New Features for Patent Searchers Now Available on PatBase

When we last checked in on PatBase in July 2012, new tools added to the system included a “compare” tool, on-the-fly highlighting in full text, and a new IDS (Information Disclosure Statement) Generator, among other improvements.   Minesoft and RWS group recently announced a new round of updates to the system for November 2012, such as:

• a Classification Finder.
• an option to export a selected range of documents in a folder.
• new export formats (XLSX and Matheo Patent).
• PatBase Express interface in Spanish.
• Publish search results from search history.

Continue reading for a full list and screenshots of the enhancements added to the PatBase and PatBase Express portals during the November 2012 update!

A publication accessible on the PatBase homepage describes the new features added to the PatBase and PatBase Express platforms during November 2012, such as:

• New Classification Finder – This new tool allows users to retrieve the relevant classifications by searching for keyword terms or phrases found in the classification definitions/descriptions. Users can search across the US, EP, IPC and JP classification schemes, and will also be able to retrieve the new CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification) classifications once they are in place.  The Classification Finder is accessible under the Search tab or through the Search drop-down menu. Users can enter a keyword to search for a class description within selected classification schemes (IPC, US, ECLA, or F-terms). Search results for each classification scheme will display in a collapsible menu below the search form, and users can select relevant classes via check box to search for within a new query.

Classification Finder and results (collapsed).

• New Folder Export Option – Instead of having to include the entire contents of a PatBase folder when exporting it, users can now choose to export a range of records only from within the folder, for example to export records 10 to 32 out of 40 records. This option is displayed on the Export folder menu, as a form above the “Export” button where users can enter the selected range of documents to include in the export.

Export a range of records in a folder.

• New Excel export format (XLSX) – The new XLSX formatted Excel file export contains embedded images and direct links to corresponding PatBase Express records – allowing users to review exported results more fully. The new format also supports sorting and filtering to enable researchers to work more efficiently with the data.  Users must select the “Other Formats (CSV, XML, Excel, HTML, Table)” option on the “Export Search Results” menu to access this format. This option appears to have been included in the July 2012 update.

Option to download the XLSX format.

• Matheo Patent Export Link – Matheo Patent users now have the option to export their PatBase search results straight into the Matheo Patent software for further analysis. The new option can be selected from the “Third party export formats” on the Export screen.

Export results directly to Matheo Patent.

• Publish search results from search history – There is a new option to ‘publish results’ straight from the ‘more’ link on the search history page – no need to create a results folder first.  Through this option, users can send a link to a colleague so that they can view the results (custom user fields may be included).  This option also was originally included in the July 2012 update.

Menu to choose a colleague name and generate a link which they can use to access search results.

• PatBase Express now available in Spanish – PatBase Express – the end-user version of PatBase – is now available with a Spanish interface. PatBase Express is already available with English, French, German, Chinese and Japanese interfaces.  PatBase advanced is available in English or Japanese, with a Chinese interface coming soon.

PatBase Express interface in Spanish.

Conclusion

PatBase regularly adds new features to improve the the search experience for users, and this November release is another example of the small but valuable improvements each new release adds to the system. The Classification Finder seems to be a particularly useful new tool that will save searchers time browsing through multiple classification schemes, since they can now search across all major schemes in a single keyword search and add relevant classes from all schemes into a new query. This type of tool is most effectively used by experienced professional patent searchers, like those at Landon IP, who have an in-depth knowledge of the various patent classification schemes and specific technology areas within the schemes.

Which feature from the November 2012 release do you think  will be most useful to patent and prior art searchers?  Tell us in the comments!

This post was contributed by Joelle Mornini. The Intellogist blog is provided for free by Intellogist’s parent company Landon IP, a major provider of patent searches, trademark searches, technical translations, and information retrieval services.

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