Abstract
The authors discuss whether a connection between scientific information and technical information based only on the International Patent Classification (IPC) is still relevant. An essential importance is given to the distinction between function and application by the IPC. A study is presented which demonstrates that the lack of formal distinction between function and application, in the case of thematic indexing, does not form ambiguities. Furthermore, it gives one the ability to select bibliographic references which only refer to functional aspects and references which only refer to applications. Examples demonstrate that the distinction between function and application can be exploited advantageously by using both this technical classification and the indexing of scientific databases.
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