What is the purpose of guide headings in the IPC?
Guide headings in the International Patent Classification (IPC) serve as informative summaries to assist users in navigating the classification system. According to the MPEP:
“Guide headings are intended to be only informative and, as a rule, do not modify the scope of the groups covered by them, except where it is, otherwise, clear from the context. By contrast, references in the guide headings modify the scope of the associated groups.”
Guide headings typically appear before a series of related main groups and provide a broad overview of the common subject matter. They help users quickly identify relevant sections of the classification and understand the organization of the content within a subclass.
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