Navigating the vast sea of patent data presents monumental challenges for patent analysts. With over 150 million records and nearly 200,000 added weekly, each containing hundreds of data points, making sense of it all is no small task. To compound the problem, analysts are also challenged to present their findings to diverse audiences, from attorneys demanding details to executives seeking broad insights to their guide strategy.
Like cartographers mapping uncharted territories, analysts deftly chart courses through ever-expanding oceans of data to reveal patterns and opportunities that further their organization’s goals. Their unique skills make them indispensable guides in increasingly complex landscapes.
Why AcclaimIP is the Best Platform for Patent Analysts
AcclaimIP is the ideal platform for uncompromising patent data experts. No other patent search and analytics platform has as many unique, searchable, chartable, filterable data points as AcclaimIP. As one example, AcclaimIP has 34 citation search fields and 46 rejection search fields for the most complete picture available. As you’ll see, AcclaimIP covers all the basics you’d expect, but also adds powerful tools that empower you to garner more insight with less effort.
In today’s world of doing more with less, standalone analysts are augmented by patent searchers and analytics-minded attorneys who often take on the role of analytics maven which is why we have a relentless focus on ease-of-use. We believe research tools should empower progress, not impede it. Nothing frustrates users more than knowing the next step but not how to take it. AcclaimIP is designed for both capability and easy-to-use, based more than a decade of user feedback. Let’s take a look at some of AcclaimIP’s advanced features.
Organizing Patent Research
AcclaimIP’s “Projects” feature organizes your research by storing search histories and documents viewed under a project for later recall. Projects can be searched and can be set up with meta data.
Figure 1: If you do any level of production work in AcclaimIP, you’ll appreciated how your work can be isolated into a project which allows for easy recall and update later.
Isolating your research into projects enables re-running key searches on new publications later as new patents are published. Patent analysts rely on AcclaimIP’s project management features for better efficiency, recall and organization.
Annotating and Tracking Patent Data
Custom fields enable private comments, ratings, reviewer assignments and more. Invoke fields one-by-one or in sets using forms. Like other AcclaimIP fields, custom fields are searchable, shareable, and backed by a robust security model. Forms organize fields and allow field-level authorization access based on user or user-group. The same form can be configured where certain users only have access to specific fields, which enables workflows where there are hand offs between analysts and attorneys and portfolio managers each with unique access, for example.
Figure 2: AcclaimIP’s custom fields are indexed in real time meaning your annotations become searchable and exportable after a quick index which happens in the background within less than a minute. Many complex workflows can be supported using custom fields.
Custom data can even be charted. Isolate patent sets missing custom field data to make sure your projects have been completed. Custom field data is exportable for external analytics and reporting.
Advanced Patent Analytics with Matrix Queries
Matrix queries you essentially build a cross referenced grid where each axis contains a query. In the cells at the intersection, AcclaimIP joins the two queries giving you the intersection. The x-axis queries are nestable which support building complex matrices of data that follow a classification to taxonomy scheme.
Figure 3: Matrices are cross referenced queries where the number in the intersection shows the number of hits. Matrices are feature packed and support detailed landscapes, competitive monitoring and even project tracking.
One powerful feature of matrices is the ability to apply global queries to the entire matrix. For example, you might want to constrain a technology matrix to just patents issued in 2023, and in just a few clicks hundreds of queries are re-run—giving a new view of the matrix landscape.
Matrices require expertise to build but only minutes to learn to use. Analysts build them, then share with their teams.
We’ve even had clients use matrices to track the status of various patent review workflows by using the tagging capabilities of custom fields in the matrices. The result is a full real-time status of any ongoing project.
Deduplication and Expansion of Patent Data Sets
Proper patent deduplication and patent expansion are crucial to avoid misleading results. AcclaimIP offers robust capabilities for both.
Deduplicate at the case level where one filing may generate multiple publications like an application and grant. Counting both overstates the analysis. Each case has one “representative document” (RepDoc) which may change as new publications are published
Further deduplicate at the family level with one click. For patentability searches, remove family members that share identical specifications to save time and effort. AcclaimIP even has a special family document search mode for users transitioning from legacy platforms which use this model.
Figure 4: Deduplication and set-expansion are critical components of search in AcclaimIP. All features are controlled from the Search Result window in the Refinement Panel or the Analyze menu.
Deduplication is only half the story. Sometimes you need to expand your search results to include family members or citing/cited/rejecting/rejected documents. One important use for document expansion is to is to evaluate prior art thoroughly by including all forward and backward citations of key references.
Patent Visualization and Reporting
Visualizations are integral for informative analysis. AcclaimIP’s integrated charting requires no intermediate steps between search and charts. Each visualization can be modified in uncountable ways giving analyst the precision to communicate almost any result.
Figure 5: Often a quick analysis of your search results will suggest the next step in refinement. With a seamlessly integrated charting package directly in the Search Results, you have option to visualize the set before making your next refinement.
Figure 5: Often a quick analysis of your search results will suggest the next step in refinement. With a seamlessly integrated charting package directly in the Search Results, you have option to visualize the set before making your next refinement.
Multi-series charts compare company and competitor portfolios among other use-cases.
Patent Visualizations on the Quick
While having all the power of a flexible charting package is a necessary tool in your analytics arsenal, there are occasions when it is overkill and a simple automated analysis and set of visualization is sufficient.
AcclaimIP has both dashboards to visualize patent landscapes, and decision point reports which are prebuilt analyses of single patents specifically tailored to support decisions at various points in a patent’s lifecycle. Some of the reports include:
- Patent Analyst Report
- Prosecution Analytics Report
- Foreign Filing Report
- Annuity Decision Report
- Orange Book Report (for US Pharmaceutical Patents)
Figure 6: Analysts are often challenged with providing decision support data from the public record. AcclaimIP’s five decision-point reports surface all the relevant decision-support data with one click.
Figure 6: Analysts are often challenged with providing decision support data from the public record. AcclaimIP’s five decision-point reports surface all the relevant decision-support data with one click.
Dashboards offer the same benefit as reports, but they are focused on sets of patents rather than one patent at a time. One unique capability of AcclaimIP’s dashboards is that one dashboard can be benchmarked against another. Set up dashboards for your company and all major competitors. You can then invoke any competitor and show two portfolios side-by-side, which conveys far more information to your executives than any standalone dashboard ever could.
Upgrade Your Patent Analysis with AcclaimIP
This page highlights only some of AcclaimIP’s powerful data and tools for patent analysts. The wide breadth of search, analytics, visualization, benchmarking, and insights tools sets AcclaimIP apart, but it’s how these tools all come together that provides the most value.