In patent law, a kind code, or WIPO Standard ST.16 code, is a code used on patent documents published by intellectual property offices to distinguish different kinds of patent documents.
[1] The recommended use is the two-letter country code followed by the patent document number and then the kind code, e.g., "US 7,654,321 B1" for U.S. Patent No.
[1] The European Patent Office (EPO) uses kind codes such as the following.
[3] The Japan Patent Office (JPO) uses kind codes including In the United States, effective January 2, 2001, the kind codes indicate a variety of documents published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), most importantly patent application publications and patents.
[1] For publications of international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the kind codes include