Case studies : Patent examiner: Blanca Barrientos Lezcano

Blanca graduated in 2008 with an MA in Telecommunications Engineering from the CPS - University of Zaragoza, Spain. She participated in the Erasmus programme and studied for half a year at the University of Glasgow. She also did her final thesis abroad, at Thales Naval Nederland in The Netherlands. She currently works as a patent examiner in cluster telecommunications at the European Patent Office.

I did an internship for six months as a patent re-classifier at the European Patent Office (EPO), which introduced me to what the work of a patent examiner is about. I had to achieve the required language skills in the three official languages of the European Patent Office: English, French and German.

The field of telecommunications I am working in is very technical and, in my daily work, relevant background and degree is more than needed to really understand what the patent applications are about.

My day starts when receiving a new patent application. The documents have to be carefully analysed and a search for previously published technical disclosures ('prior art') is performed. This way, the patentability of the application can be assessed (that is, to judge if the invention meets all patentability criteria). The search is followed by substantive examination. It enables the applicant (or its authorised representative, i.e. a patent attorney) to follow the transparent patenting procedure step by step.

I work independently, but in close cooperation with my team. The working hours are quite flexible and we enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We can use the large sports facilities at the EPO or join some of the many clubs with leisure activities; you can do all sorts of things.

I am only in my second year at the European Patent Office: that means that I am still following training and if needed, a senior examiner advises me. The training lasts for two years and after that time I will be working independently.

There are many aspects that I enjoy about my work. First, I really like the fact that the work of a patent examiner is not only technical, including a lot of analytical research, but also involves legal aspects. I see many applications and many new inventions. This enriches my scope of knowledge. The legal aspects of the work were completely new to me when I started, and I find them very interesting.

The job is a perfect combination between independent and team work. The search is mainly done individually but, in the examination process, the whole Examining Division is involved in deciding whether a patent application turns out into a granted patent or not. And, last but not least, I really enjoy working in a multicultural environment with many different nationalities and making use of my language skills.

I honestly find everyday challenging: every patent application is different and has its own details. So far, I am continuously learning in my technical field and about the legal aspects.

The best thing is that I can keep my technical knowledge up to date, as I work at the forefront of technology everyday and, at the same time, I improve and use my language skills.

The working hours are flexible and there is even the possibility of working part time or from home, which is a big plus for the colleagues who have children. The EPO offers very good and stable working conditions.