Update Codes in INPADOCDB
The INPADOCDB file has a static, segmented structure. All publications of a patent application (national family) are one documentation unit or database record. Each publication of a database record is assigned an Entry Date (/ED) and an Entry Week (/EW). If a new application is entered in INPADOCDB, a new record is generated and the ED for this first publication is stored in the Entry Date Patent (/EDP) field.
With this first entry, the update date is set to UP=ED=EDP and the update week to UW=EW. Update Date (/UP) and the Update Week (/UW) are updated each time a publication of the database record is changed. It is possible to distinguish between updates of the complete bibliography (/UPBB) and those of the classifications (IPC, CPC) (/UPCC). If a priority number is added – also the first one – an Entry Date Priority (/EDPR) is registered.
If the legal status is updated, the Update Date Legal Status (/UPLS) is displayed together with the legal status. All updates – no matter where – can be found via the search code Update Maximum (/UPM). This means that UPM corresponds to all modifications of UP and UPLS. This field was especially created for alerts (SDIs) in order to capture all possible changes. To look for new publications and/or legal status updates, use the new update field /EDLS, which considers ED and UPLS.
The Status Established Date (/STED) provides the date on which the patent status in the field STI was initially calculated or last changed.
All possible document related update codes for INPADOCDB are summarized in the following list. This information is also available via HELP UPDATE.
| Procedure | Update Code |
| New patent application (first entry) | EDP=ED=UP 1) |
| New priority entry | EDPR |
| New publications of a publication series | ED=UP |
| Updates of publications (bibliographic, classification) | UP1) |
| Updates of Bibliography (except for classification updates) | UPBB |
| Updates of classifications | UPCC |
| New legal status information | UPLS |
| Updates of publications and/or legal status (all changes) | UPM=UP+UPLS |
| New publications and legal status updates | EDLS=ED+UPLS |
| Updates of patent status indicator | STED |
1) UP=UPBB+UPCC
Update Codes in INPAFAMDB
In INPAFAMDB the database record comprises an international patent family. The Entry Date Family (/EDF) is applied to the first member of the international family. For the first member of an international family EDF is initially the same as the Entry Date Patent (EDP) of the national family in INPADOCDB, which is the same as its ED and UP.
The Update Date Patent Family Bibliographic (/UPFB) is the appropriate update code for a change to bibliographic or classification data of any family member. EDF and UPFB and the corresponding weeks, EWF and UWF, are displayed at the beginning of a record in the BRIEF format.
INPAFAMDB update codes are comparable with corresponding INPADOCDB family update codes. In addition to these family related codes, update codes for single family members are also available in INPAFAMDB.
| Procedure | Update Code |
| New database record (new patent family) | EDF |
| New member (national family) assigned to patent family | UPFD |
| New publication added to a patent family member | UPFP |
|
Updates of the bibliographic part, including classifications, of a database record (patent family) |
UPFB |
| Legal status updates within a database record (patent family) | UPFL |
|
New publication level and legal status updates within the database record (patent family) |
UPFE |
| All updates within a database record (patent family) | UPFA |
The update codes are hierarchical, which means that different entries are generated according to the events:
- EDF generates additional entries in UPFD, UPFP, UPFB, UPFE, UPFA
- UPFD generates additional entries in UPFP, UPFB; UPFE, UPFA
- UPFP generates additional entries in UPFB, UPFE, UPFA
- UPFB generates additional entries in UPFA
The INPADOCDB update codes for a single publication or the national family are also available in INPAFAMDB and vice versa the INPAFAMDB family update codes in INPADOCDB.
The display UPALL provides the list of updates for each record.