System and method for selecting and protecting intellectual property assets

• US 7,680,677 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McLendon, Martin L., Bishop, Michael, Delgado, Marcus, Frank, Scott M., Sherwood, Amy L., Arena, Christopher M., Short, Shannon M., Lantz, Harrison, Beckham, Carol T., Meadows, Vernon, Evans, Sandra J.
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/446,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods for intellectual property asset selection and protection. In an embodiment, an intellectual property selection system receives from an innovator an innovation submission describing an innovation. An intellectual property protection system receives at least a portion of the innovation submission and manages obtaining an intellectual property legal right related to the innovation. An intellectual property asset management system receives and stores at least one of an innovation description and an intellectual property legal right description, where the innovation description is based at least in part on the at least a portion of the innovation submission and the intellectual property legal right description is based at least in part on the intellectual property legal right.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

compare subject matter submission information with intellectual property law data;

responsive to comparing the subject matter submission information with the intellectual property law data, select at least one intellectual property rights protection system of a plurality of intellectual property rights protection systems for intellectual property rights protection for subject matter associated with the subject matter submission information; and

send at least a portion of the subject matter submission information to the selected at least one intellectual property rights protection system of the plurality of intellectual property rights protection systems.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further including computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to receive in an intellectual property rights protection selection system the subject matter submission information associated with the subject matter in response to prompting a user for the subject matter submission information.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further including computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to access the intellectual property law data stored in at least one intellectual property law database, access intellectual property business data stored in at least one intellectual property business database, and compare the subject matter submission information with the intellectual property business data from the intellectual property business database, and

wherein selecting the at least one intellectual property rights protection system is further responsive to comparing the subject matter submission information with the intellectual property business data from the intellectual property business database.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected at least one intellectual property rights protection system of the plurality of intellectual property rights protection systems includes at least one of a trademark protection system, a trade secret protection system, a copyright protection system, and a patent protection system.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the intellectual property law data is selected from the group consisting of intellectual property statutes, intellectual property case law, intellectual property law articles, and intellectual property legal analysis.

6. A method for selecting at least one intellectual property rights protection system of a plurality of intellectual property rights protection systems for intellectual property protection for subject matter associated with subject matter submission information, the method comprising:

comparing subject matter submission information with intellectual property law data;

responsive to comparing the subject matter submission information with the intellectual property law data, automatically selecting, by a computer, at least one intellectual property rights protection system of a plurality of intellectual property rights protection systems for intellectual property rights protection for subject matter associated with the subject matter submission information;

sending at least a portion of the subject matter submission information to the selected at least one intellectual property rights protection system of the plurality of intellectual property rights protection system; and

updating a data record associated with the subject matter submission information to indicate the intellectual property rights protection associated with the subject matter submission information.