Patentability Search Glossary: Chinese-English Terms
Introduction
A patentability search glossary helps searchers translate concepts consistently across Chinese and English. Patentability searching and cross-language retrieval are inseparable — searchers routinely switch between Chinese, English, and other languages. Mastering the Chinese-English equivalents of core terminology not only speeds up searching but also makes your professional communication with overseas agents and external examiners smoother.
This patentability search glossary compiles a practical Chinese-English glossary of common terms used in patentability searching, organized by topic for easy reference.
Patentability Search Glossary: Basic Patent Concepts
| 中文 | English |
|---|---|
| 查新 / 可专利性检索 | Patentability Search / Novelty Search |
| 专利 | Patent |
| 专利申请 | Patent Application |
| 发明专利 | Invention Patent |
| 实用新型 | Utility Model |
| 外观设计 | Design Patent |
| 申请日 | Filing Date / Application Date |
| 优先权日 | Priority Date |
| 公开日 | Publication Date |
| 授权日 | Grant Date / Issue Date |
| 专利权人 | Patentee / Patent Owner |
| 申请人 | Applicant |
| 发明人 | Inventor |
| 审查员 | Examiner |
| 专利代理师 | Patent Agent / Patent Attorney |
II. Patentability Concepts
| 中文 | English |
|---|---|
| 新颖性 | Novelty |
| 创造性 | Inventive Step (EP) / Non-obviousness (US) |
| 实用性 | Industrial Applicability / Utility |
| 现有技术 | prior art terms |
| 对比文件 | Citation / Cited Document |
| 最接近的现有技术 | Closest prior art terms |
| 区别技术特征 | Distinguishing Feature / Differentiating Feature |
| 技术启示 | Teaching / Suggestion / Motivation |
| 三步法 / 问题-解决法 | Three-Step Test (CN) / Problem-Solution Approach (EPO) |
| 本领域技术人员 | Person Skilled in the Art (POSITA) (US) / Skilled Person (EP) |
| 隐含公开 | Implicit Disclosure |
| 惯用手段置换 | Replacement by Equivalent Means / Substitution of Common General Knowledge |
| 预料不到的技术效果 | Unexpected Technical Effect / Surprising Effect |
| 显而易见 | Obvious |
| 非显而易见 | Non-obvious |
| 单独对比 | Single Document Comparison |
| 抵触申请 | Secret prior art terms / Whole-Contents prior art terms (EPC Art. 54(3)) |
III. Patent Search Terms
| 中文 | English |
|---|---|
| 检索 | Search |
| 检索策略 | Search Strategy |
| 检索式 | Search Query |
| 关键词 | Keyword |
| 同义词 | Synonym |
| 分类号 | Classification Code / Classification Symbol |
| IPC（国际专利分类） | International Patent Classification (IPC) |
| CPC（联合专利分类） | Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) |
| FI/F-Term（日本分类） | FI / F-Term (File Index / File Forming Term) |
| 检索结果 | Search Results |
| 命中 | Hit |
| 检索报告 | Search Report |
| 国际检索报告（PCT） | International Search Report (ISR) |
| 补充检索 | Supplementary Search |
| 语义检索 | Semantic Search |
| 专利数据库 | Patent Database |
| 专利族 / 同族 | Patent Family |
| 引文 / 引用 | Citation |
| 被引用 | Cited By / Forward Citation |
| 引用项 | Backward Citation / Reference Cited |
| 权利要求 | Claims |
| 独立权利要求 | Independent Claim |
| 从属权利要求 | Dependent Claim |
| 说明书 | Specification / Description |
| 附图 | Drawings |
| 摘要 | Abstract |
IV. NPL terminology Search
| 中文 | English |
|---|---|
| 非专利文献 | NPL terminology (NPL) |
| 学术论文 | Academic Paper / Journal Article |
| 会议论文 | Conference Paper / Conference Proceedings |
| 学位论文（硕士/博士） | Thesis / Dissertation |
| 技术标准 | Technical Standard |
| 产品说明书 | Product Manual / Datasheet |
| 公知常识 | Common General Knowledge |
| 教科书 | Textbook |
| 词典/百科 | Dictionary / Encyclopedia |
| Google Scholar | Google Scholar |
| IEEE Xplore | IEEE Xplore |
| CNKI（中国知网） | CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) |
| PubMed | PubMed |
| arXiv | arXiv |
| GitHub | GitHub |
V. Patent Examination and Evaluation
| 中文 | English |
|---|---|
| 实质审查 | Substantive Examination |
| 审查意见通知书 | Office Action |
| 驳回 | Rejection / Refusal |
| 授权 | Grant / Allowance |
| 答复审查意见 | Response to Office Action |
| 修改 | Amendment |
| 分案申请 | Divisional Application |
| 优先权 | Priority Right |
| 宽限期 | Grace Period |
| 第一次审查意见 | First Office Action (FOA) |
| 最终审查意见 | Final Office Action |
| 复审 | Re-examination |
| 无效宣告 | Invalidation |
| 部分无效 | Partial Invalidation |
| 全部无效 | Full Invalidation |
VI. Quick Reference: Scenario-Based Expressions
Colloquial expressions across three common scenarios:
Scenario 1: Discovering a “Killer Reference” During Search
- 中文：”这导致在新颖性上直接就判死了”
- 英文：“This kills novelty. Single reference, fully anticipating the claims.”
Scenario 2: The “Gray Zone” in Inventive Step Assessment
- 中文：”创造性存在一定的空间——取决于审查员如何看待’技术启示'”
- 英文：“The inventive step is borderline — it depends on whether the examiner finds a teaching/suggestion/motivation to combine.”
Scenario 3: Communicating Search Results with the Inventor
- 中文：”我没有找到一模一样的，但找到了几篇专利建议类似的思路。所以新颖性还行，但创造性有压力。”
- 英文：“I didn’t find an exact match, but there are a few patents suggesting the same general approach. So novelty looks okay, but obviousness might be a challenge.”
Key Takeaway: This patentability search glossary supports cross-language searching and IP communication. This glossary is organized into six thematic categories — Basic Patent Concepts, Patentability Concepts, Patent Search Terms, NPL terminology Search, Patent Examination and Evaluation, and Quick Reference Expressions. Mastering accurate Chinese-English term correspondence is the foundation for cross-language patentability searching and international IP communication. Bookmark this page as a standing reference during searching, share it with your IP team, and use it to help inventors learn patent concepts.
For teams standardizing a patentability search glossary, PatSnap Analytics can help compare terminology across patent records, families, and technical fields.
