Examination Guidelines of AI Inventions (Exam. Practice Guidance)

(Subject) Patent applications of inventions requiring machine learning based AI technology for implementing inventions
(Established in 2020) Description requirements of a specification and criteria on patentability examination are clarified, and specific cases of examination of AI-implemented technologies are presented.
Established in 2020
1 Description requirements of a specification
  • A specific means for implementing AI inventions (learning data/pre-processing/learning model, etc.) should be presented and described in a specification.
  • A correlation between input data and output of a learning model should be described.
  • Where data pre-processing technology is featured, a correlation between raw data and learning data should be specifically described.
  • Reinforcement learning based AI technology should have an agent, environment, condition, actions and rewards as required features.
  • AI-applied inventions may describe a general training model name (Description method).
2 Patent eligibility
  • Current examination criteria on computer-SW inventions are maintained.
  • Software information processing is specifically implemented in use of a hardware.
3 Novelty/ Inventive step
  • Where AI technology is not specifically described, it is regarded as simple use of a disclosed AI technology.
  • Specific means, such as pre-processing, learning model, learning data, etc., is specified, and if it is recognized that the means brings about ‘unexpected advantageous effect’, the inventive step is acknowledged.
  • Where BM technology is simply systemized with a disclosed AI technology, the inventive step is denied.
  • Where output data of an AI invention is specifically utilized and unexpected advantageous effect are produced accordingly, the inventive step is acknowledged.
  • Where the industrial field is different, such aspects or effect is considered (e.g., the change of the industrial field or overcoming of technological difficulties)

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(Revised in 2021) Definition of a learning model is provided, and description requirements of claims are clearly presented where a learning model is described in the claimed subject.
Revised in 2021
1 Definition/requirements of learning model
  • Description requirements of a specific means and definition of a learning model are provide
  • Learning data, date pre-processing, loss function, etc. are presented as a specific means to be described for embodying AI inventions.
2 Example cases
  • Examples of a claim of a learning model having a neural network as a basic structure are presented.
  • Examples of a claim of a product using a learning model are presented.
3 Deficiency in description
  • Provision(s) regarding deficiency in description and its explanation are presented based on a real case.

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Examination Practice Guidance in the Artificial Intelligence field

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IP5 Offices’ Examination Practice Guidances in the Artificial Intelligence field

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  • Last updated 23 May 2024
  • Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Examination Division