What are guidance headings in CPC schemes?

Guidance headings in Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) schemes are organizational tools used to structure and categorize patent information. According to MPEP 905.01(a)(4), guidance headings may be provided in the following ways:

• To indicate common subject matter at the beginning of a large part of a subclass
• As a title without an associated symbol, preceding several main groups
• To describe common subject matter of several main groups

These headings help patent examiners and researchers navigate complex classification schemes more efficiently.

To learn more:

• CPC
• Guidance Headings
• Patent Classification
• Patent Examination