What are Kind Codes in patent documents and how are they used?
Kind Codes, also known as WIPO Standard ST.16 codes, are letters and numbers used to distinguish different types of patent documents and their publication levels. The MPEP states: “WIPO Standard ST.16 codes (kind codes) include a letter, and in many cases a number, used to distinguish the kind of patent document (e.g., publication of an…
Read MoreHow have Kind Codes changed for U.S. patent documents since 2001?
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) began using WIPO Standard ST.16 codes (Kind Codes) on January 2, 2001. This change brought about several modifications to the coding system: New codes were introduced for patent application publications (A1, A2, A9) Codes for granted patents were changed (B1, B2) Specific codes were assigned to plant…
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