YK Value Comparison and Analysis System

Abstract

We provide a YK value comparison analysis system that automatically generates comparative information on patent holders, making it easy to understand a company's management and business. [Solution] The YK value comparison analysis system includes a competitiveness index value history information holding unit that holds competitiveness index value history information, which is historical information of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value) and their derived values ​​obtained by comparing companies; an explanatory text generation unit that generates explanatory text explaining what meaning can be gleaned from the graph, such as the growth potential of a company's technological competitiveness; and an explanatory text output unit that outputs the explanatory text.

Description

[[TECHNICAL FIELD]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for comparing, between right holders, YK values and YK3 values which are technical competitiveness indicators for patents, TK values for trademarks, and derived values of these values, and automatically generating an explanation of the comparison results. [[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0002] In the present application, the term "patent" refers to any one or more of patent rights, patent applications, and trademark rights. YK values and YK3 values are value evaluation indicators for patent rights and patent applications. YK values and YK3 values are patent value evaluation indicators protected by Japanese Patent No. 5273840, and the claims of this patent describe an apparatus for calculating YK values and an operating method of this apparatus as described below.

[0003] Among these, the YK value is a score obtained by scoring attacks initiated against the granted patents of a specific right holder by other parties, typically competitor companies. Attacks refer to requests for inspection, information provision, opposition to a patent, patent invalidation trials, appeal against trial decisions, etc. The scoring is performed by calculating the cost incurred for each attack based on the former fee schedule of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association. Additionally, the cost is subjected to discount processing, that is, attenuation processing, according to the elapsed time from the end of each attack to the evaluation date. For the attenuation rate (discount rate), a curve of the ratio of surviving patents resulting from patent abandonment (patent expiration due to non-payment of maintenance annuity) in the technical field to which the patented invention belongs is used. Since this curve is an artificial curve where all patents expire 20 years from the filing date, the protruding part at the 20th year is expanded to the 21st year and beyond so that the entire distribution becomes a normal distribution. The normal distribution curve obtained in this way is used to generate a "1-normal cumulative distribution" curve, which is used as an obsolescence curve. The reason for generating the YK value in this way is as follows.

[0004] A-1: Enterprises act based on economic rationality.

[0005] A-2: Economic rationality refers to a state in which profits are obtained that exceed the amount invested. In other words, investments are made on the premise that the amount invested is less than the amount obtained.

[0006] A-3: Companies spend money on preventing competitors from patenting their patents, causing patents to expire, etc. (aggressive actions). This indicates that companies perceive a relationship where the cost of the attack (investment) < the profits (extracted profits) gained from a successful attack.

[0007] A-4: From the patent holder's perspective, counterattacking the attack and causing it to fail means protecting the profits the attacker expected to gain.

[0008] A-5: An attacked patent has value (exploitative profit) that competitors desire. This value in the patent can be called patent value.

[0009] A-6: Patent value (of patents) is an intangible asset and serves as a source of future cash flows (a barometer of future growth potential).

[0010] As described above, the YK value has been statistically recognized to show a statistically significant tendency for a company's operating profit margin to increase as its value rises. Furthermore, it has been statistically recognized that an increase in the operating profit margin ultimately leads to an increase in the return on equity. In addition, an increase in the YK value tends to be reflected in an increase in the stock price.

[0011] Furthermore, the YK3 value is a numerical representation of the costs incurred by a particular rights holder in obtaining or maintaining patent rights for their invention, using a similar process to that used for the YK value.

[0012] For example, patent application fees, fees for responding to rejection reasons, fees for procedural amendments, fees for appeals against rejection decisions, fees for overseas expansion involving priority claims, fees for paying patent fees, fees for responding to patent oppositions, and fees for responding to invalidation trials are all expenses used to quantify the YK3 value.

[0013] <Patent strength calculation device: Patent No. <5273840> ************************************ A patent strength calculation device, comprising: an organized standardized data acquisition unit that acquires organized standardized data; an item content extraction unit that searches for a combination of standard item names indicating legal procedures taken for a patent (which may include pending patents, the same applies hereinafter) described in the acquired organized standardized data by pattern matching processing using a pre-prepared pattern, and extracts item contents described in the organized standardized data in association with their procedure dates according to the searched combination of standard item names; a search result holding unit that holds the extracted item contents and procedure dates associated therewith in association with the searched combination of standard item names; a cost table holding unit that holds a cost table in which pre-prepared costs are associated for each combination of item contents held in association with a combination of standard item names indicating legal procedures taken for a patent; an obsolescence function storage unit that stores an obsolescence function serving as a standard for obsolescence of technology for each technical field; a post-obsolescence cost calculation unit that acquires a cost using the cost table held in the cost table holding unit for each combination of item contents extracted according to the combination of standard item names of each patent, and calculates a post-obsolescence cost on a calculation reference date using the calculation reference date, a procedure date associated for each combination of the item contents, the filing date of the patent, and the obsolescence function of the technical field to which the patent belongs; an adding unit that adds up all the calculated post-obsolescence costs for the patent; and an output unit that outputs the total value obtained by the adding unit. ************************************

[0014] <Operation method for patent strength calculation device: Patent No. <5273840> ************************************ A method for operating a patent strength calculation device comprising: a cost table holding unit that holds a cost table associated with a combination of item contents that are held in association with a combination of standard item names that indicate legal procedures taken against a patent; and an obsolescence function storage unit that stores an obsolescence function that serves as an indicator of the obsolescence of a technology for each technology field, the method comprising: a standardized data acquisition step of acquiring standardized data; searching for combinations of standard item names that indicate legal procedures taken against a patent described in the acquired standardized data by pattern matching processing using pre-prepared patterns; and according to the searched combination of standard item names, the items described in the standardized data A method for operating a patent strength calculation device, comprising: an item content extraction step for extracting content in association with the procedure date; a search result retention step for storing the extracted item content and the procedure date associated with the searched standard item name combination; an obsolescence cost calculation step for obtaining costs using a cost table stored in a cost table retention unit for each combination of item content extracted according to the standard item name combination of each patent, and calculating the obsolescence cost on the calculation base date using the calculation base date, the procedure date associated with each combination of item content, the patent application date, and the obsolescence function of the technical field to which the patent belongs; an aggregation step for aggregating all the calculated obsolescence costs for the patents; and an output step for outputting the aggregate value obtained in the aggregation unit. ************************************

[0015] Furthermore, there is a TK value as a trademark value evaluation indicator, and the calculation device for the TK value has been patented in Japanese Patent No. 7133126, and the claims include the description as set forth below. The concept of the TK value is based on the fact that a trademark essentially has customer attraction, and a registered trademark is a trademark that can be used exclusively by the right holder, thus bringing economic benefits to the right holder as a result of exerting customer attraction. Customer attraction increases in accordance with the degree of exposure of the registered trademark to the public, and the increase in this degree is exponential. This is consistent with the fact that the exposure effect of advertising increases exponentially. Further, the degree of exposure of a registered trademark increases in accordance with the number of similar registered trademarks held by the right holder for that registered trademark. In other words, the value of a registered trademark can be obtained by multiplying a base value by the number of similar registered trademarks as an exponent. Here, the cost incurred for one trademark registration can be used as the base value.

[0016] <Trademark value calculation device: Japanese Patent No. <7133126> ************************************

[0017] <Claim 1>

[0018] A trademark value calculation device comprising: a population trademark ID acquisition unit that acquires population trademark IDs, which are trademark IDs of a plurality of trademarks serving as a population (pending trademarks and / or registered trademarks); a similarity relation holding unit that, for each right holder that is the same or can be regarded as the same, treats marks constituting trademarks identified by population trademark IDs owned by the right holder as having a similarity relation when at least part of either the graphic classification or the pronunciation assigned to the marks matches, and associates and holds trademark IDs that identify trademarks consisting of marks in said similarity relation; a similar number acquisition unit that acquires the number N of associated and held trademark IDs in association with said trademark ID; a base value acquisition unit that acquires a base value A (A>0), which is a value serving as a basis for evaluating trademark value, in association with said trademark ID; and a trademark value calculation unit that calculates the trademark value identified by the trademark ID using "the K-th root of N divided by M"-th power of the base value A (M, K≧1).

[0019] <Claim 2>

[0020] The trademark value calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an aggregation unit that, when there is another trademark having a similar relationship to the calculated trademark, sets the value of the trademark group including said other trademark, and when there is no other trademark having a similar relationship to said trademark, sets the value of said trademark alone, and obtains an aggregated value obtained by aggregating the values of all trademarks and / or trademark groups owned by the right holder within a population for each right holder.

[0021] <Claim 3>

[0022] The trademark value calculation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: an output-by-right-holder unit that outputs the aggregated value aggregated by the aggregation unit in association with the right holder for each right holder.

[0023] <Claim 4>

[0024] The trademark value calculation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said population trademark ID acquisition unit comprises a first designated population acquisition means that acquires trademark IDs of a plurality of trademarks forming the population as trademark IDs of the population formed using one or more of designated goods, designated services, classes of goods and services, similar group codes, and graphic classifications.

[0025] <Claim 5>

[0026] The trademark value calculation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said population trademark ID acquisition unit comprises a second designated population acquisition means that acquires trademark IDs of a plurality of trademarks forming the population as trademark IDs of the population formed from either trademarks including a company name or trademarks not including a company name.

[0027] <Claim 6>

[0028] The trademark value calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the base value A is calculated using any one or more of the duration in years of the registered trademark, the cost for procedures for obtaining the registered trademark, the cost for procedures for maintaining the registered trademark, the number of classes of goods and services, the number of defensive marks, the number of established usage rights, and the number of designated countries in an international application. ************************************

[0029] <Factor eliminating corporate size QK value>

[0030] It is known that the YK value, YK3 value, and TK value calculated by such a device are indicators indicating the economic value of patent rights and other rights, and when aggregated per right holder unit such as a company, the value of the intellectual property of the right holder can be evaluated. Furthermore, since YK values and the like generally tend to be larger as the size of the company that is the right holder increases, when eliminating the factor of company size to evaluate economic value regardless of company size, a value obtained by dividing the YK value or the like by the company size factor such as market capitalization, equity capital, or sales amount is used. For example, the QK value, which is a value obtained by dividing the YK value by the market capitalization MC, is one example. The QK value corresponds, for example, to the slope of a straight line drawn from the origin when companies are plotted with the YK value on the horizontal axis and the market capitalization on the vertical axis. When a company collects similar companies and plots them on this coordinate system, a simple regression line can be obtained, and by observing the slope of the straight line of the plotted company relative to the slope of this simple regression line, future movements of the company's market capitalization can also be predicted. It is expected that a company having a slope smaller than the slope of the simple regression line represented on this coordinate system will move to a position approaching the slope of the simple regression line in the future. In other words, this suggests that the market capitalization is likely to rise.

[0031] <QK value per business and per technical field>

[0032] Furthermore, since it is empirically known that the YK3 value is proportional to the scale of a company's business, by allocating factors representing the size of a company, such as market capitalization, to the YK3 value for each business, i.e., each technology field, it is possible to calculate the QK value for each business and technology field. This mechanism can then be used to compare the businesses and technology fields of companies that operate many different businesses.

[0033] Furthermore, while YK values ​​can predict upward trends in market capitalization by observing them at a specific point in time, observing the history of YK values ​​can also be used to estimate the economic characteristics of the rights holder company. Typically, it can be used to determine whether a company is on a growth trajectory or a decline trajectory. If the YK value has been on an upward trend over a certain period in the past, it can be said that the company or business is on a growth trajectory, and if the YK value has been on a downward trend over a certain period in the past, it can be judged that the company or business is on a decline trajectory. In addition, by comparing the history of YK values ​​of multiple similar companies, it is possible to determine superiority or inferiority within the same industry. Moreover, it is possible to classify a company's YK values ​​by the attributes of its patents and observe the history of a company's patents on an attribute-by-attribute basis.

[0034] Comparing patent YK values ​​and other historical data among companies in the same industry can yield various insights. However, performing a proper analysis by comparing the historical data of YK values ​​and other data represented in graphs across companies requires a certain level of skill, and it is not something that anyone can easily analyze.

[0035] The following are examples of conventional data usage using PATWARE, provided by Kudo Ichiro International Patent Office and Acrosoft. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0036] PATWARE Usage Example: Industry Analysis Using CSV Data

[0037] https: / / www.patware.net / info / blog / data_usecase_202207 / [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0038] Comparing the displayed graphs and interpreting their meaning was difficult. Non-patent document 1 contains comparative graphs of multiple companies, and while it is possible to observe the ups and downs of companies with high YK values ​​gradually losing them or recovering them after losing them, understanding the connection between these ups and downs and changes in corporate activities is difficult without considerable expertise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0039] The first invention includes a patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a right holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple right holder identification information, which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; a competitiveness index value history information holding unit that holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of the competitiveness index value (meaning one or more of the following: YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or derived values ​​therefrom; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information in association with the patent identification information; a patent-specific right holder information holding unit that holds patent-specific right holder information, which is information that associates the patent identification information with the right holder identification information of the right holder of the patent identified by the patent identification information; and a unit that selects multiple of the held right holder identification information. The present invention provides a YK value comparison analysis system comprising: a rights holder selection unit for performing a selection analysis; a selected patent identification information acquisition unit for acquiring selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with each of the rights holder identification information selected by the rights holder selection unit; a chart display unit for displaying a chart in a comparable manner between rights holders using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each rights holder; an explanatory text generation rule holding unit for holding explanatory text generation rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the comparison results displayed in the chart display unit; an explanatory text generation unit for generating explanatory text of the comparison results displayed in the chart based on the selected rights holder identification information and the explanatory text generation rules; and an explanatory text output unit for outputting the generated explanatory text.

[0040] As a second invention, a patent identification information holding unit holds patent identification information which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a patent attribute identification information holding unit holds patent attribute identification information which is information that indicates the attributes of a patent; a patent attribute holding unit holds patent identification information and patent attribute identification information in association; a right holder identification information holding unit holds multiple right holder identification information which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; a competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information which is information that indicates the history of the competitiveness index value (meaning one or more of the following: YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or derived values ​​therefrom; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information in association with the patent identification information; and a patent-specific right holder information holding unit holds patent-specific right holder information which is information that associates the patent identification information with the right holder identification information of the right holder of the patent identified by the patent identification information. The present invention provides a YK value comparison analysis system comprising: a holding unit; a rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held; a patent attribute selection unit for selecting patent attribute identification information held; a selected patent identification information acquisition unit for acquiring the rights holder identification information selected by the rights holder selection unit and selected patent identification information which is associated with the patent attribute identification information selected by the patent attribute selection unit; a chart display unit for summing up and displaying the history of competitiveness index values ​​of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each rights holder; a chart generation rule holding unit for holding chart generation rules which are rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating a chart to explain the comparison results displayed in the chart display unit; a chart generation unit for generating a chart to explain the comparison results displayed in the chart based on the selected rights holder identification information and the chart generation rules; and a chart output unit for outputting the generated chart.

[0041] As a third invention, information that can be fed into AI based on either the first or second invention includes not only YK values, but also corporate securities reports, integrated reports, intellectual property reports, quarterly reports, corporate governance reports, corporate websites, articles in corporate magazines and newspapers, and corporate analyst reports. By inputting this information, the accuracy of the explanatory text will improve, and more meaningful explanatory texts can be generated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0042] By addressing the aforementioned challenges, it becomes possible to easily understand a company's management and business by automatically generating comparative information on patent holders. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0043] [Figure 1] Functional block diagram of the invention according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 2] Processing flow of the invention of Embodiment 1 [Figure 3] Hardware diagram of the invention according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 4] Functional block diagram of the invention of Embodiment 2 [Figure 5] Processing flow of the invention of Embodiment 2 [Figure 6] Hardware diagram of the second embodiment of the invention [Figure 7] Basic conceptual diagram of computer hardware for providing a preliminary explanation of the computer used in the inventions shown in Embodiments 1 to 3.

[0044] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0045] <Prerequisites for the description of all embodiments>

[0046] <Regarding hardware that may constitute the present invention>

[0047] This invention, in principle, utilizes an electronic computer, but at least a part of it is realized by software, by hardware, and through the cooperation of software and hardware. In this case, the software uses hardware resources to perform various calculations and realizes various functions through the required data and information. It can be said that information processing by software is concretely realized using hardware resources. Furthermore, since this invention is an automobile invention, it in principle includes the hardware and software that constitute an automobile.

[0048] The hardware and software used in this invention consist of a computer main unit equipped with an operating system, various peripheral devices that can be connected to the main unit for use, an input device that accepts at least one of the following inputs: YK value, YK3 value, or TK value, a program for performing predetermined calculations based on the input values, and a display program for displaying the calculated results.

[0049] Furthermore, this system does not necessarily have to consist of a single enclosure; it may be composed of multiple enclosures connected by communication. The communication may also be a LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, near-field communication (NFC), or a mobile phone network, and some parts of the system may even be installed across national borders.

[0050] <Satisfaction of the applicability of natural laws of the present invention in all embodiments>

[0051] This invention functions through the collaboration of a computer and software. From this perspective, if we consider the matters described in the claims and specification, and the common technical knowledge related to those matters, then this invention utilizes natural laws.

[0052] <Applicant's understanding of the significance of utilizing natural laws as required by patent law>

[0053] The use of natural laws required under patent law is based on the purpose of the law, and is required to ensure that an invention is industrially useful, from the perspective that the invention must have industrial applicability and contribute to the development of industry. In other words, it requires that the invention be industrially useful, that is, that the effects of the invention declared in the application can be reproduced with a certain degree of certainty by implementing the invention. From this perspective, the applicability of natural laws is interpreted as meaning that the functions exhibited by each of the inventive features (constituent elements of the invention), which are the components of the invention that exert the effects of the invention, are exerted by utilizing natural laws. Furthermore, the effect of the invention only needs to have the potential to provide a certain level of usefulness to the users who utilize the invention, and should not be viewed from the perspective of how the users feel or think about that usefulness.

[0054] <Hardware Configuration>

[0055] Figure 7 shows the basic configuration of a computer used for calculations in this invention. However, instead of adopting the configuration of a general-purpose computer, it may be designed as a dedicated computer.

[0056] As shown in this diagram, the computer consists of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS (or UEFI), various peripherals such as USB and LAN, communication line connection interfaces, a real-time clock, and expansion cards such as a graphics card, all configured on a motherboard. These work together with the operating system, device drivers (for various interfaces such as USB, cameras, microphones, speakers or headphones, displays, and other devices), and various programs. Using input signals from keyboards and mice connected via USB terminals (or PS / 2 ports), the various programs and data constituting the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to perform various processes. It is connected to the internet via a LAN terminal or the like. Connection to the internet can be made using Wi-Fi® or via a mobile phone network.

[0057] The following describes some of the main components that make up a computer as hardware, as examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0058] ≪Chipset≫

[0059] A "chipset" is a set of large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) mounted on a computer's motherboard that integrates the bridge function—the communication function between the CPU's external bus and the standard bus connecting non-volatile memory and peripheral devices mounted on the motherboard. Historically, it consisted of two chips: a northbridge, which connected to the CPU and handled high-speed processing such as between the CPU and main memory or a graphics card equipped with a graphics processing chip (GPU), and a southbridge, which connected to the northbridge and handled processing between relatively slower interfaces. In recent years, the northbridge function has been integrated into the CPU, leaving only the southbridge, although it is still referred to as a chipset. This specification will describe a single-chip configuration with only a southbridge, where the northbridge function is built into the CPU. Note that the effects of the present invention remain the same even in the case of a two-chip configuration of northbridge and southbridge, or in the case of no chipset with the southbridge function integrated into the CPU.

[0060] (Southbridge)

[0061] In a single-chip chipset configuration, the southbridge handles I / O functions such as PCI Express interface (slots), SATA (Serial ATA) or eSATA interface, USB interface, LAN (Ethernet) interface, and real-time clock, as well as sound functions. The single-chip chipset controls external connections such as displays and USB / LAN ports, as well as interfaces like SATA for connecting HDDs and SSDs, and PCI Express. It connects to the CPU via a point-to-point hardware interface (e.g., DMI: Direct Media Interface). Some chips support RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks: a technology that recognizes and displays multiple HDDs as a single drive) for non-volatile memory (such as HDDs).

[0062] Furthermore, to support features that have become less common in recent years, such as PS / 2 ports, floppy disk drives, serial ports like RS-232C, parallel ports like IEEE1284 for printers, and ISA buses, which do not require or are not possible to operate at high speeds, a separate LSI called a super I / O chip is used, which connects to the southbridge via a low-pin-count bus.

[0063] Bus

[0064] There are two types of buses: parallel buses and serial buses. A parallel bus uses a signal line equal to the number of bits, and transmits data synchronized with a clock. A dedicated clock signal line runs parallel to the data lines to synchronize data demodulation at the receiving end. A serial bus transfers data one bit at a time.

[0065] A bus is used to connect peripherals and various control units on the motherboard to the CPU (MPU). While an internal bus connects the CPU core and cache memory within the CPU, a bus that connects the CPU to external memory is called an external bus. The external bus connecting the memory controller built into the CPU to the main memory is a 64-bit parallel bus in the case of DDR4 standard compatible with DDR4-SDRAM (Double-Data-Rate4 Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). As an example of the DDR4 standard, if it is compatible with DDR4-3200 memory, the bandwidth is 3200MHz (maximum memory operating frequency) × 64 (bit) ÷ 8 (bit to byte conversion) = 25.6 (GB / s). Point-to-point connections such as DMI (Direct Media Interface) are used to connect the CPU and the southbridge as described above.

[0066] External expansion buses such as PCI Express and SATA are connected by the chipset. Parallel buses include GPIB, IDE / (parallel)ATA, SCSI, and PCI.

[0067] A serial bus transfers data one bit at a time. Because there are limits to how fast it can be made, the improved PCI Express uses point-to-point wiring and a serial transfer method. USB and SATA also use serial data transfer.

[0068] ≪CPU≫

[0069] The CPU sequentially reads, interprets, and executes instruction sequences called programs located in main memory, outputting signal-based information back to the main memory. The CPU functions as the central hub for performing calculations within the computer. The CPU consists of the CPU core, which is the core of the calculations, and its surrounding parts. Inside the CPU are registers, cache memory (primary, secondary, and tertiary), an internal bus connecting the cache memory to the CPU core, a memory controller, timers, and an interface to the bus connecting to the southbridge. If the CPU has an integrated graphics function (GPU), it also includes a graphics interface and an internal bus connecting to the CPU core. When using an external graphics card with a CPU that has an integrated GPU, it connects to the graphics interface (such as PCI Express) built into the CPU.

[0070] Note that a single CPU (chip) may have multiple CPU cores. The embodiment described here is a 2-core type, but it is not limited to this. A configuration with multiple CPU chips is also possible. The program can also be embedded within the CPU.

[0071] Non-volatile memory

[0072] (HDD)

[0073] The basic structure of a hard disk drive consists of a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, and an arm that mounts the magnetic head. External interfaces can include SATA (formerly ATA) and SAS (Serial Attached SCSI, formerly SCSI). HDD interfaces are broadly divided into the aforementioned ATA and SCSI systems. The ATA system is a method of unilaterally sending data to a physically connected device and relies on the BIOS (or UEFI) on the motherboard, thus constantly requiring CPU processing time. The SCSI system is a method of accurately sending data while checking the status of the connected device and has a control system built into the HDD, thus reducing the CPU load. The ATA system is inexpensive and has a large capacity, but the SCSI system evolved from server systems and excels in high speed and expandability, and because SCSI commands can be processed in a multi-threaded manner, it has high reliability even under high load environments.

[0074] While HDDs offer excellent cost per unit of capacity, as mentioned above, they contain moving parts, resulting in slow access times and concerns about mechanical failure. Therefore, RAID is used in server equipment and other applications requiring high reliability, allowing for configurations such as simultaneously reading and writing to multiple HDDs or writing the same file to multiple HDDs.

[0075] (Flash memory)

[0076] Currently, two types of flash memory are commonly used: NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory. While each has its advantages and disadvantages in read / write speeds, NAND flash memory is more advantageous for high integration and is used for data storage applications. Compared to hard disk drives, it is smaller due to the absence of moving parts and does not generate vibration or noise during operation. However, the cost per unit of capacity has not yet fallen to a level that would replace hard disk drives.

[0077] Although more expensive than hard disk drives, flash memory offers advantages such as smaller size and greater resistance to shocks. In smartphones and mobile devices, where data storage capacity is typically around 64GB to 256GB, flash memory is used to achieve smaller size and lighter weight. In PCs, solid-state drives (SSDs) made of flash memory are increasingly being used for frequently accessed drives that store the operating system and application software.

[0078] Main Memory

[0079] The CPU directly accesses and executes various programs in main memory. Main memory is volatile memory, and DRAM is used. Programs in main memory are loaded from non-volatile memory into main memory upon receiving a program execution command. Subsequently, the CPU executes the program according to various execution commands and procedures within the program.

[0080] Operating System (OS)

[0081] An operating system is used to manage the resources on a computer for applications to use, manage various device drivers, and manage the computer hardware itself. In small computers, firmware may be used as the operating system.

[0082] ≪UEFI≫

[0083] In recent years, UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) has been used as a successor to the previously used BIOS, performing a similar role. Like BIOS, UEFI is mounted on the motherboard and stored in flash ROM. The flash ROM chip containing the UEFI instructs the CPU to execute the procedures for booting up the computer hardware and running the operating system. Most typically, it is the first piece of hardware that the CPU reads when it receives a computer boot command. This chip contains the addresses of the operating system stored on the disk (non-volatile memory), and the UEFI, deployed by the CPU, sequentially loads the operating system into main memory, making it operational. Furthermore, UEFI also has a checking function that checks for the presence of various devices connected to the bus. The results of the check are stored in main memory and made available to the operating system as appropriate. UEFI can also be configured to check for external devices.

[0084] As shown in the figure, the present invention can basically be composed of a general-purpose computer program and various devices. The computer basically operates by loading a program stored in non-volatile memory into main memory, and then executing processing using the main memory, CPU, and various devices. Communication with devices is performed via an interface connected to a bus line. Possible interfaces include display interfaces, USB, LAN terminals, PCI Express interfaces, and communication buffers.

[0085] Each functional block constituting the present invention can be realized by hardware, software, or both hardware and software. Specifically, if a computer is used, examples include hardware components such as a CPU, main memory, GPU, image memory, graphics card, bus, or secondary storage device (non-volatile memory such as hard disks and flash memory, storage media such as CDs and DVDs and drives for reading those media), input devices such as operation buttons used for information input, a mouse, touch panel, an electronic pen used solely for touching the touch panel, a joystick or joystick-like pointer position input device, and other external peripheral devices, as well as interfaces for such external peripheral devices, communication interfaces such as LAN terminals, image file processing circuits, speakers, microphones, audio file processing circuits, communication interfaces, barcode readers, electronic card readers, POS terminals, facial recognition devices, encryption devices, fingerprint recognition devices, palm print recognition devices, retinal recognition devices and other biometric authentication devices, and driver programs and other application programs for controlling such hardware.

[0086] In particular, it utilizes smartphones, tablet devices, mobile phones, smartwatches, personal computers, data center server equipment, wired and wireless networks, and interfaces.

[0087] Through arithmetic processing by the CPU according to the program deployed in main memory, data input from input devices and other interfaces and held in memory and hardware is processed and stored, and instructions for controlling the aforementioned hardware and software are generated. Here, the above program may be implemented as multiple modularized programs, or it may be implemented as a single program by combining two or more programs.

[0088] Furthermore, the present invention can also be configured as software in part. Moreover, a storage medium on which such software is recorded is naturally included within the technical scope of the present invention (this applies not only to this embodiment but throughout this specification).

[0089] <Regarding the terminology used in the present invention>

[0090] "Identification information" refers to symbols, characters, codes, etc., used to identify something. However, identification information itself may also be the information being identified. For example, identification information that identifies string record A may be string record A itself.

[0091] In this specification, "association" means not only when two or more pieces of information are directly associated, but also when two or more pieces of information are indirectly associated through one or more other pieces of information. Indirect associations are not necessarily limited to associations within a single device (a device in which the housing is a single housing), but also include cases where associations occur across multiple devices.

[0092] "Based on" includes both cases where the subject is based on the subject itself and cases where the subject has undergone some kind of processing. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrations.

[0093] <<<Embodiment 1: Primarily relating to Claim 1>>>

[0094] <<Overview of Embodiment 1>>

[0095] Embodiment 1 is a system that outputs a graph of the history of YK values, etc., on a per-patent holder basis, such as a company, and automatically generates and displays an explanatory text for the output graph.

[0096] <<Embodiment 1: Functional Configuration>>

[0097] The YK value comparison and analysis system of Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 1, is a YK value comparison and analysis system having a patent identification information holding unit, a rights holder identification information holding unit, a competitiveness index value history information holding unit, a patent-specific rights holder information holding unit, a rights holder selection unit, a selected patent identification information acquisition unit, a chart display unit, an explanatory text generation rule holding unit, an explanatory text generation unit, and an explanatory text output unit. This system can be used as a standalone system or as a server-client system. It can also be used as an add-in to basic web services such as YK values.

[0098] <<Description of Embodiment 1>>

[0099] <Embodiment 1: Patent Identification Information Holding Unit>

[0100] The "Patent Identification Information Storage Unit" stores patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter). In this specification, "patent" means one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right. The country of application is not limited to Japan, but may be any country or region overseas, such as the United States, European countries, China, or Taiwan. Furthermore, patent applications, patent rights, trademark registration applications, trademark rights, etc., are valid at the reference point in time for displaying the figures and tables (a set of multiple reference points: referring to the period of history displayed in the figures and tables; the same applies hereinafter). Patent applications and trademark registration applications that are no longer pending with the Japan Patent Office at the reference point, and patent rights and trademark rights that have already expired at the reference point, etc., are not used when outputting the figures and tables. Therefore, as a general rule, the patent identification information stored in the Patent Identification Information Storage Unit is stored in association with information indicating whether or not it is pending with the Japan Patent Office and whether or not the right is still in existence, which is linked to time information.

[0101] "Patent identification information" may include patent application numbers, patent numbers, trademark registration application numbers, trademark registration numbers, etc., or it may be unique information that corresponds one-to-one with these. Patent identification information may be associated with text information in registration gazettes or published gazettes, inventors, FI symbols or file indexes attached thereto, international patent classifications, keywords, designated goods, designated services, similarity group codes, trademark samples, etc.

[0102] <Embodiment 1: Right Holder Identification Information Holding Unit>

[0103] The "Rights Holder Identification Information Storage Unit" stores multiple records of rights holder identification information, which is information that identifies the rights holder who owns the patent. The rights holder identification information for Japanese patents may be an "identification number" used by the Japan Patent Office, or it may be unique identification information within the system. The rights holder identification information may be associated with rights holder attribute information. In the case of listed companies, the rights holder attribute information may be a securities code, the Tokyo Stock Exchange industry classification to which it belongs, etc.

[0104] <Embodiment 1: Competitiveness Index Value History Information Holding Unit>

[0105] The "Competitiveness Information History Information Storage Unit" stores competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or one or more derived values ​​thereof; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, in association with the patent identification information. Typically, the time axis of the history is associated with year, month, and day.

[0106] <Embodiment 1: Patent Owner Information Holding Unit>

[0107] The "Patent-Specific Right Holder Information Storage Unit" stores patent-specific right holder information, which is information that associates patent identification information with the right holder identification information of the patent holder identified by that patent identification information. Since the right holder may change due to the transfer of a patent, etc., it is preferable that the patent-specific right holder information is also recorded as historical information and associated with time information (year, month, and day).

[0108] <Embodiment 1: Right Holder Selection Section>

[0109] The "Rights Holder Selection Unit" selects multiple rights holder identification information from the available data. This selection is made through user input to compare the competitiveness index historical information of multiple rights holders. A typical selection method involves selecting multiple competing rights holder companies. For example, one could select electronics-related companies such as Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi, and NEC.

[0110] <Embodiment 1: Selected Patent Identification Information Acquisition Unit>

[0111] The "Selected Patent Identifier Information Acquisition Unit" acquires selected patent identifier information, which is patent identifier information associated with the right holder identification information selected by the right holder selection unit. The selected patent identifier information may be acquired over the entire period for which the competitiveness index value of the selected right holder is recorded, or it may be configured to allow the user to specify a predetermined period to be displayed in the chart display unit described later, and to acquire patent identifier information that is validly pending and validly in existence during that specified period. In the latter case, the present invention may be provided with a period input reception unit that accepts input of the display history period along with the right holder selection.

[0112] <Embodiment 1: Chart Display Unit>

[0113] The "Chart Display Unit" displays a chart summing up the historical competitiveness index values ​​of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each patent holder. This process is for comparing the technological competitiveness of patent holders. Various types of charts can be used, such as line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts.

[0114] <Embodiment 1: Explanation text generation rule holding unit>

[0115] The "Explanatory Text Generation Rule Storage Unit" stores explanatory text generation rules (including when AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the comparison results displayed in the chart and graph display unit. The content of the explanatory text could include explaining the main trends and changes that can be read from the graph. For example, "Over the past five years, Company A's technological competitiveness has improved rapidly, with an annual growth rate of 20%." As a future prediction, for example, "If the current trend continues, Company B is expected to further improve its technological competitiveness over the next three years." Furthermore, comparing Company A and Company C, an effective explanatory text could be, "Five years ago, Company C surpassed Company A in technological competitiveness, but assuming that Company A's trend of increasing technological competitiveness continues for another two years, Company A's technological competitiveness will surpass Company C's in two years." When AI is used, the explanatory text generation rules change over time and as relevant information is collected, evolving to generate more accurate explanatory texts. This embodiment may include an information gathering unit for explanatory text generation rules and a learning unit that develops the explanatory text generation rules based on the collected information. Learning is performed by employing one or more of the following methods: supervised learning, unsupervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

[0116] <Embodiment 1: Description Generation Unit>

[0117] The "explanatory text generation unit" generates an explanatory text of the comparison results displayed in a chart based on the selected rights holder identification information and the explanatory text generation rules. In other words, when rights holder identification information is selected, the patent identification information associated with that rights holder identification information is obtained, and when the patent identification information is obtained, the competitiveness index value history information associated with that patent identification information is obtained. For example, an explanatory text is generated by applying the explanatory text generation rules to information obtained by summing up all the values ​​of the competitiveness index value history information associated with the patent identification information of all patents obtained based on the rights holder identification information. Of course, it is also possible to configure the system to generate an explanatory text by applying the explanatory text generation rules to information obtained by summing up a portion of the competitiveness index value history information. Furthermore, it is also possible to configure the system to generate an explanatory text by applying the explanatory text generation rules to information obtained by summing up the competitiveness index value history information of company A and information obtained by summing up the competitiveness index value history information of company B.

[0118] <Embodiment 1: Description Output Unit>

[0119] The "explanatory text output unit" outputs the generated explanatory text. The output can be text information, audio information, or image information, and does not necessarily have to be "text." Image information can include diagrams, photographs, and illustrations. In the case of audio information, the most common format is reading the explanatory text aloud, but it can also be a format in which the explanation is given sequentially through conversation with the user. In the case of text, this can be implemented as a chat.

[0120] <<Embodiment 1: Processing Flow>>

[0121] The processing flow when executing Embodiment 1 on a computer is shown in Figure 2. That is, The YK value comparison analysis system, which is a computer of Embodiment 1, has the following operating steps, as shown in Figure 1: a patent identification information retention step, a rights holder identification information retention step, a competitiveness index value history information retention step, a patent-specific rights holder information retention step, a rights holder selection step, a selected patent identification information acquisition step, a chart display step, an explanation text generation rule retention step, an explanation text generation step, and an explanation text output step.

[0122] <<Embodiment 1 Hardware Diagram>>

[0123] The hardware configuration of Embodiment 1 is shown in Figure 3.

[0124] <<Effect of Embodiment 1>>

[0125] Embodiment 1 automatically makes it possible to explain, either individually or comparatively, the technological competitiveness and trademark power of rights holders, such as companies.

[0126] <<<Embodiment 2, mainly claim 2>>>

[0127] <<Overview of Embodiment 2>>

[0128] Embodiment 2 basically has the configuration of Embodiment 1, but the difference from Embodiment 1 is that while Embodiment 1 is configured to display a chart summing up the history information of competitiveness indicator values ​​by selecting the rights holder identification information, Embodiment 2 is configured to output a chart of the history information of competitiveness indicator values ​​grouped based on patent attributes by selecting patent attribute information identification information in addition to the rights holder identification information.

[0129] <<Embodiment 2: Functional Configuration>>

[0130] The YK value comparison analysis system of Embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 4, includes a patent identification information holding unit, a rights holder identification information holding unit, a competitiveness index value history information holding unit, a patent-specific rights holder information holding unit, a rights holder selection unit, a selected patent identification information acquisition unit, a chart display unit, an explanatory text generation rule holding unit, an explanatory text generation unit, and an explanatory text output unit. This is the same as Embodiment 1. The features of Embodiment 2 are that it further includes a patent attribute identification information holding unit, a patent attribute holding unit, and a patent attribute selection unit. The characteristic configurations of the patent attribute identification information holding unit, the patent attribute holding unit, and the patent attribute selection unit will be described below. However, although the names are the same, the selected patent identification information acquisition unit has additional functions compared to Embodiment 1, so the selected patent identification information acquisition unit will also be described. Other configurations common to Embodiment 1 have been described in Embodiment 1, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0131] <<Description of Embodiment 2>>

[0132] <Embodiment 2: Patent Attribute Identification Information Holding Unit>

[0133] The "Patent Attribute Identification Information Holding Unit" holds patent attribute identification information, which is information indicating the attributes of a patent. "Patent attributes" refer to, in the case of a patent application or patent right, the technical field to which the invention belongs, such as the International Patent Classification, the YK value, YK3 value, YKS industry classification (https: / / www.patware.net / info / blog / yks-classification / ) of Kudo Ichiro International Patent Office, the country of application, whether it is an international patent application, the inventor, the year of application, the location of the right holder, keywords used in the structure of the invention, the effects of the invention, the industry to which the invention belongs, and the sector to which the invention belongs. In the case of a trademark application or trademark right, it refers to the designated goods, designated services, similarity group codes for these, classification of designated goods / services, the TK value of Kudo Ichiro International Patent Office, the country of application, whether it utilizes the Madrid Protocol, the location of the trademark applicant or trademark holder, designated goods / services, similarity group codes, and the industry or sector to which the designated goods / services belong.

[0134] <Embodiment 2: Patent Attribute Information Holding Unit>

[0135] The "patent attribute holding unit" stores patent identification information and patent attribute identification information in association. The associated patent attribute identification information is not limited to one; there may be multiple. This means that different types of patent attribute information may be associated with one patent identification information, or multiple types of patent attribute information may be associated with one patent identification information.

[0136] <Embodiment 2: Patent Attribute Selection Unit>

[0137] The "Patent Attribute Selection Unit" selects the stored patent attribute identification information. This is to be used as a key when obtaining the selected patent identification information. The selection of patent attributes can be done by selecting from the options provided for each type of patent attribute, or, in the case of keywords, by freely entering text, which has the same effect as selection. The selection of patent attributes can be done after selecting the right holder in the Right Holder Selection Unit, or the right holder can be selected after selecting the patent attributes. In this way, basically, the acquisition of the selected patent identification information is performed after two types of selections: the selection of the right holder and the selection of patent attributes.

[0138] <Embodiment 2: Selected Patent Identification Information Acquisition Unit>

[0139] The "Selected Patent Identification Information Acquisition Unit" acquires selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the right holder identification information selected in the right holder selection unit and the patent attribute identification information selected in the patent attribute selection unit. In other words, it is configured to acquire patent identification information only for patents held by a specific right holder that have specific patent attributes.

[0140] <Embodiment 2: Display Unit>

[0141] The diagram display unit of Embodiment 2 can compare one business field or one technology field of a company with other companies, and can also compare the proportion of the YK values ​​of each business field of a company to the YK values ​​of the overall business.

[0142] <<Embodiment 2: Processing Flow>>

[0143] The processing flow when executing Embodiment 2 on a computer is shown in Figure 5. That is, the YK value comparison analysis system, which is the computer of Embodiment 2, is an operation method of a YK value comparison analysis system having, as shown in Figure 5, a patent identification information holding step, a patent attribute identification information holding step, a patent attribute holding step, a right holder identification information holding step, a competitiveness index value history information holding step, a patent-specific right holder information holding step, a right holder selection step, a patent attribute selection step, a selected patent identification information acquisition step, a chart display step, an explanation text generation rule holding step, an explanation text generation step, and an explanation text output step.

[0144] <<Embodiment 2 Hardware Configuration>>

[0145] The hardware configuration of Embodiment 2 is shown in Figure 6.

[0146] <<Effects of Embodiment 2>>

[0147] In the invention of Embodiment 2, by selecting patent attribute information in addition to the rights holder identification information, the competitiveness index value history information used in the chart is narrowed down, and an explanation of the total competitiveness index value history information is automatically output by business field of the rights holder, such as a company.

[0148] <<<Embodiment 3: Primarily Claims 3 and 4>>>

[0149] <<Overview of Embodiment 3>>

[0150] Embodiment 3 is based on Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 and is configured to use rights holder identification information and, if the rights holder is a listed company, rights holder information which is one or more of the following: the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate governance report, company website, articles in the company's magazines or newspapers, or the company's analyst report, when generating the explanatory text.

[0151] <<Embodiment 3 Functional Configuration>>

[0152] In the case of using Embodiment 1 as a basis, in addition to the configuration of Embodiment 1, it has a rights holder information holding unit, and the explanatory text generation rules are prepared to generate explanatory text using rights holder information.

[0153] In the case of using Embodiment 2 as a basis, in addition to the configuration of Embodiment 2, it has a rights holder information holding unit, and the explanatory text generation rules are prepared to generate explanatory text using rights holder information.

[0154] <<Description of Embodiment 3 Configuration>>

[0155] In Embodiment 3, the configurations other than the rights holder information storage unit, the explanatory text generation rule storage unit, and the explanatory text generation unit are functionally equivalent to those in the basic Embodiments 1 and 2, so their explanation will be omitted. Instead, the three configurations described above, which are characteristic of this embodiment, will be explained.

[0156] <Embodiment 3: Rights Holder Information Retention Unit>

[0157] The "Rights Holder Information Storage Unit" stores information associated with rights holder identification information. Specifically, if the rights holder is a listed company, it is configured to store and associate rights holder information that is one or more of the following: stock code, text information from the company's securities report, text information from the integrated report, text information from the intellectual property report, text information from the quarterly report, text information from the timely disclosure, text information from the earnings presentation materials, corporate governance report, analyst report, YKS company information (company-specific YKS patent strength information: https: / / www.kudopatent.com / yksstore / yksstore_company_contents.html), YKS industry classification for which the company holds patents (technology industry classification created by Kudo Ichiro International Patent Office, where the smallest classification unit is called a sub-classification, and sub-classifications are associated with the International Patent Classification in a 1:many relationship, allowing for overlap: https: / / www.kudopatent.com / pdf / YKSCLASS_ver1.23.pdf), company website, articles in the company's magazines or newspapers, or the company's analyst report. This is to generate higher-quality explanatory texts by using this information, along with historical data on competitiveness indicators.

[0158] A "Securities Report" contains information about a company's overview, company structure, history, and business activities, allowing for a grasp of its basic information. It also includes financial information such as financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement) and management indicators, enabling an evaluation of the company's financial condition and operating performance. Furthermore, it describes the business situation, allowing for an understanding of management strategies, performance trends, and information on major business segments, enabling estimation of the company's business development and growth potential. Finally, it includes information on risk factors, providing detailed information on risks in business operations.

[0159] This allows the system to assess risks and generate explanatory texts that encourage appropriate investment decisions. Furthermore, it includes executive information such as compensation, stock ownership, and career history, enabling assessment of corporate governance and the reliability of management. It also includes capital investment plans, containing information on the company's investment strategies and research and development activities, allowing for an explanation of the company's future growth strategy. By analyzing this information together with historical competitiveness indicator data according to predetermined rules, higher-quality explanatory texts can be generated. The text format makes it readable by computers such as AI.

[0160] The "Integrated Report" provides financial information, including sales, profits, assets, and liabilities. This allows for an assessment of the company's financial health and can be used in explanatory statements. Non-financial information is also included, such as ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) information: details of the company's environmental initiatives, social responsibility, and governance structure. This allows for an assessment of the company's sustainability and social responsibility, and these elements can be incorporated into explanatory statements. Furthermore, the report outlines the company's management strategy and vision. This presents the company's medium- to long-term strategies and vision, providing information to understand its future growth potential.

[0161] These elements are strongly related to patent applications and patent rights, enhancing the quality of the explanatory text. They also describe risks and opportunities, including information on the risks the company faces, countermeasures, and future opportunities. Furthermore, they describe the value creation process. This provides a detailed explanation of how the company creates value and achieves sustainable growth, strongly related to patent applications, patent rights, trademark registration applications, and trademark rights, further enhancing the quality of the explanatory text. By presenting this as text information, it is structured to be readable by computers such as AI.

[0162] The section on intellectual property in the "Corporate Governance Report" requires a detailed description of the investment and utilization strategies for intellectual property. This includes how intellectual property such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights are acquired and utilized. Furthermore, the section on the intellectual property governance system must describe the structure under which the board of directors and management oversee the investment and utilization of intellectual property. Specifically, this includes the establishment of an intellectual property strategy committee and methods for managing intellectual property risks. In addition, the report must describe intellectual property risk management, such as the management system and measures against patent infringement risk and technology leakage risk. This clarifies how the company protects its intellectual property and minimizes risks.

[0163] Furthermore, the report is required to include information on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for intellectual property, including setting KPIs related to investment in and utilization of intellectual property and reporting on their achievement. This allows for a quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of a company's intellectual property strategy. The report is also required to include disclosure of intellectual property, demanding transparent disclosure of information related to intellectual property. This includes information on the acquisition and utilization status of intellectual property, as well as related risks and countermeasures. Thus, the intellectual property section of the corporate governance report is strongly related to patent applications, patent rights, trademark registration applications, and trademark rights, further enhancing the quality of the explanatory text. Moreover, by presenting the information as text, it can be read by computers such as AI.

[0164] <<Embodiment 3: Processing Flow>>

[0165] The processing flow of Embodiment 3 is basically the same as that of Embodiments 1 and 2, but the distinguishing feature is that a rights holder information retention step is added to these processing flows, the rights holder information retained in the rights holder information retention step is used in the description generation rule retention step, and similarly, the description generation step is executed using this description generation rule.

[0166] <<Embodiment 3 Hardware Configuration>>

[0167] The hardware configuration of Embodiment 3 is basically the same as that of Embodiments 1 and 2, but the difference is that it is configured to utilize a rights holder information retention program, and that rights holder information is utilized by this program. Furthermore, the description text generation rule retention program is configured to utilize the rights holder information, and the description text generation program is configured to utilize these retained description text generation rules.

[0168] <<Embodiment 3: Effects>>

[0169] Since Embodiment 3 utilizes rights holder information, it is possible to automatically generate a higher quality explanatory text than Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0170] <<<Derivative configuration>>>

[0171] Based on embodiments 1 to 3, we propose the following derivative configurations.

[0172] <Derivative configuration 1>

[0173] A patent identification information holding unit holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a right holder identification information holding unit holds multiple right holder identification information, which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; a competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(meaning one or more of the following: YK value, YK3 value, TK value, derived values ​​therefrom, number of citations in examination, number of claims or / or the quality or number of constituent elements of the invention described in the claims in the case of a patent application or patent right, number of family applications, number of countries of application, number of designated goods / services, number of similar group codes, number of classes in the case of a trademark registration application or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter) associated with the patent identification information; and patent-specific right holder information holds information that associates the patent identification information with the right holder identification information of the right holder of the patent identified by the patent identification information. A YK value comparison analysis system comprising: a patent-specific rights holder information holding unit; a rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held; a selected patent identification information acquisition unit for acquiring selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the rights holder identification information selected by the rights holder selection unit; a chart display unit for displaying a chart using sum competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each rights holder; an explanatory text generation rule holding unit for holding explanatory text generation rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the results displayed in the chart display unit; an explanatory text generation unit for generating an explanatory text of the comparison results displayed in the chart based on one or more of the selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, and inter-company comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, and the explanatory text generation rules; and an explanatory text output unit for outputting the generated explanatory text.

[0174] <Derivative configuration 2>

[0175] A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a patent attribute identification information holding unit that holds patent attribute identification information, which is information that indicates the attributes of a patent; a patent attribute holding unit that holds patent identification information and patent attribute identification information in association; a right holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple right holder identification information, which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; and a competitiveness index value (YK value, YK3 value, T) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A competitiveness index value history information holding unit that holds competitiveness index value history information which is information showing the history of the K value, derived values ​​therefrom, the number of citations in examination, the number of claims and / or the quality or number of constituent elements of the invention described in the claims in the case of a patent application or patent right, the number of family applications, the number of countries where applications are filed, the number of designated goods / services, the number of similarity group codes, and the number of classes in the case of a trademark registration application or trademark right. The same applies hereinafter.) Information relating the K value, derived values ​​therefrom, the number of citations in examination, the number of claims in the case of a patent application or patent right, the number of designated goods / services, the number of similarity group codes, and the number of classes. A YK value comparison analysis system comprising: a patent-specific rights holder information holding unit that holds patent-specific rights holder information; a rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held; a patent attribute selection unit for selecting patent attribute identification information held; a selected patent identification information acquisition unit that acquires selected patent identification information, which is the rights holder identification information selected by the rights holder selection unit and the patent attribute identification information selected by the patent attribute selection unit; a chart display unit that displays a chart using sum competitiveness index value history information obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each rights holder; an explanatory text generation rule holding unit that holds explanatory text generation rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the results displayed in the chart by the chart display unit; an explanatory text generation unit that generates an explanatory text of the comparison results displayed in the chart based on one or more of the selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, and inter-firm comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information and the explanatory text generation rules; and an explanatory text output unit that outputs the generated explanatory text.

[0176] <Derivative configuration 3>

[0177] A patent identification information holding unit holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of a patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a right holder identification information holding unit holds multiple right holder identification information, which is information that identifies the right holder of the patent; and competitiveness index values ​​of the patent identified by the patent identification information (YK value, YK3 value, TK value, derived values ​​therefrom, number of citations in examination, number of claims or / or the quality or number of constituent elements of the invention described in the claims in the case of a patent application or patent right, number of family applications, country of application) associated with the patent identification information. In the case of a number, trademark registration application, or trademark right, this refers to one or more of the following: the number of designated goods / services, the number of similarity group codes, or the number of classes. The same applies hereinafter.) A competitiveness index value history information holding unit that holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information showing the history of competitiveness index value history information, a patent-specific right holder information holding unit that holds patent-specific right holder information, which is information linking patent identification information and the right holder identification information of the patent right holder identified by the patent identification information, and right holder identification information, and if the right holder is a listed company, the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate A YK value comparison analysis system comprising: a rights holder information holding unit that associates and holds rights holder information, which is one or more of the following information: rate governance reports, company websites, company magazine or newspaper articles, or company analyst reports; a rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification pieces of information held; a selected patent identification piece acquisition unit that acquires selected patent identification piece information, which is patent identification piece information associated with the rights holder identification piece information selected by the rights holder selection unit; a chart display unit that displays charts using sum competitiveness index value history information, which is the sum of the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by the selected patent identification piece information for each rights holder; an explanatory piece generation rule holding unit that holds explanatory piece generation rules, which are rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory piece text based on the rights holder information held in the rights holder information holding unit and the results displayed in charts in the chart display unit; an explanatory piece generation unit that generates explanatory piece text of the comparison results displayed in charts based on one or more of the selected rights holder identification piece information, sum competitiveness index value history information, inter-company comparison results of sum competitiveness index value history information, rights holder information, and explanatory piece generation rules; and an explanatory piece output unit that outputs the generated explanatory piece text.

[0178] <Derived Configuration 4>

[0179] A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a patent attribute identification information holding unit that holds patent attribute identification information, which is information that indicates the attributes of a patent; a patent attribute holding unit that holds patent identification information and patent attribute identification information in association; a right holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple right holder identification information, which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; and a competitiveness index value (YK value, YK3 value) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information showing the history of competitiveness index values, patent identification information, and the rights holder identification information of the patent holder identified by the patent identification information. The system includes: a patent-specific rights holder information holding unit that holds patent-specific rights holder information, which is digitized information; a rights holder information holding unit that associates rights holder identification information with rights holder information, which, if the rights holder is a listed company, is one or more pieces of information from the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate governance report, company website, company magazine or newspaper articles, or company analyst report; a rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple held rights holder identification pieces; a patent attribute selection unit for selecting held patent attribute identification pieces; a selected patent identification piece acquisition unit that acquires selected patent identification pieces, which are patent identification pieces associated with the rights holder identification pieces selected by the rights holder selection unit and the patent attribute identification pieces selected by the patent attribute selection unit; a chart display unit that displays a chart using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is the sum of the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by the selected patent identification pieces for each rights holder; and rules for generating an explanatory text based on the rights holder information held in the rights holder information holding unit and the results displayed in the chart display unit (including cases where AI is used).A YK value comparison analysis system comprising: an explanation text generation rule holding unit that holds explanation text generation rules; an explanation text generation unit that generates an explanation text of the comparison results displayed in a chart based on one or more of the selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, inter-company comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, rights holder information, and the explanation text generation rule; and an explanation text output unit that outputs the generated explanation text.

[0180] <Derivative configuration 5>

[0181] A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of the following: patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, trademark right; the same applies hereinafter); a patent attribute identification information holding unit that holds patent attribute identification information which is information that indicates the attributes of a patent; a patent attribute holding unit that holds patent identification information and patent attribute identification information in association; a right holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple right holder identification information which is information that identifies the right holder who owns the patent; a patent-specific right holder information holding unit that holds patent-specific right holder information which is information that associates patent identification information with the right holder identification information of the right holder of the patent identified by that patent identification information; a right holder information holding unit that holds right holder identification information and, if the right holder is a listed company, right holder information which is one or more of the following: the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate governance report, company website, company magazine or newspaper article, or company analyst report; a right holder selection unit for selecting multiple of the held right holder identification information; and a patent attribute selection unit for selecting the held patent attribute identification information. A patent comparison and analysis system comprising: a selected patent identification information acquisition unit that acquires selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the selected patent identification information and the selected patent attribute identification information selected in the patent attribute selection unit; a chart display unit that displays a chart using total patent number information obtained by summing the number of patents identified by the selected patent identification information for each patent holder; an explanatory text generation rule holding unit that holds explanatory text generation rules, which are rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text based on the patent information held in the patent information holding unit and the results displayed in the chart display unit; an explanatory text generation unit that generates an explanatory text of the comparison results displayed in the chart based on one or more of the selected patent identification information, total competitiveness index value history information, inter-company comparison results of the total competitiveness index value history information, and patent information, and the explanatory text generation rules; and an explanatory text output unit that outputs the generated explanatory text.

[0182] <Derivative configuration 6>

[0183] This system may be configured to output a separate graph as a method of displaying the history information of competitiveness indicator values, with the horizontal axis representing the time axis (year, month, and day) and the vertical axis showing the discontinuous change (increase or decrease) of the competitiveness indicator value for that year, month, and day. This graph is configured so that a horizontal bar representing the year, month, and day is displayed on the horizontal axis from the point where the competitiveness indicator value is 0, and the change is displayed upwards if the value is increasing and downwards if it is decreasing. This display may be a line graph, a bar graph, or any other graph format, and the system may be configured so that when input such as hovering the cursor over a change point in the graph is performed, the cause of the change is displayed. In other words, the cause is a request or confirmation such as a request for inspection, provision of information, patent opposition, request for invalidation trial, or lawsuit to overturn a trial decision. The system may also be configured to display the person who made these requests along with the cause, and the system may be configured so that clicking on that person leads to a page of information related to that person, or a link icon for further information is displayed.

[0184] <Derivative configuration 7>

[0185] When outputting explanatory text using this system, it is possible to configure the system to include symbols in the explanatory text and simultaneously place the same symbols, arrows, or icons in the corresponding locations in the outputted figures and tables. This configuration makes it easy to understand which parts of a graph or chart to focus on and how to interpret its meaning. [Explanation of symbols]

[0186] 0100 YK Value Comparison and Analysis System 0101 Patent Identification Information Holding Unit 0102 Rights Holder Identification Information Storage Unit 0103 Competitiveness Indicator History Information Storage Unit 0104 Patent-specific rights holder information retention unit 0105 Rights Holder Selection Section 0106 Selected Patent Identification Information Acquisition Unit 0107 Explanation text generation rule storage unit 0108 Description Generation Unit 0109 Explanation output section

Claims

1. A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of a patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter), A rights holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple rights holder identification information, which is information that identifies the rights holder who owns the patent, A competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or one or more derived values ​​thereof; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A patent-specific rights holder information holding unit holds patent-specific rights holder information, which is information that associates patent identification information with the rights holder identification information of the patent rights holder identified by the patent identification information. A rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held, A selected patent identification information acquisition unit acquires selected patent identification information, which is the patent identification information associated with each of the right holder identification information selected in the right holder selection unit, A chart display unit that displays a chart in a way that allows comparison between patent holders using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by selected patent identification information for each patent holder, and An explanatory text generation rule holder holds explanatory text generation rules, which are rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the results displayed in the chart display unit, An explanatory text generation unit generates an explanatory text for the comparison results displayed in a chart based on one or more of the following: selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, and inter-firm comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, and explanatory text generation rules. The explanation output unit outputs the generated explanation text, A YK value comparison and analysis system.

2. A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of a patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter), A patent attribute identification information holding unit holds patent attribute identification information, which is information indicating the attributes of a patent, A patent attribute holding unit that associates and stores patent identification information and patent attribute identification information, A rights holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple rights holder identification information, which is information that identifies the rights holder who owns the patent, A competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or one or more derived values ​​thereof; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A patent-specific rights holder information holding unit holds patent-specific rights holder information, which is information that associates patent identification information with the rights holder identification information of the patent rights holder identified by the patent identification information. A rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held, A patent attribute selection unit for selecting retained patent attribute identification information, A selected patent identification information acquisition unit acquires selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the right holder identification information selected in the right holder selection unit and the patent attribute identification information selected in the patent attribute selection unit. A chart display unit that displays charts using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by selected patent identification information for each rights holder, An explanatory text generation rule holder holds explanatory text generation rules, which are rules (including cases where AI is used) for generating explanatory text to explain the results displayed in the chart display unit, An explanatory text generation unit generates an explanatory text for the comparison results displayed in a chart based on one or more of the following: selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, and inter-firm comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, and explanatory text generation rules. The explanation output unit outputs the generated explanation text, A YK value comparison and analysis system.

3. A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of a patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter), A rights holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple rights holder identification information, which is information that identifies the rights holder who owns the patent, A competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or one or more derived values ​​thereof; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A patent-specific rights holder information holding unit holds patent-specific rights holder information, which is information that associates patent identification information with the rights holder identification information of the patent rights holder identified by the patent identification information. A rights holder information holding unit that associates rights holder identification information with rights holder information that, if the rights holder is a listed company, is one or more of the following: the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate governance report, company website, articles in the company's magazines or newspapers, or analyst reports of the company. A rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held, A selected patent identification information acquisition unit acquires selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the rights holder identification information selected in the rights holder selection unit. A chart display unit that displays charts using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by selected patent identification information for each rights holder, A description text generation rule holder holds a description text generation rule (including cases where AI is used) for generating a description text based on the rights holder information held in the rights holder information holding unit and the results displayed in the diagram display unit, An explanatory text generation unit generates an explanatory text for the comparison results displayed in a chart based on one or more of the following: selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, inter-company comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, and rights holder information, and explanatory text generation rules. The explanation output unit outputs the generated explanation text, A YK value comparison and analysis system.

4. A patent identification information holding unit that holds patent identification information, which is information that identifies a patent (meaning one or more of a patent application, patent right, trademark registration application, or trademark right; the same applies hereinafter), A patent attribute identification information holding unit holds patent attribute identification information, which is information indicating the attributes of a patent, A patent attribute holding unit that associates and stores patent identification information and patent attribute identification information, A rights holder identification information holding unit that holds multiple rights holder identification information, which is information that identifies the rights holder who owns the patent, A competitiveness index value history information holding unit holds competitiveness index value history information, which is information that shows the history of competitiveness index values ​​(YK value, YK3 value, TK value, or one or more derived values ​​thereof; the same applies hereinafter) of the patent identified by the patent identification information, associated with the patent identification information. A patent-specific rights holder information holding unit holds patent-specific rights holder information, which is information that associates patent identification information with the rights holder identification information of the patent rights holder identified by the patent identification information. A rights holder information holding unit that associates rights holder identification information with rights holder information that, if the rights holder is a listed company, is one or more of the following: the company's securities report, integrated report, intellectual property report, quarterly report, corporate governance report, company website, articles in the company's magazines or newspapers, or analyst reports of the company. A rights holder selection unit for selecting multiple rights holder identification information held, A patent attribute selection unit for selecting retained patent attribute identification information, A selected patent identification information acquisition unit acquires selected patent identification information, which is patent identification information associated with the right holder identification information selected in the right holder selection unit and the patent attribute identification information selected in the patent attribute selection unit. A chart display unit that displays charts using summed competitiveness index value history information, which is obtained by summing the competitiveness index value history information of patents identified by selected patent identification information for each rights holder, A description text generation rule holder holds a description text generation rule (including cases where AI is used) for generating a description text based on the rights holder information held in the rights holder information holding unit and the results displayed in the diagram display unit, An explanatory text generation unit generates an explanatory text for the comparison results displayed in a chart based on one or more of the following: selected rights holder identification information, sum competitiveness index value history information, inter-company comparison results of the sum competitiveness index value history information, and rights holder information, and explanatory text generation rules. The explanation output unit outputs the generated explanation text, A YK value comparison and analysis system.

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