Computerized method for analyzing innovation interrelationships within and between large patent portfolios

A computerized method that uses a computer for retrieving interrelated patent documents from a database portfolio that comprises patent data corresponding to one or more patent documents that include patents and patent applications, said method comprising:

• a) assembling constructing, as input to a computer, at least a first end point portfolio, a second end point portfolio, and a middle portfolio with all such portfolios associated with at least one patent document that provides patent data from each patent document with the number of such patent documents in each portfolio fixed prior to the entry of portfolios into the computer, each patent document in an end point portfolio containing providing end point data as part of its patent data, related to at least one patent document and assembling a middle portfolio having and each patent document in the middle portfolio provides middle point data as part of its patent data, related to at least one patent document wherein:
• i) the patent documents of the end point portfolio are different from any the patent document in the middle portfolio and;
• ii) patent data of the database portfolio, the middle portfolio, and are potential end point nodes located at the start and end of a potential end point portfolios can establish linkages chain consisting of links in a node and link arrangement having a node at each end of a link which is in common with an adjacent link that directly relate with at least two links connecting a node in the first portfolio with a node in the second portfolio through a node in the middle portfolio at least one of the patent documents in each of the end point portfolios in a node and link arrangement wherein the ends of each link connect directly to two patent documents that represent the nodes;
• b) using the constructed end point portfolios and the middle portfolio as input to a computer;
• c) using the computer to process the input data to find any end point chains that connect a wherein a patent document in the first end point portfolio with a and a patent document in the second end point portfolio and have a patent document from provide the middle portfolio as an intermediate node in nodes at the same opposite ends point of each end point chain with and
• ii) find any a patent document in the middle portfolio providing a node through which and end point chain must pass, and any intermediate patent document are patent documents in the database portfolio other than those included in any end point or middle portfolio;
• and, that provide additional nodes between the end points of an end point chain;
• d) retrieving output from the computer comprising a finding that no end point chains exist or output including at least one of:
• i) at least one intermediate patent document,
• ii) files of the first end point portfolio linked to files of the second end point portfolio via a chain as described in steps a) and b), the links and nodes of the end point chains as described in step c),
• iii) the links connecting at least one first end point portfolio file with at least one second end point portfolio file and,
• iv) at least one middle portfolio patent document linking patent documents of the first and second end point portfolio with patent documents of the second end point portfolio;
• files

A computerized method for retrieving interrelated patent documents from a database portfolio that comprises patent data for multiple patent documents and each patent document comprises at least one of patents and patent applications related documents, wherein the method comprises:

• a) assembling constructing, as input to a computer, a first end point portfolio and a second end point portfolio, wherein each end point portfolio is fixed at the input stage and through all computer processing steps as to patent documents contained therein and defines defining at least one patent document that contains end point data as part of its patent data;
• b) assembling constructing, as input to a computer, a middle portfolio having at least one file containing middle data fixed at the input stage and through all computer processing as to the patent documents contained therein and having at least one patent document that contains middle point data as part of the patent data and that differs from the patent documents of the end point portfolios and having a potential relationship to one or more patent documents in the first and the second end point portfolios;
• c) inputting the end point portfolios and the middle portfolio into a computer and formulating a query for a computer to find intermediate patent documents that can connect at least one continuous path through at least one end point chain that comprises a series of links, each link having a node representing a patent document at each of its ends with each link connected to another link by a common node and each end point chain starting from a patent document in the first end point portfolio, ending with to a patent document in the second end point portfolio and passing through a series of unique links that are connected through a patent document in the middle portfolio wherein each by data from the patent documents contained therein end point chain and contains at least one intermediate patent document found by the computer from the database portfolio but do not include any patent document in the end point portfolios or the middle portfolio;
• d) executing the query on the computer to find any patent documents from the first end point portfolio that are linked by a continuous path an end point chain as described in step c) to a patent document in the second end point portfolio wherein the links in said continuous path are connected through data associated with at least one patent document in said middle portfolio and at least data one associated with at least one intermediate patent document;
• and,
• e) retrieving output from the computer comprising—i) a finding that no first end point patent document is linked to second end point document ii.) or at least one of:
• i) one or more intermediate patent documents,
• ii) a finding that each patent documents of the first end point portfolio that are linked to a patent documents of the second end point portfolio via continuous path as described in step c),
• iii) the links connecting at least one patent document of the first end point portfolio with at least one patent document of the second end point portfolio,
• iv) middle portfolio members documents that serve as links in end point chains that link the first end point portfolio with second end point portfolio and each end point chain having nodes represented by patent documents at each end of the links with the links serving to linking patent document in the first and second end point portfolios files.

A computerized method for retrieving interrelated patent documents comprising patents and patent documents applications, wherein the method comprises:

• a) assembling a, constructing as input to a computer, a first end point portfolio and a second end point portfolio, wherein each end point portfolio contains end point data that is fixed with respect to the patent documents it contains at the computer input stage and through all computer processing defining at least one patent document;
• b) constructing, as input to a computer, assembling a middle portfolio data that is fixed at the input stage and through all computer processing as to the patent documents contained therein and having at least one patent document that contains middle data as part of the patent data and that differs from the patent documents of the end point portfolios defining at least one patent document;
• c) inputting the end point portfolios and the middle portfolio into a computer and formulating a query for a computer to find from the United States Patent Office portfolio any intermediate patent documents that can connect at least one continuous path through an end point chain that comprises a series of unique links each link having a node representing a patent document at each of its ends with each adjacent link connected by a common node and each chain starting with a patent document in the first portfolio, ending with a patent document in the second portfolio through a series of unique links that are connected passing through a patent document of the middle portfolio and having at least one intermediate patent document at a specified undirected degree of separation to create the end point chain wherein the intermediate patent documents consists of patent documents within the database portfolio but the database portfolio and does do not include any patent document in the end point portfolios or the middle portfolio;
• d) executing the query on the computer to find any patent documents from the first end point portfolio that are linked by a continuous path by an end point chain to a patent document in the second end point portfolio in the manner described in step c), and to find at least one patent document in each of the end point portfolios that does not serve as a node in an end point chain;
• e) retrieving output from the computer including at least one group of patent documents containing multiple unique end point chains of links that connect to intermediate patent documents and that collectively comprise a patent thicket;
• and,
• f) presenting the first and second end point portfolios, the middle portfolio, and the intermediate patent documents in a visual form that displays the links between all of the patent documents and the patents in each portfolio member in a unique format with respect to the members of other portfolios and the intermediate patents.