System and method for patent white space analysis

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for analyzing patent white space in a patent management system. A computer-implemented embodiment comprises using one or more processors to identify the patent technology class or subclass of the invention; generate white space information for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, with the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and present the white space information to a user.

1 . A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors, the method comprising the following:
 receiving data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed;   identifying a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention;   for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generating information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and   presenting the white space information to a user.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the white space information further comprises, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, identifying the age of the earliest patent registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention. 
     
     
         4 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the invention forms the subject matter of a patent in a field of prior art that predates the patent; and
 wherein generating the white space information further comprises identifying the age of any prior art cited against the patent.   
     
     
         5 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the invention forms the subject matter of a patent in a field of prior art that predates the patent; and
 wherein generating the white space information further comprises identifying the age of any prior art not cited against the patent.   
     
     
         6 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein generating white space information for a user further includes the use of one or more elements selected from the following group comprising:
 using keywords to search patents in the technology class or subclass of the invention;   determining how many patents are registered in the name of at least one competitor of the user; and   identifying how many patents are registered in user-identified key technology areas.   
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 5 , wherein presenting the white space information to a user includes presenting an indication of the distribution of the age of patents cited as prior art against the patent in the class or subclass of the invention. 
     
     
         8 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further including providing a module to accept input from a user identifying a technology, and in relation to the identified technology, accepting input from the user identifying one or more of the following:
 representative patents or applications for the technology;   representative keywords for the technology; and   representative classes or subclasses for the technology.   
     
     
         9 . A system comprising:
 at least one hardware-implemented module to receive data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed, and to identify a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention;   a hardware-implemented analytics module to generate, for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and   a hardware-implemented display module to present the white space information to a user.   
     
     
         10 . A system comprising:
 a network;   at least one database, accessible on the network, and including data relating to patents registered in a patent class or subclass of an invention; and   a server, operatively connected to the network, wherein the server includes:
 a processor, 
 a memory, 
 a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing software operable on the processor to:
 receive data identifying the invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed; 
 identify the patent technology class or subclass of the invention; 
 for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generate information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention, the white space information including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of the a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and 
 present the white space information to a user. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . A machine readable medium, including instructions, which when performed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:
 receiving data identifying an invention, or a patent or patent application in which the invention is described or claimed;   identifying a patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention;   for the patent technology class or subclass of the identified invention, generate generating information relating to a boundary of unpatented white space around or adjacent the invention information, the white space information at least including information relating to the age or population of at least some patents registered at a patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention, and further including, for the patent technology class or subclass of the invention, an identification of the a total number of patents registered at the patent registry in the patent class or subclass of the invention; and   presenting the white space information to a user.