) Abstract or claim
(58) Field of search
(60) Reference to other legally related domestic document(s)
(61) Related by addition
(62) Related by division
(63) Related by continuation
(64) Related by reissue
(65) Related by being the same application
(66) Related by filing after abandonment
(67) Related by filing as a utility model after filing as a patent
(68) Related by filing for a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC)
(70) Identification of parties
(71) Name of applicant
(72) Name of inventor
(73) Name of grantee
(74) Name of attorney or agent
(75) Name of inventor who is also applicant - Note: code (75) was used only for US patents applied for before September 16, 2012, since only the US had the requirement that the inventor and applicant had to be the same - after that date, US law changed to allow assignees to be applicants, so codes (71) and (72) should be used in the US as they had been in other countries.
(76) Name of inventor who is also applicant and grantee - same note applies as to code (75) - codes (71) and (72) will be used instead of (76).
(80) - (90) Identification of data related to International Conventions and to legislation with respect to SPCs
(81) Designated State(s) according to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
(83) Information relating to deposit of microorganisms under e.g. the Budapest Treaty
(84) Designated contracting states under regional patent conventions
(85) Date of supply of the international patent application to the national patent office
(86) Filing data of the international application
(87) Publication data of the international application
(88) Date of deferred publication of the search report
(91) Date on which an international document filed under the PCT fails to enter the national or regional phase
(92) For an SPC, number and date of the first national authorization to place the product on the market
(93) For an SPC, number, date and where applicable country of origin of first authorization to place the product on the market within a regional economic community
(94) Calculated date of expiry of the SPC, or the duration of the SPC
(95) Name of the product protected by the basic patent and the SPC
(96) Regional filing data
(97) Regional publication data
Back to "How to read a patent" main page
Back to "How to read a patent - front page"
Back to patents main page
Back to IP Resources page