Australian Patent Office International Searching

The article describes how the Australian Patent Office constructed search files to fulfi; its responsibilities as a PCT International Searching Authority. Search files are established on an ad hoc basis as the need arises and comprise classified sets of abstracts of patent documents included in the PCT minimum documentation. When an international search is received a search strategy is decided upon by an examiner in conjunction with the Search Quality Assurance Unit (SQAU) and search lists are established setting out the numbers of the documents to be considered by the examiner. Abstracts of these selected documents are prepared by the Documentation Centre and forwarded to the examiner to conduct the search, on completion of which the abstract file is returned to the Documentation Centre for storage and re-use. It is claimed that the system provides a relatively quick method of establishing comprehensive classified search files and obviates the establishment of classified search files in areas of subject matter that may never be used.