What are case categories?
Case categories are a combination of types of IP (patents, trade marks, etc.) and other descriptions that you may use to differentiate between types of work. Each category can be assigned a single or double letter code, which is often used to make up part of your case reference (e.g., P12345GB).
What are case sub-categories?
Each case category can have a set of sub-categories, though we find this isn’t always needed. Typically, you’ll set these up for some of your IP Rights categories, to easily distinguish types of application within a family of cases (e.g., a patent ‘First Filing’ or ‘Claiming Priority’ case).
Case category & sub-category definitions
The table below outlines the default categories and sub-categories used in your system, along with a description of how that category/sub-category is used.
Category | Sub-category | Description |
Design | First Filing | The first application filed within a family of design cases |
Claiming Priority | An application such as a Hague or European design that’s claiming priority on an earlier application | |
National Right of Hague | A case that has been filed as a national right application from a parent international Hague application | |
Divisional | A case or cases that have been split into divisional applications from an earlier parent application | |
Patent | First Filing | The first application filed within a family of patent cases |
Claiming Priority | An application such as a PCT or European patent that’s claiming priority on an earlier application | |
Nationalization of PCT | A case that has been filed as a national phase application from a parent PCT application | |
Validation of EP | A case that has been validated from a parent European patent application | |
Divisional | A case or cases that have been split into divisional applications from an earlier parent application | |
Continuation | A US patent application filed by an applicant who wants to pursue additional claims to an invention disclosed in an earlier application | |
Continuation in Part | A US patent application whereby modifications are made to the specification, so long as the majority of the specification remains unchanged (also commonly known by its shorthand abbreviation ‘CIP’) | |
SPC | Shorthand for ‘Supplementary Protection Certificates’. This right is a form of IP that extends the protection of patented active ingredients present in pharmaceutical or plant protection products | |
Trademark | First Filing | The first application filed within a family of trademark cases |
Claiming Priority | An application such as a Madrid or European trademark that’s claiming priority on an earlier application | |
National Right of Madrid | A case that has been filed as a national right application from a parent Madrid application |