IFI CLAIMS Patent Services Newsletter: Volume 3, August 2012

Claims Direct Global Patent Database

The Claims Direct Global Patent Database has been reindexed. This has enabled us to move to the latest version of the Apache Solr search platform, add searchable fields, and improve data quality. US and INPADOC Legal Status information is now fully searchable, as is detailed patent examiner information. Searching for application, priority and publication numbers is now easier as former constraints on leading zero formatting have been relaxed.

Claims Classic

The proprietary standardized and probable assignee fields are now updated weekly. IFI meticulously maintains a database of standardized and probable US assignee names. This valuable data is now available weekly rather than monthly.

KMX

KMX users may now search on legal status fields based on the improvements to the Claims Direct Global Patent Database. Legal Status dates, events and text remain selectable as column data for analysis, but they are now searchable as well. In particular, the Legal Status Text field (lstext) and Legal Status Code (lscode) fields may be of interest as filters on large data sets.

IFI CAIMS® Patent Intelligence & Technology Report, PITR, has recently been updated with more than 89 new US assignees that have been granted 10 or more US patents in a calendar year. Some of the companies added are Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co Ltd., Stion Corporation, Columbia Sportswear North America Inc and Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications LTD - just to name a few!

By doing a quick search in PITR on these four, we can see the breakdown of utility and design patents by year (see table below).

Granted Utility Patents

Granted Design Patents

PITR enables you to examine each of the assignee portfolios in further detail allowing you to view the actual patents .The majority of these patents are concentrated in wireless technology, LCD displays, electronic and navigation devices, ‘thin film’ technology and footwear. 

The strength of PITR is in the quality of our name standardization. We use IFI CLAIMS® standardized and probable assignee names data to ensure accurate reporting. With this competitive intelligence tool you have quick access to high-level summaries of US patent portfolios of over 5,000 of the top US assignees. PITR enables you to scan monthly, 5 year and 10 year trends, search by assignee, US Class, or IPC. You can drill into portfolios, monitor technology trends and view grants and applications.

If you would like to see the complete list of the most recent assignee updates or would like more information on the product please contact Jennifer at jbutler@ificlaims.com.

 -Jennifer Butler, PITR Product Manager

Highlights from our Blog
We are very pleased to have a new post from a guest blogger - Enric Escorsa of Iale.  Enriq writes about innovations in shale oil extraction with emphasis on the change of ownership of Argentina Oil Firm YPF in "Repsol, YPF and the pursuit of unconventional oil".  YPF is being nationalized after being part of Spanish Oil Firm REPSOL since 1999.  Enric uses KMX to look at the REPSOL-YPF portfolio, and the landscape of shale oil patents.  

Larry Cady uses KMX to answer the question "What is Cloud Computing?"  Larry's post provides a detailed example on how to use KMX to construct a classification system based on your business needs.  Looking at assignee activity within a custom classification system identifies some surprising trends.

Larry shows how to reuse a KMX classifier to monitor current activity in "Classifying Newly Released Cloud Computing Patents Using KMX".  Using his existing cloud computing classifier, Larry looks at a months worth of new patents to see which companies are most active in key technology areas. 

Jennifer Butler uses PITR to look at Research in Motion's patent filing trends in "Research in Motion - Shares are Declining but Patent Count is Growing". RIM's portfolio continues to grow even as its financial fortunes decline. 

Mike Baycroft is a guest blogger for the new Connecticut Innovation CT iHub web site in "How does Connecticut stack up when it comes to innovation?" Mike looks at the Connecticut businesses with the most patent filings in 2011.  Xerox and United Technologies top the list.