Amid growing interest and demand for partitions due to Corona 19 it was decided to installation partitions on each desk to block droplet transmission in this years CSAT. Accordingly patent applications related to table partitions that can prevent viral infections have increased sharply.

The partition can be applied to furniture such as shelves bookshelves bookshelves and booths in order to simply distinguish areas and also installed in general partitions desks tables and tables  so it can be divided into table partitions that secure space for each individual.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 1st patent applications related to partitions remained at about 50 cases every year from 2011 to 2019 but by 2020 92 applications were filed and increased by more than 80%.

In particular table partitions are expected to more than quadruple from an average of 18.4 applications from 2011 to 2019 and 69 applications from the third quarter of this year.

The spread of Corona 19 has increased interest in personal hygiene and quarantine which is believed to have led to a surge in applications related to this.

Looking at the trends of domestic applications in the last 10 years from 2011 226 general partitions 235 table partitions and 50 partition accessories related to their fixation fitting or holding have been applied.

It is noteworthy that unlike other areas that maintain patent applications at the previous years level patent applications for table partitions have increased sharply this year and patent applications related to quarantine have soared from an average of 1.67 in previous years to 53 this year.

Table partitions have been filed in the past from the perspective of assembly structure or privacy problem resolution but this years increased interest in respiratory infections has changed its application trend due to improved quarantine mobility portability and environmental problems.

Portable table partitions recorded the most applications with 19 cases this year following nine in 2013 when the World Health Organization (WHO) designated fine dust as a first-class carcinogen and 13 in 2015 when MERS was prevalent.

This shows that under Covid pandemic this year patent applications are being filed to meet the needs of consumers for portable partitions that have both improved mobility and portability while having antibacterial functions.

Since 2011 out of 511 applications foreign applications accounted for seven (1.37%) while domestic applications centered on individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises accounted for most of the applications with 504 (98.63%).

All 68 partitions related to prevention of droplet transmission prevention and anti-bacterial functions have been applied by Koreans and 48 cases applied to table partitions will be intensively applied this year which is expected to contribute greatly to exemplary K-quarantine.

The publics interest in personal quarantine is also affecting patent applications said Jung Sung-joong director of the household goods review division at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. The Korean Intellectual Property Office will actively cope with such social changes by providing fast and accurate patent screening services.