Method and data structure for the computer-aided management of developments

• US 6,311,176 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1998
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ipcentury AG
• Original Assignee: Ipcentury AG
• Inventors: Steiner, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, George B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US09/133,534
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/46, 706/50, 706/934, 706/60, 707/100, 707/500
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

The computer-aided official management system for developments described in patents and publications, which limits the official examination work for each development and substantially supports development management, permits data to be organized in a classification system with low redundancy. The management system contains a multiplicity of development systems (1) which emerge from one another by means of set operations via orientated relationships (4), in that each development system (1) is linked to a database (11), which contains, in particular, the definition of the development system (1) serving as a reference system (2), the formulation and status of each individual relationship (4) forming the development system (1), as well as unique indicators to further data. The development systems are uniquely defined as intersection sets in the data structure for linking previously separately considered reference systems via the relationships (4).

Claims

1. A method of computer-aided management of a database having a neural data structure in order to update the database for developments by a multiplicity of development inventors and to evaluate individual developments in view of the entire database, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing the database in a database storage and management system, said database storage system comprising at least one computer storage means and at least one document filing system of an artificial intelligence system;

b) registering developments by finding relationships between each of the developments and one or several reference systems which appear most obvious and storing the relationships in a relational databank associated with the respective developments;

c) determining the accuracy of each of said relationships and changing a status of each of said relationships, as needed, according to said accuracy;

d) successively adapting the data structure of the database to the respective developments;

e) making the relationships of the data structure dynamic by integration of the database into the artificial intelligence system, said artificial intelligence system being optionally based on physiologic;

f) performing operations available in the artificial intelligence system on elements in the database including the developments; and

g) monitoring the developments in the database in order to determine a level or degree of inventiveness of different developments;

whereby the database becomes an expert system characterized by a continuously lower data redundancy.

2. The method according claim 1, wherein the database comprises a patent system database and the developments include issued patents, utility models and technical publications as well as property rights data, and further comprising performing a computer-aided examination, official management, monitoring, maintenance, search and processing of world knowledge within a classification system in order to determine said relationships between said developments and building linked tabular databanks according to said relationships.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising including inventor data regarding the development inventors and correlations between said inventor data in the database, identified portions of problems solved by the respective different inventors and including said portions in the database, providing correlated systems of data regarding said developments, said inventor data and said relationships for determining a scope of protection to be accorded said developments based on said world knowledge in said database and incrementally expanding or modifying the database by means of information provided by third parties and official examinations, whereby expansion of the current state of the world knowledge for substantive examination results as well as a reduction of redundancy.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said database is an economic database for an industry having individual branches and further comprising performing economic decisions for said industry according to said developments that occur in and of the individual branches that interact or interfere with each other, said developments including solutions to specific problems in said individual branches.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said database is a DNA database including DNA sequence data and further comprising evaluation of said DNA database to identify useful genes or to discover functions based on said DNA sequence data.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of linking respective ones of said reference systems (BS I, 2;

BS II, 3) via corresponding ones of said relationships (B I 3, BII 4) to define problem-solution systems (S I 6, S II 7) and forming a development system (ES, 1) as an intersection of connected pairs of said reference systems (BS I, 2;

BS II, 3) and said problem-solution systems (S I, S II).

7. A computer-aided database management system for a database having a neural data structure in order to update the database for developments by a multiplicity of development inventors and to evaluate individual developments in view of the entire database, said system comprising:

means for storing the database in a database storage and management system, said database storage system comprising at least one computer storage means and at least one document filing system of an artificial intelligence system;

means for registering developments by establishing relationships between each of the developments and one or several reference systems which appear most obvious and for storing the relationships in a relational databank associated with the respective developments;

means for determining the accuracy of each of said relationships and for changing a status of each of said relationships, as needed, according to said accuracy;

means for successively adapting the data structure of the database to the respective developments;

means for making the relationships of the data structure dynamic by integration of the database into the artificial intelligence system, said artificial intelligence system being optionally based on physiologic;

means for performing operations available in the artificial intelligence system on elements in the database including the developments; and

means for monitoring the developments in the database in order to determine a level or degree of inventiveness of different developments;

whereby the database becomes an expert system characterized by a continuously lower data redundancy.