[English contents] This slides explains a elementary method for searching Japanese patent documents related to foreign patents. *元特許審査官（ex-JPO patent examiner） *弁理士（Japanese patent attorney） *田嶋亮介（Ryosuke Tajima）

1. Simple JP Patent search
Ryosuke TAJIMA / Japanese Patent Attorney
(rtajima.patent@gmail.com)
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights Reserved.

2. “G01M11/00, G01N21/47, G01N21/88”
◆ How do I find the prior art related to the following invention?
1. Identify the IPC codes
（⇒4-3）
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Reserved.

3. DEVICE FOR EXAMINING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SURFACES
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a device for examining the optical properties of surfaces.
The device will be described below with reference to examining vehicle bodies. However,
reference is made to the fact that other kinds of surfaces may also be examined with the
device of the invention.
Such devices for examining the optical properties of surfaces are known from the prior art.
Generally, these use a light source which emits light to the surface to be examined and a
detector that detects and evaluates the light reflected or diffused off said surface. Such
evaluation allows a determination of the optical properties of surfaces such as color or gloss.
Such determination or characterization is required since motor-vehicle bodies or their
paintwork make different impressions on the human eye depending on the incident light, thus
requiring a neutral characterization.
Lately finishes have been gaining popularity which in particular comprises pigments or so-
called flakes. These pigments or flakes are for instance metal particles statistically
distributed in the layer of finish or its surface. More precisely, metal pigments may consist of
very thin metal flakes acting as miniature reflectors. Standardizing this type of finishes or
measuring the properties of their surfaces creates problems since, depending on the
incidence angle of the light, said pigments exhibit different characteristics and for example
the slightest variation of the viewing angle may already result in a different color or a
different brightness. Among other things manufacturers also use finishes having interference
pigments which, in particular in viewing large surface areas, result in color blending at more or
less precisely specified color changing angles (flop) which may lead to largely different color
perceptions which in turn leads to varying overall impressions of the brightness or the color
of the finished surfaces.
These effects and different perceptions of surfaces caused for example by different densities,
distribution and compositions of finish additives such as flakes or ornamental pigments
cannot be detected with prior art devices since those detectors only supply information on
the composite intensity of the incident light from various positions on the measuring surface
i.e. they integrate intensity without local resolution.
2. Choose the keywords of the invention
“examine”, “optical”, “surface”, “vehicle body”, “reflected
light”, “diffused light”, “finishes”
（⇒4-9）
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

4. JP patent family
“JP2006-030203”
3. Confirm whether there is a JP patent family
cf) Espacenet (EPO)
https://www.epo.org/searching/free/espacenet.html
（⇒5-4）
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

5. 4-2. Click on “IPC-FI Concordance search”
4. Identify the F-term
4-1. Use the Patent Map Guidance System (PMGS) in J-PlatPat
cf) J-PlatPat (JPO)
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/web/all/top/BTmTopEnglishPage
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

6. Classification = “G01M11/00”
4-3. Input the IPC code
FI = “G01M11/00”
4-4. Identify FI from IPC
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.
*FI [File Index] and F-term [File forming term] are Japanese patent classification systems.
It is also noted that FI is based on IPC [International Patent Classification]

7. 4-5. Click on the FI code
Reference etc. = “2G086”
4-6. Identify the Theme code (of the F-term) from FI
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

8. 4-7. Obtain the F-term list
4-8. Conduct the same procedure for different IPC
and obtain other F-term lists
・G01M11/00 ⇒ “2G086”
・G01N21/47 ⇒ “2G059”
・G01N21/88 ⇒ “2G051”
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

9. 4-9. Check the F-term lists and find the appropriate viewpoints
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

10. 5. FI/F-term Search
5-1. Click on “FI/F-term Search”
ex)
“[G01M11/00+G01N21/47+G01N21/88]*2G051AA89
*2G051AB12*2G051CB01”
5-2. Input the FI and F-term codes
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.

11. 5-3. Obtain the list of JP patent documents
Confirm whether there is a JP patent family
“JP2006-030203” in the list.
5-4. Validation
Copyright © 2015 Ryosuke TAJIMA All Rights
Reserved.
This list includes the prior art that you are
looking for.