Polish Patent Office Research Articles

Optimised projection welding of steel Bars

The article presents tests aimed at optimising the welding of bars, made of steel AISI1005 (ø 4.2 mm), in a cruciform configuration (i.e. using the cross-wire welding process). The authors identified research gaps and carried out a detailed numerical analysis of these cases. The research-related calculations involved the use of SORPAS software. The new areas of research included (i) bars with protective zinc coatings having various thicknesses of 0 µm, 5 µm, 10 µm and 30 µm, (ii) various welding current rise times (up-slope) and (iii) single and multi-pulse welding cycles. The tests were carried out using a DC 1 kHz inverter welding machine; the results concerning welding up-slope times were compared with those obtainable using a conventional AC 50 Hz welding machine. The results of the study, in the form of a welding technology with various values of up-slope time, have been implemented in industry. The inventive idea is protected by patent no. P.229445 at the Polish Patent Office.

POLISH INVENTIONS ON TECHNOLOGY OF PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES USED IN MILITARY MUNITIONS

The paper presents results of analyses of nine patent descriptions [1-9] of Polish inventions on manufacture technology of primary explosives as lead azide, lead trinitroresorcinate and tetracene, commonly used in military munitions. Five patent descriptions [1,2,7-9] were filed to the Polish Patent Office in years 1935-1975 as unclassified, and the rest patent descriptions [3-6] were applied as classified in years 1954-1962. Announcements about removing secrecy from the classified patent descriptions, were published in the News of the Polish Patent Office in year 2007.

Mediation as an alternative method of resolving disputes in the opposition procedure against the trade mark application.

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is becoming increasingly popular as a fast, effective, relatively cheap and lightly burdensome way to resolve conflicts. The aim of this article is to discuss the institution of mediation as an alternative method for resolving conflicts and the possibility of applying it in trade mark disputes, using the example of opposition to a trade mark application before the Polish Patent Office. The article divides the grounds for opposition into infringement of the personal or economic rights of third parties and identity with or similarity to an earlier trade mark, reputed trade mark or well-known trade mark. It analyses the possibility of using mediation at the stage which the legislature indicates to the parties as the time limit for amicable settling disputes as well as the legitimacy, possibility and admissibility of mediation at other stages of opposition proceedings.

To Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: Sufficient Disclosure of Inventions in the Light of the Polish Supreme Administrative Court’s Judgment of 24 April 2022, II GSK 1724/18

The subject matter of this opinion is the Polish Supreme Administrative Court’s judgment on the invalidity of a patent concerning a calcium-magnesium fertiliser due to its insufficient disclosure. This paper presents the course of the invalidation proceedings before the Polish Patent Office and administrative courts against the background of the Polish Industrial Property Law and the Polish Patent Office’s Guidelines concerning sufficient disclosure of inventions. It also briefly refers to the EPC and EPO practice on the standards of sufficient disclosure, including the recent EPO decision G2/21. Finally, it offers approving comments on the judgment itself, notices the practical impossibility of remedying the failure to disclose enough and mentions current systemic challenges to the requirement of sufficient disclosure as a fundamental rule of patent systems.

POLISH DISCLOSED SECRET PATENTS ON HIGH EXPLOSIVE COMPOSITIONS

Results of search and analyses of Polish disclosed secret patents on melt-cast, plastic and pressed explosive compositions, were presented. As a result of above search and analyses, thirteen [1-13] patent descriptions of inventions were found. These inventions were applied as secret ones to the Polish Patent Office in years 1960-1994. Information pieces about their disclosure, i.e. about removing secrecy from them, were published in the announcements of the News of the Polish Patent Office, issued in years 2007-2014.

POLISH DISCLOSED SECRET PATENTS ON TECHNOLOGY OF SOLID, HETEROGENEOUS ROCKET PROPELLANTS

Results of search and analysis of Polish disclosed secret patents on manufacture technology of solid, heterogeneous rocket propellants, were presented. As a result of this search, fifteen patent descriptions of inventions were found. These inventions were applied as secret ones to the Polish Patent Office in years 1963-1997. Information pieces about their disclosure, i.e. about removing secrecy from them, were published in the announcements of the News of the Polish Patent Office issued in years 2007-2017. Main topics of these inventions related to the ways of obtainment of compositions and charges of solid, heterogeneous rocket propellants, their inhibitors (screening compositions) covering propellant charges, and use of silver thin wires and/or catalysts accelerating combustion of such type propellants.

DISCLOSED INVENTIONS ON SCREENING TECHNOLOGIES OF SOLID, HOMOGENEOUS ROCKET PROPELLANT CHARGES

Results of search and analysis of Polish disclosed secret patents on screening (inhibiting) technology of solid, homogeneous rocket propellants, were presented. Due to search on this subject, seven inventions applied by Institute of Organic Chemistry as secret ones to the Polish Patent Office in years 1968-1980, were found. Pieces of information on their disclosure, i.e. about removing secrecy, were published in the News of the Patent Office issued in years 2007-2008.

The analysis of Polish patent applications in the solar energy technology with the use of text mining methodology

Purpose: Knowledge management belongs to the most important elements of organisational management, including manufacturing enterprises. Patent information plays an increasingly important role in this area. Identification of the main directions of invention activity may inspire new product and process ideas, and can help to improve existing solutions. The above is particularly important in the energy sector, which is currently struggling with increasing problems. In this context, solar energy is the subject of interest to inventive communities. The paper discusses patent applications related to solar energy, taking up the task of discovering the main tendencies of technological solutions in this area. Design/methodology/approach: In the work, a pilot study of the research aimed to indicate the directions of technological development in the field in Poland was undertaken. Shortened descriptions of selected patent documents from the Polish Patent Office (PPO) were the subject of the investigation. The descriptions were reduced to the form of a vector space model by using text mining tools. The exploration of such prepared data was done applying unsupervised text mining techniques. Hierarchical cluster analysis enabled the identification of groups of similar inventions. An algorithm to detect outliers within individual patent groups was also developed and applied. Findings: Five patent clusters were identified covering the following thematic areas: PV panel designs, PV panel component designs, the improvement of solar-heat conversion device performance, and solar collector designs. Six patent applications stood out thematically in four of the five clusters. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to a selected number of patent documents form PPO. However, the presented method and research area are promising. It is planned to extend the analyses to a larger set of patent documents and solve the problem related to the language uniformity of patent applications along with merging data from various sources. In this aspect, a full patent description will be consider as well. Keywords: solar energy patent analysis, patent documents processing, patent clustering, outliers detection, Polish Patent Office. Originality/value: In relation to solar energy issues, main patent areas and patent outliers that may be indicators of special interests of inventors were identified. In relation to methodology issues, new solutions within consecutive research steps were proposed.

Rola klastrów w innowacyjności regionów na przykładzie województwa małopolskiego

This publication presents the role of clusters in the innovative capacity of regions based on the example of the Małopolska voivodeship. The background is the analysis of the relevant legislation and reference works. Any statistical data was derived from the resources of the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Voivodeship, the Polish Patent Office and the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland. Based on the reference works, the aspects of cluster structures in the innovative processes of the region were discussed in the article. The first part defines the notion of innovative capacity as an economic category which does not refer solely to the enterprise level but comprises individual regions as well. The above was connected with the cluster structure concept, identifying the benefits and opportunities resulting from entities’ cooperation within clusters which translate into the innovation environment development as well. In the second part of the article, the individual aspects relating to cluster function in the Małopolska voivodeship were discussed, and their selected impact on the innovative capacity of the region was presented. To depict the innovation potential of the Małopolska voivodeship, four statistical indicators concerning the introduced innovations (when compared to the other regions) were linked to data on the cluster cooperation in the region. Referring to the traditional perception of the innovative capacity, the article’s conclusions include relevant findings concerning the cluster structure’s role in the innovative processes of the region.

Concept of Flocks Fragmentation and Averaging Method for the Application of Electrocoagulation in Process for Coke Oven Wastewater Treatment.

The main objective of the article is to develop the concept of flock fragmentation and the averaging method for the application of electrocoagulation in the process of treating wastewater from coke ovens. The designed solution was part of an innovative system for the coke oven wastewater treatment process. The system is dedicated to removing the hazardous elements and compounds from wastewater from leaching ashes in municipal waste incineration plants. The design of the process and its automatization was based on a quantitative simulation method. The balance equations of mass, energy, and momentum of transport, complemented by the kinetics of the related reaction, are used during the calculation of the process. The main result achieved is a practical solution—the reactor’s scheme, classified due to a patent procedure in the Polish Patent Office.

Trends and characteristics of patenting activity in Poland in 1990–2018

Patenting activity is broadly analysed in the literature at the micro, mezzo, and macroeconomic levels. Yet, not much attention regarding this issue is devoted to European countries in transition. The main aim of the study is a quantitative analysis of all patent applications filed with and grants issued by the Polish Patent Office throughout the period of 1990– 2018 at the aggregate and regional level. We investigate trends and factors determining the patenting activity in Poland – the country at an advanced level of the economic and social transition. The empirical analysis leads to several findings. First of all, we identify changes in the field of patenting related to Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004, which resulted in the increase of residents’ patenting activity and decrease of that of non-residents (in terms of the number of filed applications and granted patents at a national and regional level). This holds for absolute numbers as well as for a per capita perspective. Additionally, we demonstrate that the increase in R&D expenditure is not followed by a proportional increase in patenting, as the patent-to- R&D ratio is systematically shrinking. Finally, the study compares trends in patenting activity in Poland with those in different groups of countries, proving that the dynamic of change in Poland is much slower than could be expected.

Technology Transfer in Poland: Overview

: The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the current state of technology transfer in Poland by examining various stages of the process and indicators associated with different actors involved. In order to examine the role of technology in polish enterprises, it takes into account different forms of intellectual property, both created and acquired in Poland. Data taken into consideration include domestic and external sources, focused on the years 2013 - 2017. The main sources of the statistics are the Polish Patent Office and the Central Statistics Office. : Phenomena observed in the data are supported and elaborated by domestic research articles concerned with technology transfer and open innovation. The most striking feature of such juxtaposition is the fact, that some of the indicators presented in the article are surprisingly low, considering overall economic situation. : All of the above represents the context of the Open Innovation Network project, which is also presented in the paper. Interpretation of the presented results is included in the discussion section. Some of the indicators confirm the status of polish economy as moderately innovative, however trends in performance of a small group of technical universities show a promising development in the field of technology transfer.

Prototype of a magnetorheological damper

Paper discussed the State of the Art focused on magnetorheological dampers. Then the new construction solution of a damper with a magnetorheological elastomer was presented. The magnetorheological damper was designed in the Institute of Aviation and was intellectually protected in the Polish Patent Office. The article ends with conclusions.

Tests of a magnetorheological damper

Paper showed the results of experimental tests of a magnetorheological damper prototype. The damper construction is protected in the Polish Patent Office. In the paper the solution of the damper, the test stand, and results of experiments are presented.

IRON POROUS SLIDE BEARINGS IMPREGNATED WITH A SELECTED IONIC LIQUID

This article presents some selected results of the research on the slide porous bearings, sintered from the iron powder Höganas NC.100.24, with 2.5% of copper addition by weight, impregnated with selected ionic liquids, through comprehensive and detailed research works [L. 1–6]. The research was carried out within the framework of PBR/15-249/2007/WAT-OR00002904 Research Project financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, during 2007–2011 [L. 7]. Several times higher load capacities and durabilities were obtained in comparison with standard ø25/ø35×20 mm sleeves lubricated with previously used oils, including perfluoropolyether oils. To date, there were no bearings sintered from the iron powder and impregnated with ionic liquids. The durability and load capacity of such bearings are higher, and that is why it was decided to submit a proper patent claim to the Polish Patent Office [L. 8].

Innowacyjna głowica do podawania materiału w drukarkach przyrostowych. Cz. 1. Koncepcja

The article presents the concept of 3D printer head equipped with a mixing system and a gas shield system. The solution has the protection of intellectual property rights in the form of application of the invention in the Polish Patent Office. Currently used solutions and innovativeness of the head according to the invention were discussed. Constructional solutions of individual components of the head including a description of their operation were presented. The concept is the basis for research on the construction of a prototype of this head and verification of the effectiveness of its operation and functionality in laboratory conditions.

INVENTING INDEPENDENCE. NEGOTIATING THE INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LAW FOR FUTURE POLAND AT THE END OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Shortly after Poland regained its independency in November 1918, the Chief of State Józef Pilsudski signed two decrees introducing the patent law in the country and bringing the Polish Patent Office into existence. In recent literature, the introduction of both decrees has been acknowledged as the starting point of legal patent protection in the independent Poland, while it is largely forgotten to whom the whole preparatory work should have been attributed. The draft of the patent law signed by Pilsudski has been worked out well before November 1918, by the Ministry of Industry of the Provisional Council of State of the Kingdom of Poland, a quasi-independent governing body established by the German and Austro-Hungarian occupying forces. This article attempts to reconstruct a contemporary discourse upon that issue, while explaining at the same time the reasons that made the enacted law very much imperfect. This work is based mainly on authentic documents from that era, and, since it uses both legal and technical writings, it is a novel attempt to address this issue. This paper argues that deficiencies of the first Polish patent legislation resulted from inability or, perhaps, unwillingness of the Ministry of Industry to seek advices from the experts in patent law – lawyers and patent agents, unquestionably being the most predisposed to this task.

POSTĘPOWANIE SPORNE PRZED URZĘDEM PATENTOWYM W PRZEDMIOCIE UNIEWAŻNIENIA PRAW WŁASNOŚCI PRZEMYSŁOWEJ

StreszczeniePrzedmiotem podjętych rozważań jest analiza postępowania spornego przed Urzędem Patentowym w sprawach z zakresu prawa własności przemysłowej, do którego mają zastosowanie odpowiednio przepisy Kodeksu postępowania administracyjnego w sprawach nieuregulowanych w ustawie – Prawo własności przemysłowej jako ustawie szczególnej. Artykuł ma charakter interdyscyplinarny, gdyż jego przedmiot dotyczy zagadnień prawa publicznego i prywatnego, a mianowicie ogólnego postępowania administracyjnego oraz prawa własności przemysłowej, który stanowi dział prawa cywilnego – prawa na dobrach niematerialnych. W artykule skoncentrowano się na postępowaniu spornym w przedmiocie unieważnienia prawa jako postępowaniu, w którym rozstrzygnięcia Urzędu Patentowego RP są najczęściej poddawane kontroli sądów administracyjnych.Postępowanie sporne w przedmiocie unieważnienia prawa zalicza się do szczególnych postępowań administracyjnych. Postępowanie to charakteryzuje się istotnymi odrębnościami w porównaniu z ogólnym postępowaniem administracyjnym. Rola Urzędu Patentowego jako organu administracji publicznej rozstrzygającego spór jest zbliżona do sądu cywilnego. Urząd Patentowy pełni rolę arbitra rozstrzygającego spór. Postępowanie sporne ma charakter kontradyktoryjny. Postępowanie to jest specyficznym typem postępowania administracyjnego z uwagi na występowanie wielu odrębności i cech upodabniających to postępowanie do postępowania sądowego.

The importance of startups for construction of innovative economies

Objective: The aim of this article is to determine the impact of startup businesses on the innovation of the economy. Research Design & Methods: The statistics are from foundation reports, specializing in the study of the startup environment in Poland, Eurostat databases and the Central Statistical Office. The article attempts to define the concept of startup as a business, based on an innovative idea or pioneering business. Findings: As a result, they are companies that create a completely new product or service, not based on replicated offers from other market players, and do not replicate existing ones. Business activity is subject to a considerable degree of risk. The analysis of the correlation between the number of Micro-enterprises and GDP per capita (PPS) as well as the number of patents issued for national inventions by the Polish Patent Office and GDP per capita (PPS) showed a strong correlation between the variables tested. Contribution & Value Added: The benefits of developing a country-wide startup ecosystem contribute to government-directed R & D, in order to create a favorable environment for a new business model. The development of new businesses is an opportunity to improve the condition of national economies and the situation of society, and above all to increase the innovativeness of regions.

Pozycja ustrojowa oraz zadania Urzędu Patentowego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w sprawach własności przemysłowej w ujęciu historycznym

This article presents the issue of the legal position and the responsibilities of the Polish Patent Office in matters of industrial property in the historical perspective. The Patent Office was established in 1918 shortly after Poland regained national sovereignty. The present paper analyses the position, role, responsibilities and organization of the Patent Office from 1918 to 2018 under the basis of legal acts. Under binding law, the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland is a central government authority in matters of industrial property. The Patent Office fulfils its responsibilities concerning industrial property, especially adjudicating in cases of granting patents and supplementary protection rights for inventions, protection rights for utility models and trademarks, and rights in registration of industrial designs, schematic layouts and topographies of integrated circuits.