System for automating and managing an IP environment

• US 20050240428A1
• Filed: 11/10/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mindmatters Technologies
• Original Assignee: Mindmatters Technologies
• Inventors: Infantino, Mark, Sarnowski, Michael R., Formica, Andrew, Elston, Cassius, Monfradi, Charles, Gabrick, John J.
• Application Number:
  US10/985,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20050240428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A system for automating and managing an intellectual property environment in an organization over a network of computers. The system has user interface displays on each of the computers, and includes computer readable code devices in computer readable media for displaying, and methods for displaying, a number of management tools in the form of frames or screens or pages that provide for users submitting and sharing innovations, innovation analysis, finding experts for collaboration and evaluation of innovations, highlighting, spotlighting and showcasing innovations and innovation development, creating and responding to innovation challenges, and timelining, tasking and workflow peculiar to innovation management in an organization.

Claims

1. A method of stimulating intellectual property development in an organization by rewarding innovation, or rewarding inventors for sharing their ideas, by giving organization wide recognition to inventors for generating ideas and submitting them to the organization, and/or by giving organization wide recognition from time to time for best ideas submitted, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers:

a. displaying on a plurality of the computers a spotlight frame that gives recognition to a selectable number of selectable innovation ideas submitted;

b. displaying on a plurality of the computers a highlights frame that gives at least one ‘

innovations submitted’

statistic for a top department in the organization, or top location or for the most prolific innovators;

c. displaying on at least one computer an option box giving an inventor the option of keeping a submitted idea private until such time as the inventor chooses to share the idea, where sharing the idea makes the idea viewable over the network, while keeping it private restricts who may view the idea;

d. displaying on a plurality of the computers a showcase frame or page for each department and location, each showcase frame or page displaying at least one set of data from the group of data consisting of a selectable number of innovations that are judged by the organization to be outstanding for each department and location, a number representing the number of employees participating in invention submissions for a previous time period of selectable length, a number representing the number of innovations shared with the organization compared with the number of innovations submitted to the organization but kept private;

e. displaying on at least one computer a personal statistics page that is customized for each inventor who make an idea submission to the organization, the page displaying one or more of, a number representing the number of hits on the inventor'"'"'s profile, a number representing the number of submissions by the inventor, results of an analysis performed on an idea submitted by the inventor;

f. displaying on at least one computer a listing of organizational development resources and/or collaboration available for each submitted idea, and/or a form for requesting organizational development resources and/or collaboration.

2. A method of stimulating collaboration in intellectual property development in an organization, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers:

a. displaying on a plurality of the computers a profile of each user on the network outlining one or more of, the user'"'"'s areas of expertise, degrees held, papers published, and the like, each profile optionally accessible through a link wherever the user'"'"'s name appears in the network;

b. displaying on a plurality of the computers a ‘

find an expert’

page, the page providing means to anyone in the organization to search through the profiles for an individual with needed resources or expertise;

c. displaying on a plurality of the computers a page displaying at least substantially all of the innovations shared in the organization, the page searchable for ideas of interest to a user;

d. displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame by which a user may submit comments on, and associated with, a shared innovation, or whereby the user may enter an organization wide discussion about the shared innovation;

e. displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame whereby, once a user has located a second user that may be of collaborative help, the user may forward a submitted idea to the second user, the second user, also referred to as an expert, optionally receiving a notice on their computer with a link to the submitted idea;

f. displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame for creating a collaboration agent, whereby a user may automatically and at selected intervals search the network for collaboration possibilities;

g. displaying on a plurality of the computers

(1) a page or frame where a user may specify desired resources of in the form of person-hours, equipment and/or budget for each idea submitted by the user and (2) a page or frame where any second user viewing the submitted idea may contribute resources to the idea;

3. A method of stimulating and directing intellectual property development in an organization by directing a plurality of users to focus on a selected number of selected innovation challenges, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers:

a. displaying on a plurality of the computers a challenges frame on a homepage of the network, the frame containing a selectable number of innovation areas considered by the organization to be most important, whereby a user may submit an innovation to the challenge, and a selected manager is optionally notified of the submission;

b. after an innovation is submitted to the challenge, creating a search agent to periodically search the network and associated databases for similar innovations, whereby similar innovations are reported to the submitting user, and optionally to the selected manager;

c. after an innovation is submitted to the challenge, creating a search agent to periodically search various Internet innovation databases, such as the USPTO database, and to use Internet search engines, such as Google, whereby similar innovations are reported to the submitting user, and optionally to the selected manager.

4. A method of managing intellectual property development in an organization by displaying for a manager one or more of a selected number of management tools, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers:

a. displaying on a plurality of the computers a Perform An Analysis screen or page, whereby a selectable question set comprising a plurality of questions each having at least one weighting factor, is applied to a submitted innovation and scored according to answers generated in response to the question set, and further whereby the generated score is representative of what factor(s) are most important to the organization;

b. displaying on a plurality of the computers an innovation comments screen or page, whereby a user can submit comments to another user about a selected innovation that has been submitted to the organization;

c. displaying on a plurality of the computers an activity log that shows a user and/or a manager how much user activity an innovation has generated, whereby the user or manager receives a measure of how much interest the innovation has in the organization;

d. displaying on a manager computer any innovation submitted and shared on the network, substantially immediately after the innovation is first submitted and shared, whereby the manager may optionally comment back to the user submitting the innovation, or send back an analysis, or start an organization wide discussion, or forward the innovation to another user demonstrating interest in the area of the innovation, or assign tasks to the innovator and/or others in the organization;

e. displaying on a plurality of the computers at least one screen or page selected from timeline screen or page, workflow screen or page and tasks screen or page whereby a manager or a innovator may see progress and direction of development for a selectable submitted innovation.

5. A method of managing intellectual property development in an organization by displaying for a manager one or more of a selected number of tracking tools, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers, each tracking tool associated with a database on the network:

;

a. time/date stamping every submitted innovation or idea as it enters the database, wherein the stamp is permanently associated with the innovation;

b. attaching selected electronic documents to the innovation, wherein a document creation date is permanently associated with the document and with the innovation to which it is attached;

c. updating an electronic document with a new time/date stamp, whereby previous versions are retained in the database with their time/date stamps;

d. attaching paper documents and/or material objects such as spreadsheets, drawings or sketches, source code, material samples, white paper, lab notebooks, prototypes or other objects, to an innovation, by automatically creating a unique bar code for the document or object, the bar code containing document or object descriptive information and document or object physical location information, the bar code printable and attachable to the document or object, and permanently associated with the innovation to which they are attached;

e. step d above, except it is performed by a user other than the inventor;

f. taking a digital snapshot of the submitted innovation and its current state, including all of its attachments, description, analysis results, comments, and the like, and time/date stamping the snapshot and storing it in the database.

6. A method of quantitatively evaluating employees according to their creativity, innovation and/or contribution to the intellectual property of the organization by evaluating innovation contribution and quality for each employee, the method comprising at least one of the following steps implemented over a network of computers:

a. generating and displaying on a manager'"'"'s computer a plurality of reports summarizing for each employee the employee'"'"'s innovation contribution and the quality and impact to date of each innovation submitted by the employee;

b. generating and displaying on a manager'"'"'s computer a report of review committee comments and recommendations as to a particular employee;

c. generating and displaying on a manager'"'"'s computer an employee'"'"'s personal statistics page.

7. In a computer system implemented over a network of computers for managing intellectual property in an organization, the improvement comprising a innovation submission display on a plurality of the computers that provides a user an option of either submitting the innovation so that it is available for immediate sharing with all other users on the network, or submitting the innovation so that it is only available to the user and to selected organization management, wherein the innovation submission is in any case time/date stamped immediately upon submission.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein, the user first opts for submitting the innovation so that it is only available to the user and to selected organization management, and then opts for submitting the innovation so that it is available for immediate sharing with all other users on the network.

9. A computer system comprising a network of computers and a plurality of users, the system providing stimulation of intellectual property development in an organization, the system further comprising at least one of the following:

a. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying a spotlight frame that gives recognition to a selectable number of selectable innovation ideas submitted;

b. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a highlights frame that gives at least one ‘

innovations submitted’

statistic for a top department in the organization, or top location or for the most prolific innovators;

c. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on at least one computer an option box giving an inventor the option of keeping a submitted idea private until such time as the inventor chooses to share the idea, where sharing the idea makes the idea viewable over the network, while keeping it private restricts who may view the idea;

d. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a showcase frame or page for each department and location, each showcase frame or page displaying at least one set of data from the group of data consisting of a selectable number of innovations that are judged by the organization to be outstanding for each department and location, a number representing the number of employees participating in invention submissions for a previous time period of selectable length, a number representing the number of innovations shared with the organization compared with the number of innovations submitted to the organization but kept private;

e. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on at least one computer a personal statistics page that is customized for each inventor who make an idea submission to the organization, the page displaying one or more of, a number representing the number of hits on the inventor'"'"'s profile, a number representing the number of submissions by the inventor, results of an analysis performed on an idea submitted by the inventor;

f. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on at least one computer a listing of organizational development resources and/or collaboration available for each submitted idea, and/or a form for requesting organizational development resources and/or collaboration.

10. A computer system comprising a network of computers and a plurality of users, the system providing stimulation for collaboration in intellectual property development in an organization, the system further comprising at least one of the following:

a. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a profile of each user on the network outlining one or more of, the user'"'"'s areas of expertise, degrees held, papers published, and the like, each profile optionally accessible through a link wherever the user'"'"'s name appears in the network;

b. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a ‘

find an expert’

page, the page providing means to anyone in the organization to search through the profiles for an individual with needed resources or expertise;

c. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a page displaying at least substantially all of the innovations shared in the organization, the page searchable for ideas of interest to a user;

d. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame by which a user may submit comments on, and associated with, a shared innovation, or whereby the user may enter an organization wide discussion about the shared innovation;

e. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame whereby, once a user has located a second user that may be of collaborative help, the user may forward a submitted idea to the second user, the second user, also referred to as an expert, optionally receiving a notice on their computer with a link to the submitted idea;

f. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame for creating a collaboration agent, whereby a user may automatically and at selected intervals search the network for collaboration possibilities;

g. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers

(1) a page or frame where a user may specify desired resources of in the form of person-hours, equipment and/or budget for each idea submitted by the user and (2) a page or frame where any second user viewing the submitted idea may contribute resources to the idea;

11. A computer system comprising a network of computers and a plurality of users, the system providing direction of intellectual property development in an organization, the system further comprising a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a challenges frame on a homepage of the network, the frame containing a selectable number of innovation areas considered by the organization to be most important, whereby a user may submit an innovation to the challenge, and a selected manager is optionally notified of the submission;

12. A computer system comprising a network of computers and a plurality of users, the system providing management of intellectual property development in an organization, the system further comprising at least one of the following:

a. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers a Perform An Analysis screen or page, whereby a selectable question set comprising a plurality of questions each having at least one weighting factor, is applied to a submitted innovation and scored according to answers generated in response to the question set, and further whereby the generated score is representative of what factor(s) are most important to the organization;

b. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers an innovation comments screen or page, whereby a user can submit comments to another user about a selected innovation that has been submitted to the organization;

c. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers an activity log that shows a user and/or a manager how much user activity an innovation has generated, whereby the user or manager receives a measure of how much interest the innovation has in the organization;

d. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a manager computer any innovation submitted and shared on the network, substantially immediately after the innovation is first submitted and shared, whereby the manager may optionally comment back to the user submitting the innovation, or send back an analysis, or start an organization wide discussion, or forward the innovation to another user demonstrating interest in the area of the innovation, or assign tasks to the innovator and/or others in the organization;

e. a user interface display on each of a plurality of the computers, the display displaying on a plurality of the computers at least one screen or page selected from timeline screen or page, workflow screen or page and tasks screen or page, whereby a manager or a innovator may see progress and direction of development for a selectable submitted innovation.

13. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for providing stimulation of intellectual property development in an organization, the computer readable medium comprising at least one of the following:

a. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a spotlight frame that gives recognition to a selectable number of selectable innovation ideas submitted;

b. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a highlights frame that gives at least one ‘

innovations submitted’

statistic for a top department in the organization, or top location or for the most prolific innovators;

c. computer readable code devices for displaying on at least one computer an option box giving an inventor the option of keeping a submitted idea private until such time as the inventor chooses to share the idea, where sharing the idea makes the idea viewable over the network, while keeping it private restricts who may view the idea;

d. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a showcase frame or page for each department and location, each showcase frame or page displaying at least one set of data from the group of data consisting of a selectable number of innovations that are judged by the organization to be outstanding for each department and location, a number representing the number of employees participating in invention submissions for a previous time period of selectable length, a number representing the number of innovations shared with the organization compared with the number of innovations submitted to the organization but kept private;

e. computer readable code devices for displaying on at least one computer a personal statistics page that is customized for each inventor who make an idea submission to the organization, the page displaying one or more of, a number representing the number of hits on the inventor'"'"'s profile, a number representing the number of submissions by the inventor, results of an analysis performed on an idea submitted by the inventor;

f. computer readable code devices for displaying on at least one computer a listing of organizational development resources and/or collaboration available for each submitted idea, and/or a form for requesting organizational development resources and/or collaboration.

14. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for providing stimulation for collaboration in intellectual property development in an organization, the computer readable medium comprising at least one of the following:

a. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a profile of each user on the network outlining one or more of, the user'"'"'s areas of expertise, degrees held, papers published, and the like, each profile optionally accessible through a link wherever the user'"'"'s name appears in the network;

b. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a ‘

find an expert’

page, the page providing means to anyone in the organization to search through the profiles for an individual with needed resources or expertise;

c. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a page displaying at least substantially all of the innovations shared in the organization, the page searchable for ideas of interest to a user;

d. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame by which a user may submit comments on, and associated with, a shared innovation, or whereby the user may enter an organization wide discussion about the shared innovation;

e. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame whereby, once a user has located a second user that may be of collaborative help, the user may forward a submitted idea to the second user, the second user, also referred to as an expert, optionally receiving a notice on their computer with a link to the submitted idea;

f. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a page or frame for creating a collaboration agent, whereby a user may automatically and at selected intervals search the network for collaboration possibilities;

g. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers

(1) a page or frame where a user may specify desired resources of in the form of person-hours, equipment and/or budget for each idea submitted by the user and (2) a page or frame where any second user viewing the submitted idea may contribute resources to the idea;

15. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for providing direction of intellectual property development in an organization, the computer readable medium comprising computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a challenges frame on a homepage of the network, the frame containing a selectable number of innovation areas considered by the organization to be most imnortant whereby a user may submit an innovation to the challenge.

16. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for providing management of intellectual property development in an organization, the computer readable medium comprising at least one of the following:

a. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers a Perform An Analysis screen or page, whereby a selectable question set comprising a plurality of questions each having at least one weighting factor, is applied to a submitted innovation and scored according to answers generated in response to the question set, and further whereby the generated score is representative of what factor(s) are most important to the organization;

b. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers an innovation comments screen or page, whereby a user can submit comments to another user about a selected innovation that has been submitted to the organization;

c. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers an activity log that shows a user and/or a manager how much user activity an innovation has generated, whereby the user or manager receives a measure of how much interest the innovation has in the organization;

d. computer readable code devices for displaying on a manager computer any innovation submitted and shared on the network, substantially immediately after the innovation is first submitted and shared, whereby the manager may optionally comment back to the user submitting the innovation, or send back an analysis, or start an organization wide discussion, or forward the innovation to another user demonstrating interest in the area of the innovation, or assign tasks to the innovator and/or others in the organization;

e. computer readable code devices for displaying on a plurality of the computers at least one screen or page selected from timeline screen or page, workflow screen or page and tasks screen or page, whereby a manager or a innovator may see progress and direction of development for a selectable submitted innovation.