Innovations in the field of civil engineering and construction are brought about by the need to meet or exceed existing building standards, shorten lead times, minimise cost and maintain the safety of the generally capital-intensive construction projects. In Australia, civil engineering ranks among the top 5 industries for filing patent applications in 2018.

What’s patentable?

So long as your civil engineering or construction industry technology is new and inventive, it should be patentable in any country around the world. In relation to protection of technologies involved in large projects, it is difficult to maintain confidentiality; thus, an early patent filing date is particularly important.

Benefits and challenges of filing civil engineering and construction patent applications

One of the challenges in filing civil engineering patent applications, or all Australian patent applications for that matter, is that a limited number of people are aware of how the patent process works and the benefits that intellectual property rights provide.

Some people have the misconception that patent grant is the ultimate goal of the patent application; if they cannot see the benefits that patents impart to their business, the less likely it is for them to go through the process and expense of filing a patent application.

At Baxter IP, the client can maximise the advantages of the patent application through our FastCircle Innovation Group, which goes beyond the drafting, prosecution and filing of the patent application and offers the resources of a full-service firm so that innovations can proceed from drafting, filing, grant, commercialisation and product manufacture. Importantly, issues such as patent enforcement against infringement, patent litigation and dispute resolution can be handled by our subsidiary law firm, Interface Legal.

Examples of granted civil engineering and construction patent applications

Building construction systems	AU Patent # 2015331287 Construction machine control system, a construction machine, a construction machine management system, and a construction machine control method and program Komatsu Ltd.
Prefabricated building systems	AU Patent # 2019100306 Prefabricated high-strength and high-efficiency thermal insulation composite external wall panel Pan, Margarett MRS; Sunrise Smart Built-IT Co. Ltd.
Methods of construction	AU Patent # 2017203475 Composite wall panel, wall system and components thereof, and a method of construction thereof Neil, Peter Mervyn
Safety apparatus	AU Patent # 2018101553 A fire safety arrangement for overhead pipe support arrangements and a method of installing said fire safety arrangement DALF Enterprises Pty Ltd
Heating & cooling systems	AU Patent # 2016274787 Cooling system with direct expansion and pumped refrigerant economization cooling Vertiv Corporation
Lifting apparatus	AU Patent # 2017101710 Lifting device of hydraulic straightening platform for shaft parts Yuan, Xianyang MR
Concrete compositions & building materials	AU Patent # 2018204490 Concrete tile and molding material for same Kuraray Co., Ltd.
Structural engineering	AU Patent # 2017204060 Method for producing arc-welded structural member Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd.
Underground pipe installation	AU Patent # 2010223609 Method and system for inserting a pipe into an underground borehole Tracto-Technik GmbH & Co. KG
Building components	AU Patent # 2018901230 A building component for use in the construction of concrete poured buildings Nowland, Denis Alfred
Rail infrastructure & rolling stock	AU Patent # 2008301671 Steering bogie for rolling stock, rolling stock and articulated vehicle Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
Power distribution infrastructure	AU Patent # 2018100175 A power distribution system with override capability Redarc Technologies Pty Ltd
Cleantech	AU Patent # 2018101793 Method and system for controlling operation of a renewable energy system GTL Renewable Pty Ltd
Recycled bulk materials	AU Patent # 2006242458 Pneumatic conveying device for bulk material Clyde Process Limited
Safety apparatus	AU Patent # 2018102112 A fall arresting overhead safety rail system Sayfa R&D Pty Ltd