Computer System for Distributing a Validation Instruction Message

• US 20080201334A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: inovia Holdings Pty Ltd. (RWS Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: inovia Holdings Pty Ltd. (RWS Holdings Plc)
• Inventors: Simpson, Justin Ryan
• Application Number:
  US11/913,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201334A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A computer-implemented system for providing validation instructions to European attorneys. The computer system is designed to send a validation instruction message to a number of European attorneys, asking them to validate a granted European patent. The computer system is designed to communicate with an interface, a specification database and a number of European agents. The system is set up so that when the computer system receives a European patent identifier and a country selection via the interface, the computer system: (a) obtains, from the specification database, a European patent specification corresponding to the European patent identifier; and (b) provides the European patent specification and a validation instruction message to a particular European agent corresponding to the country selection. The system is further adapted to calculate and bill the total validation cost up-front.

Claims

1. A computer system for distributing a validation instruction message, the computer system being adapted to communicate with an interface, a specification database and a plurality of European agent computers,

the interface including:

a European patent identifier receiver adapted to receive a European patent identifier; and

a country selection receiver adapted to receive a country selection,

and the specification database being adapted to store a plurality of European patent specifications,

wherein, when the computer system receives a European patent identifier and a country selection, the computer system is adapted to;

(a) obtain, from the specification database, a European patent specification corresponding to the European patent identifier; and

(b) provide the European patent specification and the validation instruction message to a European agent computer corresponding to the country selection.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the computer system is adapted to provide the European patent specification to the European agent computer by one or more of the following methods:

(a) sending, to the European agent computer, an email with copy of the European patent specification attached; and

(b) storing the European patent specification in a remotely-accessible memory and emailing, to the European agent computer, a link enabling access to the stored European patent specification.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the computer system stores the European patent specification in the remotely-accessible memory in encrypted form.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the validation instruction message is adapted to instruct a European agent associated with the European agent computer to validate a granted European patent corresponding to the European patent identifier with a patent office of a country corresponding to the country selection.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the computer system is further adapted to calculate a cost of validating a European patent corresponding to the European patent identifier.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the computer system is adapted to display the cost via the interface.

7. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the interface includes a word count receiver adapted to receive a word count corresponding to the number of words in the European patent specification.

8. The computer system of claim 7 wherein the cost includes a translation cost and wherein the computer system is further adapted to calculate the translation cost with reference to the word count received via the interface.

9. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the computer system is adapted to calculate the cost with reference to a lookup table, the lookup table being adapted to store country-specific information relating to one or more of:

(a) agent service fees;

(b) government fees; and

(c) translation fees.

12. A computer program comprising program instructions which, when loaded into a computer, constitute the computer system of claim 1.

14. A computer program according to claim 12 embodied on a record medium.

15. A computer program according to claim 12 stored in a computer memory.

16. A computer program according to claim 12 embodied in a read-only memory.

17. A computer program according to claim 12 carried on an electrical carrier signal.

10. An interface for receiving a European patent validation instruction, the European patent validation instruction including one or more of:

(a) a European patent identifier

(b) one or more country selections; and

(c) instructor information,

and the interface including one or more of;

(a) a European patent identifier receiver adapted to receive the European patent identifier;

(b) a country selector adapted to receive the one or more country selections; and

(c) an instructor information receiver adapted to receive the instructor information.

11. The interface of claim 10 wherein when the interface receives a European validation instruction including a European patent identifier and a country selection it is adapted to instruct a computer system to:

(a) obtain, from a specification database, a European patent specification corresponding to the European patent identifier; and

(b) provide the European patent specification and a validation instruction message to a European agent computer corresponding to the country selection.

13. A computer program comprising program instructions which, when loaded into a computer, constitute the interface of claim 10.

18-19. -19. (canceled)