Patent data mining method and apparatus

Details Patent data mining method and apparatus Patent data mining method and apparatus

2000-02-09

2002-05-14

Von Buhr, Maria N. (Department: 2171)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

C707S793000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06389418

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of data mining, specifically the exposition of the relationships between patents.
Large patents database can provide access to millions of patents. Conventional database interfaces allow searching on various fields and keywords associated with individual patents. Relationships among patents can also provide important information, but conventional database interfaces do not make the structure of the relationships apparent.
For databases containing only a few patents, a user can read patents, analyze relationships, and draw diagrams to deduce the relationships. Databases with more than a few patents have much more information embedded in the relationships, but the relationships are too many and too complex for a user to analyze or comprehend from existing search and retrieval tools. U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,470, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a method of visualizing relationships among database items, but does not provide specific mechanisms or steps for exposing relationships common to patent databases. Consequently, there is a need for a process that allows a user to comprehend the structure of relationships among items in databases having many patents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a process that allows a user to comprehend the structure of relationships among patents in large patent databases. The process transforms the relationships among patents in the database to geometric relationships. The relationships among the patents can be expressed by a weighted combination of various predicates. The structure of the relationships is more readily comprehended when communicated via the resulting geometric relationships.
The process assigns coordinates in a geometric space to each patent. The assigned coordinates locate the patents in the geometric space so that distance between two patents in the geometric space is representative of the relationship between the two patents. The process then communicates an aspect of the geometric space. The aspect can include, for example, a map-like rendering displayed on a screen. The process changes a characteristic of the communicated aspect based on the nearby items. For example, the apparent height of a surface of a map-like rendering can represent the number of items located nearby.
The process includes specific steps for expressing the relationship between two patents. The process can consider common words, the Patent Office's classification system, direct citations, common citations, and time relationships between two patents to determine the similarity between the two patents. The process can also accommodate various threshold and normalization considerations to foster a more meaningful geometric space.
Advantages and novel features will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


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