Notre réseau d’experts/ Notre compétence

Reinhard HERMANN

German

Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Pharmacology

German, English, French, Dutch

Chemistry and Biology (University Regensburg, Germany)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

3 years : PhD research in Physical Biochemistry (University Regensburg, Germany) ;

1 year : Postdoc research in Cell Biology and Immunology (University Hospital for Dermatology, Münster, Germany)

2 years : Head of Laboratory for Immunochemistry (Behringwerke, Marburg, Germany)

EPO (29 years)

Director

Examiner search examination opposition

Chairman of division

Tutor of new examiners

Documentation and classification

International activities (trilateral, IP5, WIPO, others)

Willy Lépée

Belgian.

German, English, French, Dutch

Director at the EPO, The Hague, till 2002,

started as an examiner in G06F in 1967.

Involved in the development of Epoque, the synonym database and the search strategy,

Recruiter and tutor.

Cooperated later in the automated presearch, artificial intelligence, success story.

After retirement, worked as a contractor for the EPO and INPI.

Joined Europatis in the early days, mainly for searches in H01B.

Paolo Ganci

Italian

Italian, English, German, French, Dutch

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS:

responsible patent examiner in search/examination/opposition in the IPC field G01G for weighing and measuring of mass; expertise in the technical fields G01, G08B, G08G, B65B, B65G, H05K 5-11. Director at the EPO in Electrical and Electronic Technology/ Sector Information & Communication Technology / Mobility and Mechatronics.

Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering - University of Padua (IT)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Oil field engineer (6 years’ experience: 1981-1986) at Geoservices (FR), a Schlumberger company, offering evaluation of hydrocarbon reservoirs and optimization of field exploration, development, and production.

Purchasing engineer (1986-1987) at Solari (IT) manufacturing industrial clocks, data acquisition terminals, and public information display systems for airport, railway, traffic control, and advertising applications

33 years at EPO as patent examiner (1987-2008) and as Director (2009-2021).

Chairman of examining division

Tutor of new examiners in G01 technical fields

Documentalist in G01 field and classification of new incoming documents in G01G technical field

Winfried Hylla

German

German, English, French

Physicist with focus on optics (optical instruments, optical fibers, and related fields)

Physics diploma from Technical University Berlin, PhD in the field of electron microscopy

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

5 years scientific assistant at TU Berlin (lectures on experimental physics, advanced experimental laboratory for physics students)

1 year as teacher of natural sciences at a secondary school

29 years examiner at the EPO Berlin

(search and substantive examiner, chairman in opposition)

Academy trainer of new examiners, tutor, lecturer in EPO academies (Eastern Europe, JPO, SIPO)

Massimo Galanti

Italian

active English; passive French and German.

Industrial property expert

Technical experience in the field of physics and electricity, more in particular in optics, lasers, nuclear energy.

Univerista’ degli Studi di Roma

Imperial College London

Doctor in Physics

Professional experience:

1968-1971 European Space Research Institute (Frascati, Italy)

1971-1975 United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Culham Laboratory (Abingdon UK)

1975-1981 Ente Nazionale Energie Alternative (Frascati, Italy)

1979-1980 Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Garching, Germany)

1981-2011 European Patent Office (Rijswijk, Nederlands)

2011- Founder Studio Galanti, Patent consultants

EPO (30 years)

Examiner search examination (1981-2008)

Director for 1 year, appointed

Documentation and Classification (2008-2011)

Tutor of new examiner (1983-2011)

Philip Nice

British

English, German, French, Dutch

Expert in medical equipment and hygiene devices

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Oxford University, master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Surrey University

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

30 years at the EPO (17 in The Hague, 13 in Berlin)

Examiner carrying out search, examination and opposition

Chairman of examination and opposition divisions

Tutor of new examiners

In charge of classification (“gérant”) for parts of IPC subclasses A61B and A61F, and directorate supervisor of documentation (“documentalist”)

Involved in trilateral cooperation with the USPTO and JPO

Michelangelo Barba

Italy

Italian (native speaker), English and German (full professional proficiency) French (professional working proficiency).

Computer Implemented Inventions, Software, Health and Medical Informatics, Complex Mathematical Algorithms, Medical Images Processing, Bioinformatics, Business Methods, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neural Networks.

Bsc and Msc. In Electronic Engineering and Computer Science; PhD in Mathematics and Computer Science.

Alenia Space Systems Group; Matra Espace (Toulouse, France); University of Torino, Dpt. of Informatics; Saab Space (Goteborg, Sweden); Ericsson R&D (Goteborg, Sweden); EPO (1990-1997 Den Haag, NL; 1997-2010 Munich, D; 2010-2020 Berlin, D).

EPO 1990-2020

Senior examiner (A4(2)) in Search, Examination and Opposition (since 1994 Best Examiner).

Chairman of Examining and Opposition Division.

Coach of new examiners; Instructor in the Patent Academy; Instructor of Opposition Training; Expert in complex applications.

Gerant and Classifier.

Representing EPO in many visits at Patent Attorneys, Universities, Conferences and Companies, public discussions and round tables on patenting of software and Computer Implemented Inventions; author of articles for scientific publications, in particular presenting an article on EPO and patenting of diagnostic methods at the annual conference of IEEE EMBS held in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Schäffler Christian

German

German (mother tongue), English, French, Dutch, Italian (basic)

General mechanics, pipeline technologies, oilfield equipment (downstream), insulation technologies, material science

Diploma mechanical engineering (Technical University Munich)

Professional experience

35 years in the EPO

15 years chairman of division

10 years tutor of new examiners

20 years documentation and classification

Cooperation with Technical University Munich (Studiengang “Intellectual Property and Competition Law”)

Christian M. Masche

German

German, French, English, Dutch

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS:
Telecom, computers, electronics
Classes H, G, B

PhD in experimental physics

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

EPO
27 years patent examiner in Berlin and The Hague

Search, examination and opposition in classes H and G
chairman of Examination and Opposition divisions in Berlin, Munich and The Hague

Tutor of new examiners
Deputy director in Berlin

Quality management for search, examination and contested non-unity cases on directorate level

John Devine

UK

English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish.

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Electronics, Applied Physics, Electro-Mechanics, Railway Technology

1967-1971 - Honours Degree, B.Sc. University of Glasgow, UK;

1971-1972 - Postgraduate Course, University of Glasgow, UK. (Both in Electronics and Applied Physics).

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

1972- 1980 – Patent Examiner in UK Intellectual Property Office (H.M. Patent Office, London, UK)

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EPO: 1980 -2014 (35 years)

Examiner search, examination, opposition in the Hague Branch, 25 years

Directorate Adviser in the Hague Branch, 10 years

Chairman of Opposition division, 5 years

Tutor of new examiners in search and examination, 23 years

Tutor in Academy for new examiners, 13 years, both in the Hague and in Berlin Sub-Office

Tutor in Courses for examiner career development, 15 years

Expert in Non-unity of Invention

International activities: Course Lecturer to examiners in Greek and Swiss Patent Offices

NOESEN R.F.

Luxemburg

German, French, English, Dutch, Lux

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Mechanical Engineering

Univ. RWTHA Dipl.-Ing.

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE:

CNC Numerical Control:

EPO:

36 years

Director

Examiner search examination opposition : -

Chairman of division : -

Tutor of new examiners : -

Documentation and classification : A, B, D, E, F, G, H

International activities (trilateral, IP5, WIPO, others)

Beatrice Pelli Wablat

Italian

English, German, French, Italian

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS

Search and Examination in chemical and biomedical compositions, in particular detergent compositions (C11D), cosmetic compositions (A61K8), dental compositions (A61K6).

07.11.74-17.12.80 Chemistry Degree (organic and biological field) at the University of Padua.

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

01.01.81-1.12.82. Scholarship at the Institute of Preparative Electrochemistry of the National Council of Research (NRC) in Padua.

01.01.83-30.05.84. Research at the Institute for Clinical Medicine in Padua; Mass Spectrometry (MS) application in trace analysis in clinical, pharmacological, toxicological areas.

01.06.84-30.04.85 Post Doc Stipendium of the NRC for foreign Countries. Institute für Chemie und Biochemie Weihenstephan TU München. MS applications in stable isotopes field.

01-05.85-30.04.88. Researcher at the Area Researchers of Padua (NRC). MS application for structural characterization of organic compounds.

EPO

From May 1988 to January 2020

Marcel Declat

Belgian

Dutch, French, English, German

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Electricity (high current)

Engineer (Gent, Belgium).

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE :

EPO

38 years

1970-1986: Examiner (IIB, EPO)

1986-1996: Chief examiner

1996-2008: Directorate adviser

Deputizing in a directorate

Examiner in search, examination, (opposition)

Chairman of division

Tutor of new examiners in search and examination (“coach”)

Documentation and classification (H05K, G11B, G06K, H02K)

Member of several committees (recruitment, promotion,

home loans, etc)

Per-Olov Jonsson

Swedish

Swedish, English, German

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Medical Diagnostics A61B

Computing G06F,G06Q

Image processing G06T

General measuring and testing G01D, G01P

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE :

Patent examiner at the European Patent Office for 27+ years

MSc in engineering physics

Earlier work experience:

Development engineer at the Royal Swedish Building Research Institute

Development engineer at Luxor Electronics

Retired 2018 working for Europatis since

Harm OLTHOFF

German

German, English, French, Dutch, Portuguese

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Mechanics

Mechanical Engineering (University of Delft, The Netherlands) 

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE :

Former Stork B.V.

2 years Consultant Mechanical Analysis at F.D.O. Technische Adviseurs

4 years Project Engineer at R.M.O. Werkspoor

4 years Project Manager at R.M.O. Werkspoor

EPO

12 years Patent Examiner carrying out search, examination and opposition in a variety of mechanical fields

18 years Director of several mechanical/human necessities/civil engineering search/examination/opposition directorates

Michiel Sonius

Dutch (NL)

English, German and French

EXPERTISE AND TECHNICAL FIELDS :

Although my academic training was in metals science, I have most experience in treating patent applications in the fields of computer vision and image processing (G06K9, G06T).

I have a masters degree in Metals Science, Delft University of Technology, 1982.

PROFESSIONAL and MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE :

EPO,

34 years.

Team manager for ca.10 examiners.

I joined the "BEST" project in 1993. When the field expanded I trained several young colleagues in examination. In my group we had a critical attitude not only to novelty and inventive step, but also toward requirements such as clarity and sufficient disclosure. In some years I chaired more than 30 oral proceedings. I was also trained in opposition , and eventually chaired many oral proceedings, a substantial number in the field of hearing aids.

Gerant in the field of pattern recognition (G06K9/00). Although I later on transferred this responsibility to younger colleagues, i was strongly involved in the joint classification project with the USPTO, in clarifying our classification scheme.