| Traditionally, patent information searches are done, | | | | content of the individual patent documents. The |
| as a part of the drafting a patent drafting, before | | | | quantitative method results in statistical processing. |
| patent filing or during patent litigation. During the | | | | These two methods have quite different objectives |
| recent few years, there have been lots of activity | | | | and different ranges of applications. Typical qualitative |
| and interest had been evolved in the area of patents. | | | | patent analysis involved reading the patent whole |
| Patents are now being considered as one of the | | | | patent document and segment the key technical |
| major source of technological and competitive | | | | information into various clusters based on the |
| information. Computer and internet technologies | | | | taxonomy. Most of the companies are using |
| made it very easy to access these big informational | | | | Microsoft excel or word document for representation |
| sources. In our highly competitive business | | | | of the analyzed patents. This is a good tool for |
| environment Patent awareness is a critical skill for | | | | primary level of analysis, but they have their own pro |
| business managers, engineers, researchers, inventors, | | | | and cons. Dolcera Infomaxx Pvt. Ltd., at Hyderabad, |
| consultants, or anyone involved in Patent issues. | | | | a US based KPO and RPO firm has provided Online |
| Patents are an important source of technological | | | | dashboard and IP Maps for better representation of |
| intelligence that companies can use to gain strategic | | | | analyzed patent data. |
| advantage. | | | | Reading the lengthy patent document is a pain, |
| Presently, economists, social science researchers, | | | | especially during preparation of landscape or |
| policymakers, businessmen and professionals have | | | | infringement report, a patent analyst has to read |
| begun to make increasing meso-level and macro-level | | | | 1000+ records. It's a very time consuming process. |
| use of patent information. This is being done to | | | | Mine being working with few KPO firms in India for |
| analyze, for example, patenting activities of a | | | | last 3 year have done extensive research to find the |
| country' technical patterns of internationalization; | | | | ways to accelerate the patent analysis process by |
| patenting activities in a sector, technology or | | | | using better tools and in-house developed |
| company to ascertain or forecast the direction of | | | | methodologies. I have developed methods for better |
| technical change, or ascertain the relative | | | | and error free patent analysis system, through |
| technological position of a company in a marketplace; | | | | efficient use and co-ordination of various sensory |
| etc. Thus, the use of patent information has | | | | organs with the human anatomy and low cost |
| expanded to many different tactical and strategic | | | | computerized tools. These methods had increased |
| business, research, and policy making activities at | | | | the efficiency and accuracy of upto 3-4 times. |
| national, institutional or enterprise levels. Patent | | | | Once the patent analysis is done, then the most |
| analysis can have significant value for a company in | | | | crucial and important part of patent intelligence is |
| understanding and predicting the development of the | | | | patent mapping. Patent analysis can be displayed by |
| competitive technology landscape in its industry. | | | | visual representation using bar graphs, polygonal line |
| In sum, while competitive patent analysis may allow a | | | | graphs, pie charts, radar charts and other charts |
| corporation to monitor technological advances, | | | | graphs, which are called 'Patent Maps'. Visualization is |
| evaluate developing trends, and assess competitors, | | | | an especially effective way of representing the |
| serious legal risks may be created that must be | | | | results of this type of analysis. Patent mapping, is a |
| managed. | | | | technique that uses patent informations to create a |
| Patent documents contain important research results. | | | | graphical or physical representation of the relevant |
| However, they are lengthy and rich in technical | | | | art pertaining to a particular technology area, which |
| terminology such that it takes a lot of human efforts | | | | can be used to illustrate a competitor's relative |
| for analyses. Even, the techno-legal nature of the | | | | patent strength therein. Intelligence such as this may |
| patents made it tough to read and understand the | | | | allow a corporation to plan research efforts |
| actual invention concepts. There comes the role of | | | | strategically, evaluate the strength of its patent |
| expert patent professionals. | | | | portfolio relative to its competitors, and identify |
| Thus there is always a great demand for automatic | | | | potential licensing opportunities. |
| analysis tools/techniques for assisting patent | | | | Most of the companies prepare these patent maps |
| engineers or decision makers in patent. Today, there | | | | using Microsoft excel graph and power point. These |
| are lots of electronic databases, analytical software | | | | maps are static and are prepared by the service |
| products and private service providers with their own | | | | providers, thus are not clients/user friendly. Dolcera, |
| proprietary value-added patent or technology | | | | had developed their own dynamic online dashboards |
| databases are available for assisting in the analysis of | | | | for representation of patent analysis results. These |
| patent information, but they all have some pro and | | | | dashboards are user friendly, and user can change |
| cons. It is true that automated software tools cannot | | | | the various parameters according to their needs. |
| substitutes the human intelligence. But, effective use | | | | Patent contains lots of information and it's the |
| of these tools with human intelligence will certainly | | | | individual perspective, how they can effectively use |
| reduce the time consumption and even could reduce | | | | this giant information source for various technological |
| the common human errors. There are two primary | | | | and competitive insights. A continuous research is |
| ways of analyzing patent information: qualitative and | | | | indeed essential to derive methods, techniques and |
| quantitative. | | | | tools to efficient patent analysis and mapping. |
| The qualitative method shows more closely the | | | | |