The European Classification (ECLA) is a former patent classification system maintained by the
European Patent Office
The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation
(EPO). The ECLA classification system contains 134 000 subdivisions. It was introduced mainly as an extension of the International Patent Classification system in 1970, but sometimes it modifies its titles and rules. ECLA is used in connection with the indexing system ICO, which serves to identify additional information and aspects that are not covered by the ECLA schemes.European Classification (ECLA) on the Espacenet web site. Consulted on January 20, 2007. ECLA has been replaced by the
Cooperative Patent Classification
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a patent classification system, which has been jointly developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).Cooperative Patent Classification
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a patent classification system, which has been jointly developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).International Patent Classification (IPC)