Kokai
A kōkai, short for kōkai tokkyo kōhō, is a published, unexamined Japanese patent application, in contrast to the kokoku or tokkyo kōhō, the examined and approved Japanese patent application. Kōkai means "open to the public", or "laid-open". Kōkai are published eighteen months after the earliest priority date.
Tokukai is another shorthand for kōkai tokkyo kōhō, taken from the first character of tokkyo and the second of kōkai.
