Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system in a specific environment – Chemical analysis
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-09
2001-10-30
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system in a specific environment
Chemical analysis
C702S023000, C702S027000, C702S030000, C702S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311134
ABSTRACT:
REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Submitted herewith is a microfiche appendix including a single microfiche having 18 frames.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Users of various chemical products often have the need or desire to find alternative products made by multiple sources which are comparable to a known product. Various tools are available for cross-referencing known chemical products with related products. For example, printed tables are provided by various sources in which an individual can look up a chemical product number and find a related product of a different brand. These tables sometimes offer packaging information and size comparisons of the related products. Generally, they provide very little of the information necessary to make an educated decision regarding the available products. Many of the prior art printed tables are not current, and when combined with the limited nature of their comparison, this significantly undermines their credibility.
As an alternative to printed tables, E. M. Science provides a DOS-based computer program as well as an Internet website for cross-referencing chemical products. The E. M. Science programs appear to cross-reference products by linking a given product directly to another product (a one-to-one match), much like what is done by the printed tables. While these programs may save time, they still leave unaddressed the problem that very few chemical products are truly “equivalent” in every aspect. Moreover, any time either of the two products are changed, the equivalency of both products must be manually readdressed, and the one-to-one matching with each product likewise adjusted. The E. M. Science tools have limited credibility because they oftentimes fail to point out the critical differences in products.
As a result of these shortcomings in the above mentioned systems, there remains a need for improvements in cross-reference tools for chemical products.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a process and apparatus for comparing chemical products utilizes a plurality of multi-code groups. Each multi-code group, associated with a particular chemical product, comprises a substance code indicating the chemical identification of the product, a specification number code indicating the number of specifications characterizing the chemical substance, and a specification type code indicating the known specifications or attributes of the chemical substance. The invention compares multi-code groups for different products so as to identify and convey the similarities and differences between various different products, based on similarities and differences between corresponding substance codes, specification number codes and specification type codes of the different products.
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Hoff Marc S.
Mallinckrodt Inc.
Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck
Tsai Carol S.
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