Patent claims analysis system and method

• US 9,104,648 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Number, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jinan Glasgow
• Inventors: Glasgow, JiNan
• Primary Examiner(s): Stork, Kyle
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US12/633,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/209, 715/270, 715/713, 715/277, 704/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/137 Hierarchical processing, e.g. outlines
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating patent grant and patent application claims examination; including the functions of automated importing of patent claims, automated parsing of the claims into their hierarchy, and compression/expansion of the parsed claims to/from the independent claim level.

Claims

1. A system for displaying patent claims, the system comprising:

at least one input device in communication with a computer and at least one output device, and information input via the at least one input device to the at least one computer and viewing information on the at least one output device, and wherein the at least one computer is capable of storing, modifying, outputting, and retrieving information in communication with the at least one input device and at least one output device; and

software installed and capable of running on the at least one computer for automatically;

importing patent claims based upon the user inputted information;

parsing the imported patent claims hierarchically, wherein each independent claim is parsed into its invention sub-elements, wherein an invention sub-element is a parsed patent invention element or a step of the independent patent invention claim, and wherein the hierarchically parsed patent claims comprises hierarchical elements and sub-elements;

generating a hierarchical claims diagram comprising a graphical claim structure and a textual claim content associated with each patent claim, and

outputting the hierarchical claims diagram, wherein, for each patent claim, the graphical claim structure fully includes the textual claim content, wherein the hierarchical claims diagram shows the parsed claims in an interactive format that is operable to dynamically expand and compress both the graphical claim structure and the fully included textual claim content, according to the hierarchy of the imported patent claims;

wherein the graphical claim structure comprises multiple geometric outlines, wherein the textual claim content of each hierarchical element and each sub-element is fully included in each of the geometric outlines of the graphical claim structure, wherein coloration and shading are used for the multiple geometric outlines to differentiate the included textual claim content hierarchically, wherein at least one of the multiple geometric outlines further has a visual emphasis, and wherein the visual emphasis indicates whether there are additional levels of the hierarchy of the patent claims directly connected to the at least one of the multiple geometric outlines that has a visual emphasis, and wherein the multiple geometric outlines are connected with lines according the hierarchy of the patent claims.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual emphasis further includes numerical indicators of the number of dependent claims and the number of sub-elements if there are any.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive graphic user interface (GUI) for providing a diagram of patent claims, the diagram comprising:

an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) viewable on an electronic display, the GUI including a diagram of at least part of a patent claims series from a patent or a patent application;

the claims being parsed hierarchically and each independent claim being parsed into its sub-elements, wherein the sub-elements are parsed patent invention elements or steps of the independent patent invention claim, wherein the hierarchically parsed patent claims comprises hierarchical elements and sub-elements and the diagram comprising a graphical claim structure and a textual claim content associated with each patent claim and, for each patent claim, the graphical claim structure fully includes the textual claim content; and

the claims, including both the graphical claim structure and the fully included textual claim content, are dynamically compressible hierarchically;

the graphical claim structure comprises multiple geometric outlines, the textual claim content of each hierarchical element and each sub-element are fully included in each of the geometric outlines of the graphical claim structure, wherein coloration and shading are used for the multiple geometric outlines to differentiate the included textual claim content hierarchically, and at least one of the multiple geometric outlines further has a visual emphasis, the visual emphasis indicating whether there are additional levels of the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series directly connected to the at least one of the multiple geometric outlines that has a visual emphasis; and

at least one line directly connecting the outlines to each other according the hierarch of the at least part of a patent claims series.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the at least part of a claim series include an independent claim.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the claim series includes at least one dependent claim that depends from the independent claim.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the claims are displayed in a compressed state and/or an expanded state within the same hierarchical tree.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the claims are displayed in an expanded state.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the imported claims are an entire claims series.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the imported claims are an entire patent'"'"'s claims.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the imported claims are at least part of a patent claims series from more than one patent.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the at least part of a series of claims can be moved up or down in the diagram relative to one another.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to create an interactive GUI of claim 2, wherein the at least part of a series of claims can be moved up or down in the diagram relative to one another.

11. A device comprising:

a processor and a memory with instructions for the processor to create a graphical user interface for displaying patent claims, the graphical user interface comprising;

at least two hierarchical claims diagrams;

wherein each of the at least two hierarchical claims diagrams is for at least part of a patent claims series from a patent or a patent application;

the claims being parsed hierarchically and each independent claim being parsed into its sub-elements, wherein the sub-elements are parsed patent invention elements or steps of the independent patent invention claim, wherein the hierarchically parsed patent claims comprises hierarchical elements and sub-elements and the diagram comprising a graphical claim structure and a textual claim content associated with each patent claim and, for each patent claim, the graphical claim structure fully includes the textual claim content; and

the claims, including both the graphical claim structure and the fully included textual claim content, are dynamically compressible hierarchically;

wherein the graphical claim structure of each hierarchical claims diagram comprises multiple geometric outlines, the textual claim content of each hierarchical element and each sub-element are individually and fully included in each of the geometric outlines of the graphical claim structure, wherein coloration and shading are used for the multiple geometric outlines to differentiate the included textual claim content hierarchically; and

at least one line directly connecting the outlines to each other according to the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series;

thereby allowing the user to view and compare the at least two claims diagrams on one GUI.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the multiple geometric outlines further has a visual emphasis, the visual emphasis indicating whether there are additional levels of the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series directly connected to the at least one of the multiple geometric outlines that has a visual emphasis.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the at least two hierarchical claims diagrams are for different patents and/or patent applications, respectively.