Systems and method for management of intangible assets

• US 8,332,740 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John D. Graham
• Original Assignee: John D. Graham
• Inventors: Graham, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/632,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/209, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

System and method for storing, managing, disseminating and sharing intellectual property asset information among users over a communications network. The system comprises a processor based server, a client processor based device, and a centralized database. The server processes each intellectual property information received from the client device through a hash function to provide a message digest, thereby providing a digital fingerprint and an attestation trail for each intellectual property information. The server aggregates all message digests to provide a system level message digest, thereby providing an attestation trail for the centralized database. The server transmits the system level message digest to a third party for storage or publication to prevent tampering and to maintain integrity of the centralized database.

Claims

1. A network-based intellectual property asset management system for storing, managing, disseminating and sharing intellectual property asset information among users over a communications network, comprising:

a server connected to the communications network and comprising a processor;

a client processor based device to access the server over the communications network to enter, view, and edit an intellectual property information associated with a user;

a centralized database connected to the communications network to store the intellectual property information of a plurality of users;

wherein the server receives the intellectual property information from the user via the client processor based device, the processor of the server processes each intellectual property information through a hash function to provide a message digest, and the server stores the intellectual property information and the message digest in the centralized database, thereby providing a digital fingerprint and an attestation trail for each intellectual property information stored in the centralized database;

wherein the processor of the server aggregates all of the message digests to provide a system level message digest and stores the system level message digest in the centralized database, thereby providing an attestation trail for the centralized database;

wherein the server transmits the system level message digest to a third party for storage or publication to prevent tampering and to maintain integrity of the centralized database; and

wherein the server issues a license to the user to combine the intellectual property information of another user with the intellectual property information of the user to generate a new intellectual property asset under terms established by the another user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the server processes the intellectual property information based on a category through the hash function to provide different categories of message digests and the server stores the categories of message digests in the centralized database, thereby providing the attestation trail for the different categories of intellectual property information stored in the centralized database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor of the server aggregates the categories of message digests to provide the system level message digest and the server stores the system level message digest in the centralized database, thereby providing the attestation trail for the centralized database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user is an entity or organization;

wherein the server organizes the intellectual property information of the entity based on an access level associated with each intellectual property information of the entity, thereby providing different level of access to the intellectual property information to different users from the same organization; and

wherein the server maintains an access log information for each intellectual property information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server stores the intellectual property information with a time stamp and a unique identifier in the centralized database such that the intellectual property information, the time stamp, and the identifier cannot be separated.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is accessed by the user using the processor based device over the communications network to associate a confidentiality level to each intellectual property information associated with the user;

and wherein the processor based server organizes the intellectual property information based on the confidentiality level and provides the intellectual property information in response to an inquiry from another user based on the confidentiality level associated with the intellectual property information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the server issues a license to non-confidential intellectual property information of the user to the other user under the terms established by the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the license is a license to combine the intellectual property information of the user with the intellectual property information of the other user to generate a new intellectual property asset;

and wherein the server maintains a context information identifying a collaborative relationship between the user and the other user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server tracks a value associated with each intellectual property information;

and wherein the value is an estimated value, a market value or a calculated value.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the server facilitates purchase, sale or trading of the intellectual property information between different users.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable code for storing, managing, disseminating and sharing intellectual property asset information among users over a communications network, said computer executable comprising instructions for:

receiving a request to access by a server from a processor based client device over the communications network to enter, view, and edit an intellectual property information associated with a user, the server comprising a processor;

receiving by the server the intellectual property information from the user via a client processor based device over a communications network;

processing each intellectual property information through a hash function to provide a message digest by a processor of the server;

storing the intellectual property information and the message digest in a centralized database comprising the intellectual property information from a plurality of users, thereby providing a digital fingerprint and an attestation trail for each intellectual property information stored in the centralized database;

aggregating all of the message digests to provide a system level message digest by the processor of the server;

storing the system level message digest in the centralized database, thereby providing an attestation trail for the centralized database;

transmitting the system level message digest to a third party for storage or publication to prevent tampering and to maintain integrity of the centralized database; and

issuing a license to the user to combine the intellectual property information of another user with the intellectual property information of the user to generate a new intellectual property asset under terms established by the another user.

12. A computer-implemented method for storing, managing, disseminating and sharing intellectual property asset information among users over a communications network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to access by a server from a processor based client device over the communications network to enter, view, and edit an intellectual property information associated with a user, the server comprising a processor;

receiving by the server the intellectual property information from the user via a client processor based device over a communications network;

processing each intellectual property information through a hash function to provide a message digest by a processor of the server;

storing the intellectual property information and the message digest in a centralized database comprising the intellectual property information from a plurality of users, thereby providing a digital fingerprint and an attestation trail for each intellectual property information stored in the centralized database;

aggregating all of the message digests to provide a system level message digest by the processor of the server;

storing the system level message digest in the centralized database, thereby providing an attestation trail for the centralized database;

transmitting the system level message digest to a third party for storage or publication to prevent tampering and to maintain integrity of the centralized database; and

issuing a license to the user to combine the intellectual property information of another user with the intellectual property information of the user to generate a new intellectual property asset under terms established by the another user.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of processing the intellectual property information based on a category through the hash function to provide different categories of message digests by the processor of the server;

storing the categories of message digests in the centralized database, thereby providing the attestation trail for the different categories of intellectual property information stored in the centralized database; and

aggregating the categories of message digests to provide the system level message digest by the processor of the server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user is an entity or organization;

and further comprising the steps of organizing the intellectual property information of the entity based on an access level associated with each intellectual property information of the entity by the server, thereby providing different level of access to the intellectual property information to different users from the same organization; and

maintaining an access log information for each intellectual property information.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of storing the intellectual property information with a time stamp and a unique identifier in the centralized database such that the intellectual property information, the time stamp, and the identifier cannot be separated.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

accessing the server by the user using the processor based device over the communications network to associate a confidentiality level to each intellectual property information associated with the user;

organizing the intellectual property information based on the confidentiality level by the server; and

providing the intellectual property information in response to an inquiry from another user based on the confidentiality level associated with the intellectual property information.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of issuing a license to non-confidential intellectual property information of the user to the other user by the server under the terms established by the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the license is a license to combine the intellectual property information of the user with the intellectual property information of the other user to generate a new intellectual property asset;

and further comprising the step of maintaining a context information identifying a collaborative relationship between the user and the other user.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of tracking a value associated with each intellectual property information by the server;

and wherein the value is an estimated value, a market value or a calculated value.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of facilitating a purchase, sale or trading of the intellectual property information between different users by the server.