# PatentInspector: An Open-Source Tool for Applied Patent Analysis and Information Extraction
## 3 Objectives and Contribution  
The main objective of this study was to create PatentInspector, a user-friendly tool designed for both scientific research and everyday use. Our goal is to provide a resource that is open to any individual and simplifies the process of PA, offering scientific concepts in an easily digestible manner. The novelty of the tool that has been developed is that, in contrast to the plethora of proprietary software, it focuses on research aspects and semantic insights from patents by leveraging topic modeling and citation analysis methodologies and visualizations. Thus, it offers a new perspective on patent activity, and it can be utilized by mainstream users in combination with insights from other PA solutions. Overall, the primary contributions of PatentInspector are the following. C1. Provide accessible PA: The goal behind PatentInspector is to widen the reach of PA, making it accessible to a wider audience without the need for expertise in legal frameworks, computer programming or data science. It is our belief that, as in many domains, the wider public is unable to extract insights and analyze patent data due to existing software being primarily proprietary and data retrieval pathways requiring coding knowledge. PatentInspector strives to provide a solution to these problems, offering a solution that automates data retrieval and guides the potential user to the analyses that it performs. C2. Bridge the gap between PA complexity and knowledge: Complementary to C1, PatentInspector seeks to minimize the inherent complexity of the PA field and enable individuals with a limited or no programing background to be able to use, even in an elementary fashion, a tool that can process patent records and extract results. The developed solution, while offering some additional functionalities for more experienced users, requires no advanced knowledge of PA, topic modeling or statistics, thus allowing anyone to use it effectively. We aspire for PatentInspector to become a valuable resource, enabling numerous individuals to gain insights into their areas of interest within the patent landscape. Based on its design, the developed platform can be applicable across various domains and accessible to individuals from diverse backgrounds. C3. Flexible, open-source tool for PA: As mentioned in Section 2, a large number of existing PA software programs are proprietary and must be purchased or subscribed to. This, in turn, limits the pool of users that can utilize them, while the learning curve may be high. Hence, with respect to the rise of scientific software development and open science, we offer an extensible, public tool for PA that not only is publicly available regarding the usage and modification of the source code but is also flexible in its design and primary functions. C4. Favor simplicity, encourage engagement: At its core, the proposed tool was designed to be simple and easy-to-use. The frontend component is composed of visualizations that do not contain complex information, while more sophisticated concepts are not forced on the regular user but can be leveraged by more experienced users. Thus, PatentInspector has the potential to achieve high engagement by any user due to its simplistic yet sophisticated nature. The proposed tool has practical application value for various interested parties, who can use it for different objectives and purposes. The different implications and target groups are presented below. In addition, Figure 1 indicates the different ways that PatentInspector can be operated by various individuals in a concise manner. However, it is crucial to note that while PatentInspector provides insights into the patent landscape, it should not be the sole basis for important decisions. It also does not aim to replace manual PA, lacking certain features and the expertise of researchers. Finally, it must be noted that the current version of the tool only uses USPTO as its data source, thus limiting the results towards the US.