Japanese (JP) Patent Publications
There are two main types of Patent Publications published in Japanese by the Japan Patent Office:
Other documents generated by the Japan Patent Office are Official Actions.
In addition to documents published or generated by the Japan Patent Office - other documents and
publications that require translation include:
Kokai - Publication of Unexamined Patent (or Utility Model) Application
The most common Japanese patent publication is the 'kokai'. Japanese patent applications
are automatically published (without being examined) 18 months after filing. The resulting
document is the patent (or utility model) "kokai," often referred to in English as
"Publication of Unexamined Patent (or Utility Model) Application."
Kokoku - Application Published for Opposition
Other JP patent publications include 'kokoku,' and patents. A kokoku is an application
published for opposition under the old pre-grant opposition system. The application in
a kokoku has been examined and found by the examiner to be in condition for allowance.
Many different kinds of patent publications are available for downloading at the web
site of the Japanese Patent Office (JPO).
Official Actions
Translating 'official actions' (communications between a JPO examiner and applicant)
requires some knowledge of JPO patent processing procedures, patent law, and experience
with this type of document.
Technical Journal Articles
The vast number of Technical Journal Articles in the Japanese language can be invaluable
for patent invalidity searches.
Litgation Documents
Patent disputes also require translation of translating documents such as engineering
notebooks, minutes of meetings, memos, and correspondence.
For most published documents, we require only a document number to do the translation or make an estimate.