IPC or CPC for energy sector

[viktator]

Hello,
I study at University Bremen and work with a local installation of PATSTAT. I already have all necessary US patent information for my analysis. For the further analysis I need patents with connection to the energy sector. I want to define the energy sector with IPC or CPC. My idea is to define the energy sector with CPC Y02 - Y04.

Do you have any further suggestions?

[Geert Boedt]

The concept of "patents with connection to the energy sector" can be interpreted very wide or very narrow. (production of energy, saving of energy, transport of energy, storing of energy, ...)
The patent classifications systems (or respective concordance tables to NACE and/or technology field/sector) do not provide for such a general concept. It is a classification system for "technologies".
At best you could maybe use : techn_sector/techn_field = 1 "Electrical engineering", "Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy".

My approach would be to identify the main actors (companies) in the "area" you want to study, then make an analysis of their patent portfolio (at its simplest form a list on how many filings per IPC/ CPC class), and then use the list of classification codes to extract all patents across all companies.

For example: assume you want to study the global aerospace industry. If we agree that the 2 main players in this industry are Boeing and Airbus, we simply extract al patents from both companies. Then we make a hit list on classification codes (IPC and/or CPC) and see what the main classification codes are that have been assigned to their patent portfolios. This hit list (which you first will need to clean up or narrow down to exclude unwanted technologies) can then be used in a loop back to extract al patents across all patent applicants. Even then you will probably need to further reduce this final list.

I used this approach (but aggregated at NACE level) for the article in this publication:
Airbus_Boeing

The Australian patent office used a similar methodology to analyse the "mining industry":
AU Mining Industry

I hope this helps you with your research.

[viktator]

Thank you for your reply. For my analysis, I have defined the energy sector with NACE rev. 2 section D devision 35 (Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply). I found a concordance table IPC ‐ NACE rev.2 (EUROSTAT, 2014), unfortunately without division 35. Do you know a way to find a connection between IPC and NACE devision 35?

[Geert Boedt]

As far as I am aware, there is no such concordance made;
the link to NACE codes was limited to codes in "Section C - Manufacturing".

With a couple of smaller exceptions such as :

• 2.2 Construction of Utility Projects
  42.91 Construction of Water Projects
  43 Specialised Construction Activities
  62 Computer Programming, Consultancy and Related Activities