Patent-related tools and methodology for use in the merger and acquisition process

• US 20020035499A1
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DataCloud Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Rose Blush Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hohmann, Luke, Rappaport, Irving S., Rivette, Kevin G., Heaton, Sheryl A., Germeraad, Paul B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

The present invention is related to patent-related tools, and methodologies involving those tools, for assisting in all stages of the merger and acquisition process. The IPAM server may be used in conjunction with the tools and methodologies to aid in the merger and acquisition process. These tools or methods include, but are not limited to, a topographic map, a technology classification, a SIC classification, a radar diagram, a patent citation tree, a citation root tree, a citation count report, a citation frequency graph, a citation frequency report, a patent count/year, an application count/year, a patent aging graph, a U.S. primary class/subclass, an international patent class, an assignee patent count report by primary class/subclass, a patent count graph by number of patents, a top assignees primary class/subclass by percent of total, a months to issue patents, a features grouping, a document annotation, an inventor patent count/assignee, an inventor patent count graph, and inventor data.

Claims

1. A method for assisting in at least one stage of the merger and acquisition process, comprising:

determining which stage of the merger and acquisition process the user is in;

determining a tool to assist in said stage; and

utilizing said tool to assist in said stage.