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U.S. Patent Classification System

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's classification scheme for categorizing patent applications and patents.

General information
Vocabulary alternative name or acronym: 

USPC System

Vocabulary type: 
clsssys
Was vocabulary created as a course project: 
0
Scope and Usage
Purpose: 

Provides guidance for patent searches in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) databases.

Used By: 

Patent researchers and patent examiners

Vocabulary characteristics
Type of display : 
hier
alph
Type of terms: 

Technology areas

Relationship types: 
hier_bn
nier_part
Number of classes: 

Over 400

Number of terms: 
over 165,000
Number of preferred terms: 
over 165,000
Provider
Vocabulary provider name: 
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Provider URL: