KIPO Begins Review for 'Honorary Patent Registration' of Turtle Ship and Cheugugi

Honorary patent registration reviews are underway for old inventions such as the Geobukseon and Cheugugi.

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on the 31st that, marking the 60th anniversary of Inventors' Day this year, it has selected 15 outstanding inventions by ancestors, including the Geobukseon and Cheugugi, and has begun the review process to decide on honorary patent registration.

'Geobukseon' displayed at the War Memorial of Korea. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office

Previously, KIPO received recommendations for 65 ancestral inventions through collaboration with examiners, prior art investigation agencies, and the National Science Museum.

After reviewing the historical significance and technical characteristics of the inventions, 15 outstanding ancestral inventions were selected, including Geobukseon, Cheugugi, Yangbu-ilgu, Jagyeokru, Geojunggi, Ajabang Ondol, Singijeongi Hwacha, Honcheonsigye, Punggidae, Daedongyeojido, Bigeokjincheonroe, Gwansanggam Gwanchundae, Yeoneun Separation Method, Seokbinggo, and the printing method using metal movable type.

Subsequently, explanations of the main technologies and key features of the finally selected outstanding inventions were prepared in the form of specifications for patent examination, and patent applications and expert consultations were completed.

KIPO will comprehensively review whether the selected ancestral inventions ▲are new inventions that did not exist before (novelty), ▲are inventions improved or developed beyond existing technologies (inventive step), and ▲can be practically applied in daily life or industrial fields (industrial applicability), and plans to decide on honorary patent registration by the end of next month.

Honorary patent certificates will be issued for ancestral inventions decided to be registered as honorary patents. Additionally, some inventions will be exhibited alongside inventions by independence movement inventors and key inventions in Korea's industrial development at a special exhibition hall during the Inventors' Day commemorative ceremony scheduled for May 19.

This year's Inventors' Day commemorative event will feature not only an exhibition hall of ancestral inventions but also a ceremony honoring current inventors, an innovation technology and future generation conference, and other events where visitors can experience the past, present, and future of domestic inventions simultaneously.

Inventors' Day is a national holiday designated to commemorate the day the world's first rain gauge, the Cheugugi, was invented (May 19, 1441).

Kim Jeong-gyun, Director of the Industrial Property Policy Bureau at KIPO, said, “Invention has been closely connected to our lives from our ancestors to the present day. We hope that the honorary patent registration of ancestral inventions will be an opportunity to reexamine the achievements of inventions in history and to reaffirm the importance of invention.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.