Expert support system for authoring invention disclosures

• US 6,298,327 B1
• Filed: 03/08/1995
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yellowstone Environmental Science Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Yes Biotechnology Incorporated
• Inventors: Stewart, Frank M., Hunter, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US08/401,141
• Time in Patent Office: 2,400 Days
• Field of Search: 395/201, 705/1, 707/1-6, 707/530, 707/531, 707/10, 704/1, 704/4, 704/9
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer-implemented expert support system for authoring invention disclosures and for evaluating the probable patentability and marketability of a disclosed invention. The system comprises at least a computer, an input device, an output device, and software program. The software program is developed whith an object-oriented design process and is implemented in an object-oriented computer language such as C++. The system facilitates communication of invention characteristics and enables output of invention disclosures in a plurality of formats, including that of a patent application.

Claims

1. An expert support system for supporting the authoring of a plurality of different documents, said documents having format and content rules set out in a plurality of different sections of a plurality of different digital sources, said expert support system comprising:

a first computer having a memory, at least a portion of each said digital source residing in said memory;

means for accepting content from a user and means for storing said content, said content making up an element of each of said different documents;

means for displaying at least portions of each said section, said portions setting out rules for one of said elements, in such a way that the rules can be viewed by said user during the authoring of the content for said element;

wherein said means for accepting and said means for displaying both reside on one or more second computers internetworked with said first computer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said different documents are drafts of the disclosures of patent applications appropriate for filing in different jurisdictions, one of said digital sources is the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure or MPEP and more than one said element makes up a portion of one of said documents, said portion having a single heading.

3. An expert support system for supporting the authoring of a plurality of invention disclosures comprising:

a computer system having a memory;

a knowledgebase comprising a plurality of invention disclosure rules and patentability rules, said knowledgebase residing in said memory;

a graphical user interface for said computer system comprising a plurality of simultaneously-displayed windows comprising;

a first window having an area for receiving a plurality of data from a user, said data being grouped into a plurality of portions, each portion being an element or section of an invention disclosure,

a second window having an area for presenting a plurality of information items selected from the group consisting of;

a reason each said portion of data is required,

a content requirement for each said portion of data, and

an example for each said portion of data, and

a third window having an area for receiving system control input from said user,

a database for storing said data in said memory;

a relational database engine residing in said computer systems for organizing and retrieving said data;

an inference engine residing in said computer system for assessing the patentability of an invention by applying said rules to said data; and

means for displaying said data in an output format appropriate for a disclosure purpose selected from the group consisting of;

an initial disclosure to a research sponsor,

a nonenabling disclosure,

a United States patent application,

a Patent Cooperation Treaty patent application,

a European Patent Office patent application, and

a Japanese Patent Office patent application.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein each said content requirement information item comprises:

at a first, top level, general legal guidance, at a second, lower level, government procedures and regulations, at a third, even lower level, case law, wherein the user may drill down from level to level to obtain the level of information that the user requires to generate said data.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising means for transmitting said data to a patent office over a network.

6. A computer-readable medium of instructions for configuring a computer to support the authoring of a disclosure of an invention, said instructions comprising those necessary to create the system recited in claim 3.

7. A computer system for supporting the authoring an invention disclosure comprising:

a processor;

a memory, coupled to said processor and storing a database; and

a first sequence of instructions, which, when executed by said processor, causes said processor to perform the steps of

requesting from a user the properties of an invention, accepting said properties from said user and storing said properties in a database, wherein said properties include an invention category and a technology type;

requesting from said user the purpose of said invention disclosure, accepting said purpose from said user and storing said purpose in said database;

displayinq a plurality of screens in an order that minimizes the number of screens displayed to that number required for said purpose, each of which screens requests from said user information about an element of said invention appropriate for said purpose and accepts said information from said user;

wherein each screen also displays a kind of explanatory material selected from the group consisting of;

motivational material,

content guidance,

examples, and

help with the operation of the screen,

storing said information in said database; and

displaying said information in an appropriate format.

8. A computer-implemented method for supporting the authoring of a plurality of document types comprising:

accepting the input of a subject matter of all of said plurality of document types;

accepting the selection of one of said plurality of document types;

accepting the selection of one of a plurality of document elements to author, more than one of said document elements being a part of more than one of said plurality of document types;

accepting the input of the content of each document element and concurrently displaying guidance as to how to author the selected document element;

storing said subject matter, said selection of one of said plurality of document types, said content of each document element, and boilerplate in the memory of a computer,

assembling the selected one of said document types from said content of each document element and said boilerplate, and

outputting any of said selected document types.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein each of said plurality of document types is an invention disclosure.

10. A program storage device readable by a machine, said program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform the method steps recited in claim 9.

11. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps recited in claim 9.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions which, when downloaded over a network to and executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps recited in claim 8.

13. An expert system for implementing the sequences of instructions stored on the computer-readable medium recited in claim 12.

14. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps recited in claim 8.

15. A computer-implemented method for supporting the authoring of an invention disclosure, comprising the steps of:

requesting from a user the properties of an invention, accepting said properties from said user and storing said properties in a relational database;

requesting from said user the purpose of said invention disclosure, accepting said purpose from said user and storing said purpose in said relational database;

displaying a plurality of screens, each of which screens, in a first window, requests from said user an element of information about said invention required for said invention disclosure to serve said purpose and accepts said information from said user;

storing said information in said relational database; and

outputting said information in a format appropriate for said purpose;

wherein said purpose is selected from the group consisting of

a patent application disclosure, and

other than a patent application disclosure;

wherein each screen also displays a type of explanatory material selected from the group consisting of

motivational material,

content guidance,

examples, and

help with the operation of the screen,

in a second window; and

wherein said explanatory material is appropriate for an invention having said properties and an invention disclosure having said purpose and the display of said explanatory material does not obscure said first window during its use by said user.

16. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer-readable medium bearing a program code embodied therein for execution by a processor to support the authoring of an invention disclosure, said program code including;

a first computer-readable program segment encoded on said computer-readable medium for storing a knowledgebase in the form of invention disclosure rules, each rule having a predicate and a consequent,

a second computer-readable program segment encoded on said computer-readable medium for requesting information from a user concerning whether a particular predicate is true,

a third computer-readable program segment encoded on said computer-readable medium for reasoning from the consequent of one invention disclosure rule to the predicate of another so as to evaluate which consequents are true,

a fourth computer-readable program segment encoded on said computer-readable medium for displaying data-input forms and explanatory material to said user, which forms request the data from said user required for authoring said invention disclosure, and

a fifth computer-readable program segment encoded on said computer-readable medium for storing and displaying said data in an appropriate format.