Computerized information system for creating patent data summaries and method therefor

• US 9,183,278 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Iprotect USA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Iprotect USA Incorporated
• Inventors: Pogodin, Pavel
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US13/372,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20120226683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/11 Patent retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/924 Patent procedure

Abstract

A system and method for generating patent data summary reports for target entity identified by user. The information system contains database with patent document records. After user selects target entity, system issues query to database to identify all entities having association with patent documents associated with specified target entity. For example, user may wish to receive report on all clients of specific attorney. The system would search database to locate all assignees of all patents prosecuted by that attorney and return ranked list of such assignees to user. Optionally, system may generate graphical representation of information in report and provide it to user. Report provided to user may be interactive in a sense that various items of information within report may be connected by links to additional reports with more specific information. Additionally, system may automatically update patent document database with new records as they become available.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for generating an interactive patent data summary report, the interactive report comprising data for each of a plurality of years on a target law firm entity, the method comprising:

a. receiving first information, wherein the first information is indicative of the target law firm entity, wherein the target law firm entity is of a first entity type;

b. using one or more processors to automatically identify, based on the received first information indicative of the target law firm entity, a plurality of company entities such that for each of the identified plurality of company entities (assignee company entity) there is at least one patent document in a plurality of patent documents simultaneously having the target law firm entity as an attorney and said assignee company entity as a legal assignee, each of the plurality of company entities being of a second entity type;

c. incorporating using the one or more processors information on at least two of the plurality of company entities of the second entity type into the interactive report;

d. using the one or more processors for determining, for each pair comprising a year from the plurality of years and a company entity from the at least two of the plurality of company entities, a quantity of patent documents in a second plurality of patent documents corresponding to the pair;

e. generating using the one or more processors a graphical chart, the graphical chart incorporating, for each pair comprising the year of the plurality of years and the company entity from the at least two of the plurality of company entities, a graphical representation of the determined quantity of patent documents;

f. incorporating using the one or more processors the generated graphical chart into the interactive report or associating the graphical chart with the interactive report; and

g. causing the interactive report to be provided to the user,

wherein the interactive report comprises a user interface portion usable in connection with a web browser;

wherein the information is incorporated into the report in a form of a plurality of information items capable of being activated by the user, the plurality of information items forming the user interface portion of the interactive report; and

wherein receipt of an indication that at least one information item of the plurality of information items of the user interface portion of the interactive report has been activated by the user causes the one or more processors to generate a second report based on the activated information item and cause the second report to be provided to the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least a portion of a name of the law firm entity.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising identifying the law firm entity based on the first information.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the identifying the target entity comprises:

i. identifying records using a database system using at least a portion of the received first information, the identified records representing one or more possible spellings of a name of the law firm entity;

ii. ranking the identified records based on a number of patent documents corresponding to each spelling of the name of the law firm entity;

iii. providing the identified records to the user in a ranked order;

iv. receiving second information from a user via a computer network, wherein the second information identifies the law firm entity and wherein the second information comprises selection of the identified records, the selected identified records representing different spellings of the name of the law firm entity, which correspond to the law firm entity.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first entity type is attorney/agent and the second entity type is assignee.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphical chart comprises a bar chart.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive report comprises HTML code and is provided to a user via HTTP protocol.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising associating a link element with an information item in the interactive report, wherein upon activation of the link element, the user is provided with the second report on the information item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the information item represents a number of patent documents and the second report comprises a listing of the patent documents.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the information item is selected from a group consisting of an attorney/agent, assignee, class/subclass, assignee country and inventor.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive report comprises a name of the target law firm entity, a name of at least one of the plurality of company entities and information on the patent documents associated with target law firm entity and the plurality of company entities.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of company entities are listed in the interactive report in a ranked manner in accordance with corresponding numbers of patent documents in the plurality of patent documents.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising periodically updating records stored in at least one database table.

14. A computer-implemented method for generating an interactive patent data summary report, the interactive report comprising data for each of a plurality of years on a target company entity, the method comprising:

a. receiving first information, wherein the first information is indicative of the target company entity, wherein the target company entity is of a first entity type;

b. using one or more processors to automatically identify, based on the received first information indicative of the target company entity, a plurality of law firm entities such that for each of the identified plurality of law firm entities (attorney law firm entity) there is at least one patent document in a plurality of patent documents simultaneously having the attorney law firm entity as an attorney and the target company entity as a legal assignee, each of the plurality of law firm entities being of a second entity type;

c. incorporating using the one or more processors information on at least two of the plurality of law firm entities of the second entity type into the interactive report;

d. using the one or more processors for determining, for each pair comprising a year from the plurality of years and a law firm entity from the at least two of the plurality of law firm entities, a quantity of patent documents in a second plurality of patent documents corresponding to the pair;

e. generating using the one or more processors a graphical chart, the graphical chart incorporating, for each pair comprising the year of the plurality of years and the law firm entity from the at least two of the plurality of company entities, a graphical representation of the determined quantity of patent documents;

f. incorporating using the one or more processors the generated graphical chart into the interactive report or associating the graphical chart with the interactive report; and

g. causing the interactive report to be provided to the user, wherein the interactive report comprises a user interface portion usable in connection with a web browser;

wherein the information is incorporated into the report in a form of a plurality of information items capable of being activated by the user, the plurality of information items forming the user interface portion of the interactive report; and

wherein receipt of an indication that at least one information item of the plurality of information items of the user interface portion of the interactive report has been activated by the user causes the one or more processors to generate a second report based on the activated information item and cause the second report to be provided to the user.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of law firm entities are listed in the interactive report in a ranked manner in accordance with corresponding numbers of patent documents in the plurality of patent documents.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising periodically updating records stored in at least one database table.

16. A computerized information system for generating an interactive patent data summary report, the interactive report comprising data for each of a plurality of years on a target law firm entity, the computer system comprising:

a. processing unit for receiving instructions from the user, for processing received instructions and for generating the interactive report on the target law firm entity;

b. a storage unit for storing a computer program for generating the interactive report on the target law firm entity, wherein the computer program causes the processing unit to;

i. receive first information, wherein the first information is indicative of the target law firm entity, wherein the target law firm entity is of a first entity type;

ii. identify, based on the received first information indicative of the target law firm entity, a plurality of patent classes such that for each of the identified plurality of patent classes (patent class) there is at least one patent document in a plurality of patent documents simultaneously having the target law firm entity as an attorney and said patent class as an assigned patent class;

iii. incorporate information on at least two of the plurality of patent classes into the interactive report;

iv. determine, for each pair comprising a year from the plurality of years and a patent class from the at least two of the plurality of patent classes, a quantity of patent documents in a second plurality of patent documents corresponding to the pair;

v. generate using the one or more processors a graphical chart, the graphical chart incorporating, for each pair comprising the year of the plurality of years and the patent class from the at least two of the plurality of patent classes, a graphical representation of the determined quantity of patent documents;

vi. incorporate using the one or more processors the generated graphical chart into the interactive report or associating the graphical chart with the interactive report; and

vii. cause the interactive report to be provided to the user,

wherein the interactive report comprises a user interface portion usable in connection with a web browser;

wherein the information is incorporated into the report in a form of a plurality of information items capable of being activated by the user, the plurality of information items forming the user interface portion of the interactive report; and

wherein receipt of an indication that at least one information item of the plurality of information items of the user interface portion of the interactive report has been activated by the user causes the one or more processors to generate a second report based on the activated information item and cause the second report to be provided to the user.

17. The computerized information system of claim 16, wherein one of the plurality of the information items represents a number of patent documents and the second report comprises a listing of the patent documents.

19. The computerized information system of claim 16, further comprising a database system comprising a first table storing patent document information and a second table storing law firm information.

20. The computerized information system of claim 17, wherein one of the plurality of information items is selected from a group consisting of an attorney/agent, assignee, class/subclass, assignee country and inventor.