System & Method For Locating & Assessing Intellectual Property Assets

• US 20120191619A1
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: J Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D APR 13 2010
• Original Assignee: J Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D APR 13 2010
• Inventors: GROSS, JOHN NICHOLAS
• Application Number:
  US13/355,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191619A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

A networked computer system permits users to analyze intellectual property assets based on a desired profile, status, or associated event. Both issued and pending applications (including in post grant challenges) can be assessed to identify both a value and/or potential threat posed by such assets.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of locating intellectual property (IP) assets comprising:

defining an asset profile to be used in locating intellectual property assets;

defining a target maintenance status value associated with an intellectual property asset, which maintenance status value identifies whether said IP asset is classified by a governmental grant agency with a first status value or a second status value;

querying one or more IP asset databases maintained by said governmental agency with the computer to identify a maintenance status value of IP assets which match said asset profile;

wherein said querying is performed automatically by the computer across first data for first records in a first maintenance payment database for issued IP assets, and second data for second records in a second application database for pre-issuance IP assets;

identifying a result set of issued IP assets and pre-issuance IP assets with the computer matching said asset profile and said target maintenance status value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first status value corresponds to an asset having a current status, and said second status value corresponds to an asset identified as being abandoned.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said application database is accessed through a patent information retrieval (PAIR) online interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein an interface operated by said governmental agency for both said first maintenance payment database and said second application database only supports user viewing of one record at a time within a browser.

5. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

querying for IP assets automatically through an assignment database maintained by the governmental agency.

6. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

scraping and compiling data from both said first maintenance payment database and said second application database to generate a first restructured maintenance payment database containing said first data and a second restructured application database containing said second data;

wherein said querying is performed automatically across said first restructured maintenance payment database and said second restructured application database.

7. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

predicting IP assets which are likely to change from said first status value to said second status value for inclusion in said result set of issued IP assets and pre-issuance IP assets.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said predicting is based on considering a status of a pending application as likely to become abandoned.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said predicting is based on considering a likelihood of non-payment of a maintenance fee within a required period.

10. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

generating an automated alert a user based on a change in said result set over a predetermined period.

11. A computer implemented method of locating intellectual property (IP) assets comprising:

defining an asset profile to be used in locating IP assets which are in application form and have not yet been granted in the form of an enforceable right by a governmental agency having authority of over such application;

defining a target event state associated with an intellectual property asset, which event state identifies a classification designated for said application during proceedings conducted by said governmental agency;

querying one or more IP asset databases maintained by said governmental agency with the computer to identify IP assets which match said asset profile and said target event state;

wherein said querying is performed automatically by the computer against data stored in records in an application database maintained by said governmental agency for pre-issuance IP assets;

identifying a result set IP assets with the computer matching said asset profile and said target event state.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said target event state corresponds to a patent application being identified as abandoned during prosecution.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said target event state corresponds to a patent application being identified as having an issuance notice.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said target event state corresponds to a patent application being identified as having a notice of allowance.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said IP asset is a trademark application.

16. The method of claim 11 further including a step:

defining a time parameter to be satisfied by said target event state.

17. The method of claim 11 further including a step:

locating said IP assets in said application database in accordance with a configurable priority parameter, which priority parameter is based on a customer status of an entity providing said asset profile.

18. The method of claim 11 further including a step:

generating an automated alert a user based on a change in said result set over a predetermined period.

19. The method of claim 11 further including a step:

scraping and compiling data from said application database to generate a first restructured application database containing said data;

wherein said querying is performed automatically across said first restructured application database.

20. A system for locating intellectual property (IP) assets comprising:

a computing system including one or more software routines adapted to perform the following operations;

defining an asset profile to be used in locating intellectual property assets;

defining a target maintenance status value associated with an intellectual property asset, which maintenance status value identifies whether said IP asset is classified by a governmental grant agency with a first status value or a second status value;

querying one or more IP asset databases maintained by said governmental agency with the computer to identify a maintenance status value of IP assets which match said asset profile;

wherein said querying is performed automatically by the computer across first data for first records in a first maintenance payment database for issued IP assets, and second data for second records in a second application database for pre-issuance IP assets;

identifying a result set of issued IP assets and pre-issuance IP assets with the computer matching said asset profile and said target maintenance status value.