System and method for selecting and protecting intellectual property assets

• US 7,774,207 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• 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: Frank, Scott M., Beckham, Carol T., Arena, Christopher M., Evans, Sandra J., McLendon, Martin L., Short, Shannon M., Bishop, Michael, Meadows, Vernon, Delgado, Marcus, Lantz, Harrison, Sherwood, Amy L.
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/290,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/310
• 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 medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a server, cause the server to:

receive intellectual property asset data corresponding to a plurality of intellectual property assets;

assess, based on the intellectual property asset data, an enforcement potential of each intellectual property asset of a subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets includes multiple intellectual property assets, and wherein assessing the enforcement potential includes analyzing information specific to each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets; and

determine, based on the intellectual property asset data, an enforcement priority of each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the determined enforcement priority provides a basis of comparison among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets for selecting for enforcement at least one intellectual property asset among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, containing further computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor of the server, cause the server to select an intellectual property asset for enforcement based at least in part on a determined enforcement priority of an intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein assessing the enforcement potential of each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets includes assessing an enforcement criterion, the enforcement criterion selected from the group consisting of a core technologies criterion, a valuation criterion, a competitiveness criterion, a use criterion, a strength criterion, and a breadth criterion.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the strength criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a valuable technology.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the breadth criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a range of technologies.

6. A computer-implemented method for determining an enforcement priority of intellectual property, the method comprising executing instructions under the control of a server computer programmed to perform the operations of:

receiving intellectual property asset data corresponding to a plurality of intellectual property assets;

assessing, based on the intellectual property asset data, an enforcement potential of each intellectual property asset of a subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets includes multiple intellectual property assets, and wherein assessing the enforcement potential includes assessing for each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets an enforcement criterion selected from the group consisting of a core technologies criterion, a valuation criterion, a competitiveness criterion, a use criterion, a strength criterion, and a breadth criterion; and

determining, based on the intellectual property asset data, an enforcement priority of each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the determined enforcement priority provides a basis of comparison among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets for selecting for enforcement at least one intellectual property asset among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising executing further instructions under the control of the server computer for selecting an intellectual property asset for enforcement based at least in part on a determined enforcement priority of an intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the strength criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a valuable technology.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the breadth criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a range of technologies.

10. An apparatus for determining enforcement priority of intellectual property, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory operatively coupled to the processor and containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to

receive intellectual property asset data corresponding to a plurality of intellectual property assets;

assess, based on the intellectual property asset data, the enforcement potential of each intellectual property asset of a subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets includes multiple intellectual property assets, and wherein assessing the enforcement potential includes at least analyzing information specific to each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets;

determine, based on the intellectual property asset data, an enforcement priority of each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets, wherein the determined enforcement priority provides a basis of comparison among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets for selecting for enforcement at least one intellectual property asset among the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets; and

select an intellectual property asset for enforcement based at least in part on a determined enforcement priority of an intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein assessing the enforcement potential of each intellectual property asset of the subset of the plurality of intellectual property assets includes assessing an enforcement criterion, the enforcement criterion selected from the group consisting of a core technologies criterion, a valuation criterion, a competitiveness criterion, a use criterion, a strength criterion, and a breadth criterion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strength criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a valuable technology.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the breadth criterion corresponds to a measure of applicability to a range of technologies.