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How often is the database updated?
The speed with which documents are loaded varies considerably from country to country. Documentation relating to countries for which the PCT minimum documentation is held is usually loaded during the week following the publication date, as the EPO database is updated once a week and most patent offices publish their patent applications once a week. Documents enter the database with the following searchable fields: application number
, priority number
, publication number
, publication date
, inventor, patent applicant and international patent class (IPC). If available, English abstracts
are loaded approximately one month after the publication date
. If the abstract is published in a language other than English, the original abstract is usually translated into English unless there are English abstracts already available for family members. Otherwise, a translation is ordered and subsequently loaded into the database. The European classifications (ECLA
) assigned by EPO examiners are usually available a few months after the publication date. With recent documents, therefore, this search criterion must be used with care.
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