Patent Publication Number: US-2004054971-A1

Title: System and method for managing patent documents

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a system and method for managing patent documents in electronic form, and especially relates to a system and method for managing distributed patent documents in image format.  
       [0003] 2. Background of the Invention  
       [0004] The governments of many countries now provide access to their registered patent documents via Internet websites linking to patent databases. Detailed information on a patent is thus available in electronic form. Such information includes a specification and drawing figures. The information is invariably divided into several electronic patent documents, with each patent document comprising one page of the patent. Formats of these electronic patent documents also vary. Typically, the patent documents are stored in the patent database in image format. Users at a remote Internet terminal must read each patent page by page. Printing of each patent must also be done page by page. This is very laborious and time-consuming, especially considering that some patents comprise hundreds of pages. Typically, when a patent is downloaded from the database, a plurality of distributed patent documents in various image formats is stored in the user&#39;s local storage.  
       [0005] Recently, format conversion technology has developed significantly. A user can designate a name of a source file required for conversion, and a name of a destination file. A conversion program then executes the conversion from the source file to the destination file. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,606 entitled “File format conversion method, and file system, information processing system, electronic commerce system using the method” discloses a method for converting an original file having one format into a destination file having another format.  
       [0006] The above-described format conversion technology can accomplish conversion between formats for a variety of patent documents. But the technology only converts one format file into another format file. The technology does not adequately address the problem of processing and managing numerous patent documents that make up each single patent.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] Accordingly, an objective of the present inversion is to provide a system for managing patent documents that can convert a plurality of patent documents of one patent into a single destination document.  
       [0008] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for converting a plurality of various format patent documents of one patent into a single destination document.  
       [0009] In order to achieve the first above-mentioned objective, a system for managing patent documents in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of client computers connected with a file server. Each client computer comprises a user processing module, a format converting module and a local storage. The user processing module has the function of receiving processing orders of a user, and is used for designating names of source patent documents in image format and a name of a destination document in image format. The format converting module has the function of converting a plurality of documents in different image formats into a document in a designated image format, and is used for converting the source patent documents into the destination document. The local storage stores the source patent documents and the destination document. The file server stores patent documents downloaded from intellectual property information websites.  
       [0010] In order to achieve the second above-mentioned objective, a method for managing patent documents in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) receiving a user order for generating a destination document in a designated image format, the user order comprising names of source patent documents in different image formats and a name of the destination document; (b) generating an empty destination document; (c) loading one source patent document; (d) adding the source patent document to the destination document; (e) returning to step (c) until all source patent documents have been added to the destination document; and (f) storing the destination document to a storage.  
       [0011] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, a system and a method each in accordance with a respective alternative embodiment of the present invention are also provided.  
       [0012] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with the attached drawings, in which: 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0013]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for managing patent documents in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system comprising a plurality of client computers and a file server;  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating conversion between source patent documents and a single destination document;  
     [0015]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of converting source patent documents into a destination document in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0016]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for managing patent documents in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the system comprising a client computer and a file server; and  
     [0017]FIG. 5 is a flow chart of converting source patent documents into a destination document in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     [0018] Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the present invention in detail.  
     [0019]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for managing patent documents in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The system comprises a plurality of client computers  110  (only one shown) connected with a file server  120 .  
     [0020] The file server  120  comprises a remote storage  121 . The remote storage  121  stores all unstructured documents, including TIFF (Tag Image File Format) documents, JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) documents, GIF (Graphic Interexchange Format) documents and PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. Patent documents downloaded from IP (intellectual property) information websites are invariably in one or more of the above-mentioned image formats. A single patent downloadable from an IP information website invariably comprises a plurality of patent documents in image format. Each patent document stores part of the entire patent. These patent documents are randomly stored in the remote storage  121  of the file server  120  when they are downloaded from the IP information website.  
     [0021] Each client computer  110  is used for receiving user orders, and displaying results of execution of the user orders. The client computer  10  comprises a user processing module  113 , a format converting module  115 , and a local storage  111 . The local storage  111  is used for storing destination documents that have been converted from source documents. The user processing module  113  connects with the local storage  111 , and comprises a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for receiving user orders to convert source patent documents in image format into a destination document in image format. The user processing module  113  controls all components of the system to effect the conversion. The format converting module  115  loads the source patent documents stored in the remote storage  121 , converts the source patent documents into a PDF document, and stores the PDF document in the local storage  111  for further execution.  
     [0022]FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating conversion between source patent documents and a single destination document. The user can designate names of the source patent documents and the destination document via the GUI of the user processing module  113 . The source patent documents are stored in the remote storage  121 , and comprise source JPEG documents  201 , source TIFF documents  203 , source GIF documents  205  and source PDF documents  207 . The format converting module  115  then converts these source patent documents into a destination PDF document  210 . The user can specify an order in which the source patent documents appear in the destination PDF document  210  via the GUI of the user processing module  113 .  
     [0023]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of converting source patent documents into a destination document in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, in step S 301 , the user processing module  113  receives a user order via the GUI. The user order includes names of the source patent documents, or a name of a folder in which all the source patent documents are stored. The user can designate a name and location of the destination document via the GUI. Alternatively, the destination document is stored in a default folder and under a default name such as the patent number of the source patent documents. The user can also specify, in the user order, an order in which the source patent documents are to appear in the destination document.  
     [0024] In step S 303 , the format converting module  115  generates an empty destination document in PDF format. In step S 305 , the format converting module  115  loads one source patent document. In step S 307 , the format converting module  115  adds the source patent document to the destination document. In step S 309 , the format converting module  115  determines whether all the source patent documents have been added to the destination document. If all the source patent documents have been added to the destination document, in step S 311 , the format converting module  115  stores the destination document in the local storage  111 , and the user processing module  113  displays the destination document in PDF format for the user via the GUI. If any source patent documents have not been added to the destination document, the procedure returns to step S 305 .  
     [0025]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for managing patent documents in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The system comprises a plurality of client computers  410  (only one shown) connected with a file server  420 . Each client computer  410  connects with IP information websites  440  (only one shown) via the Internet  115 . The file server  420  comprises a storage  421 . The functions of the file server  420  and the storage  421  are the same as the functions of the file server  120  and the remote storage  121  described above in relation to FIG. 1.  
     [0026] Each client computer  410  is used for receiving user orders, and displaying results of execution of the user orders. The client computer  410  comprises a data transferring module  411 , a user processing module  413 , and a format converting module  415 . The data transferring module  411  connects with the IP information websites  440  via the Internet  115 , downloads patent documents from the IP information websites  440 , and sends the downloaded patent documents to the format converting module  415 . The user processing module  413  receives data downloading orders from users, and sends the data downloading orders to the data transferring module  411 . The user processing module  413  controls all components of the system to effect conversion of downloaded patent documents into a single destination document. The format converting module  415  converts a plurality of source patent documents of a single patent downloaded from one IP information website  440  into a destination PDF document, assigns a designated name or a default name to the PDF document, and stores the PDF document in the storage  421  of the file server  420  for further execution.  
     [0027]FIG. 5 is a flow chart of converting source patent documents into a destination document in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, in step S 501 , the user processing module  413  receives a data downloading order via the GUI. The user processing module  413  divides the data downloading order into several patent downloading instructions, each patent downloading instruction corresponding to a respective patent. In step S 503 , the user processing module  413  searches for a destination document matching a particular patent downloading instruction in the storage  421 , and determines whether the destination document exists.  
     [0028] If the destination document does not exist in the storage  421 , in step S 507 , the format converting module  415  generates an empty destination document in PDF format, and an accompanying document for recording a summary of the destination document. The summary includes information such as a time of generation of the destination document, a time of modification of the destination document, and a content of the destination document. In step S 508 , the data transferring module  411  receives a patent downloading instruction from the user processing module  413 , and implements the instruction to download one source patent document matching the instruction from the corresponding IP information website  440 . In step S 509 , the format converting module  415  adds the source patent document downloaded by the data transferring module  411  to the destination document. In step S 511 , the format converting module  415  determines whether all source patent documents of the patent matching the patent downloading instruction have been added to the destination document. If all said source patent documents have been added to the destination document, in step S 513 , the user processing module  413  stores the time of generation of the destination document and the content of the destination document in the accompanying summary document, and implements another patent downloading instruction. If any said source patent documents have not been added to the destination document, the procedure returns to step S 508 .  
     [0029] If the destination document exists in the storage  421 , in step S 504 , the user processing module  413  determines whether the destination document is complete in accordance with its accompanying summary document. If the destination document is complete, the procedure proceeds directly to step S 513  described above. If the destination document is not complete, in step S 505 , the user processing module  413  opens the destination document, whereupon the procedure proceeds to step S 508  described above.  
     [0030] Although only preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications to the preferred embodiments are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are deemed to be covered by the following claims and allowable equivalents of the claims.