Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-23
2002-08-13
Hong, Stephen S. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C704S009000, C705S001100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434580
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for preparing patent specifications, a method for preparing patent specifications, and a storage medium recording thereon a program for preparing patent specifications, and more particularly to a system for preparing patent specifications, a method for preparing patent specifications, and a storage medium recording thereon a program for preparing patent specifications with inventors and persons in change of filing patent applications using a plurality of computers connected to a communication network, such as Internet, for preparing patent specifications for patent applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional system for managing bibliographic data of industrial properties is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-91349. The conventional bibliographic-data management system is provided with an attorney-side computer located at a patent law firm and a client-side computer placed at an applicant's office, for instance, the intellectual property division of a company. The attorney-side computer comprises an input unit, a transmitting unit, an attorney-side memory unit, and an attorney-side data update unit. The client-side computer includes a client-side memory unit, a receiving unit, and a client-side data update unit.
The conventional bibliographic-data management system with such a construction as described above operates as follows:
In the attorney-side computer, an patent attorney enters from the input unit bibliographic items relating to various procedures each time the patent attorney performs those procedures, for example, during the prosecution of a patent application. The transmitting unit transmits both the bibliographic items for the patent application entered from the input unit and a reference number assigned to the patent application through a communication line to the client-side computer. At the same time, in accordance with the bibliographic items entered from the input unit, the data update unit updates procedure history data which are stored in the attorney-side memory unit and indicate the histories of procedures conducted for patent applications handled by the patent law firm.
Meanwhile, in the client-side computer, the receiving unit receives the bibliographic items and the reference number for the patent application transmitted through the communication line by the attorney-side computer. In accordance with the bibliographic items and the reference number, the client-side data update unit updates procedure history data stored in the client-side memory unit so that they become substantially the same as those in the attorney-side memory unit.
The conventional system described above merely delivers bibliographic data, entered by the attorney into the attorney-side computer and stored into the attorney-side memory unit, over the communication line to the client-side computer to be stored into the client-side memory unit, but is not designed to prepare patent application documents including a specification while each of the attorney-side computer and the client-side computer transmit to the other, and receive from the other, relevant data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of preparing data for patent application documents by the transmission and reception of draft data via a server computer between a client computer used by an inventor preparing the draft data for a specification to be included in his or her patent application and another client computer used by patent-application-filing persons including a patent attorney revising the draft data.
According to first aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for preparing patent specifications which comprises a first computer, a second computer and a third computer connected to one another via a communication network. Said first computer comprises a draft preparation means for entering patent specification draft data of a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer respective patent specification draft data entered from said draft specification preparation means and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a first draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending means for amending the draft data fetched by the first draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and an amended draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data amended by the draft amending means and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor. Said second computer comprises a specification file memory means, and a draft entry means for entering respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first and third computers into said specification memory means, with the respective draft data and the pieces of invention report information being associated with each other. Said third computer comprises a second draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer patent specification draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by a patent-application-filing person; a draft revision means for revising the draft data fetched by the second draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said patent-application-filing person; and a revised draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data revised by said draft revision means and the piece of invention report information designated by said patent-application-filing person.
According to second aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for preparing patent specifications which comprises a first computer, a second computer, a third computer and fourth computer connected to one another via a communication network. Said first computer comprises a draft preparation means for entering patent specification draft data of a patent specification prepared by an inventor; a draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer respective patent specification draft data entered from said draft specification preparation means and a piece of invention report information for identifying the respective patent specification draft data; a first draft downloading means for fetching from said second computer draft data corresponding to a piece of invention report information designated by said inventor; a draft amending means for amending the draft data fetched by the first draft downloading means in accordance with an instruction by said inventor; and an amended draft uploading means for transmitting to said second computer the draft data amended by the draft amending means and the piece of invention report information designated by said inventor. Said second computer comprises a specification file memory means, and a draft entry means for entering respective patent specification draft data and said piece of invention report information for identifying the respective draft data, transmitted from said first and fourth computers into said specification memory means, with the respective draft data and the pieces of invention report information being associated with each other. Said third computer comprises an entry means for referencing, when patent specification draft data are transmitted from said first computer to said second computer, the patent specification draft data, searching a prior art reference database for reference data on the basis of the contents of the invention indicated by the patent specification draft data, associating searched reference data with the patent specification draft data and entering them into said specification file memory means. Said fourth computer co
Furusawa Daisuke
Imoto Fumio
Kubo Hiroyuki
Shimamura Kouichi
Shiramizu Akira
Bashore William L.
Hong Stephen S.
NEC Corporation
Young & Thompson
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