Francesco Zaccà graduated with honours in telecommunications
engineering at the University of Pisa, I, in 1985. From 1985 to
1991 he worked for the consulting company IDS SpA, Pisa, I, as
radar and electromagnetics system analyst. In August 1991 he joined
the European Patent Office in The Hague, NL. Here from 1991 to
2000 he worked as a search examiner in the field of radar and
sonar (IPC subclass G01S). Since February 2000 he has worked as
technical project co-ordinator in the directorate of applied research
and development for documentation, where he is programme manager
of the automatic preclassification project. fzacca@epo.org