The Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) is a database containing
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
applications and grants from 44 of the world's
patent issuing authorities.
Compiled in English by editorial staff, the database provides a short
abstract detailing the nature and use of the
invention described in a patent and is indexed into alphanumeric technology categories to allow retrieval of relevant patent documents by users.
Each record within the database defines a
patent family, the grouping of patent documentation recorded at the various patent offices as protection of an invention is sought around the world. Each patent family is grouped around a Basic Patent, which is usually the first published example of the invention. All subsequent filings are referred back to the Basic Patent, and are referred to as Equivalent Patents. On this basis, the database has some 20 million "inventions", corresponding to tens of millions of patents, with almost a million new inventions added each year. From 2008, the number format of the Basic Patent Identifier (the
Accession Number) changed, to allow up to 3.6 million records per year to be added, as the previous format only allowed a maximum of 1 million new records a year. This is due to the steady increase in unique patents filed each year.
Basic format
*Primary level data - an electronic form of the original patent.
*Bibliographical data - cleaned and formatted patent numbers, inventor, application date etc. data.
*DWPI Abstract - a plain English summary of the novel feature, use and advantage of the invention
*DWPI manual code / Indexing - a custom
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
indicating the novel feature and use.
The database is produced by information provider
Clarivate Analytics, previously part of
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.
Thomson Reuters was created by the Thomson Corpora ...
.
Special Indexing
Derwent Manual Codes
Derwent produces its own proprietary
patent classification A patent classification is a system for examiners of patent offices or other people to categorize (code) documents, such as published patent applications, according to the technical features of their content. Patent classifications make it feasible ...
codes, called manual codes. The classification system contains subdivisions related to chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering subject matter.
Derwent Assignee Codes
Derwent indexers add standardized 4-letter codes to DWPI records to represent certain patent-holding companies. These codes are not available for all companies - only the top patent holding companies have these standard Derwent codes.
[clarivate.com web sit]
Derwent World Patents Index: Value add
/ref>
References
{{reflist
External links
Derwent World Patents Index on Clarivate Analytics
Former assets of Thomson Reuters
Clarivate
Patent search services