Apparatus and method for supporting preparation of description on invention, and program therefor

Abstract

To provide a method for supporting preparation of description on an invention, with less labor.SOLUTION: An apparatus 100 is configured to receive, from a user terminal 110, a definition of a figure representing an invention, in a text format using a predetermined construction (S201). The apparatus 100 requests a generative AI model to generate a description about a plurality of actions of the invention represented by the figure (S202). The generative AI model generates the description about the actions of the invention (S203) to be transmitted to the apparatus 100 (S204). The apparatus 100 stores the received description in a storage unit 103, and transmits, as necessary, at least a part of the description to the user terminal 110 (S205).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a program for supporting the creation of an invention description. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to obtain a patent for an invention, it is necessary to file a patent application. A patent application can be filed by submitting application documents to the Japan Patent Office, including a claim that specifies the invention for which rights are sought and a description of the invention. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Since the description of the invention forms the basis for the claims, it is desirable that it be comprehensive. However, writing the logically organized text required for this purpose places a heavy burden on attorneys and other persons preparing application documents.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and its object is to reduce the effort required to create an explanation of an invention in an apparatus, method, or program for supporting the creation of the explanation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To achieve this objective, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, comprising the steps of receiving from a user terminal a definition of a diagram representing the invention in text format using a predetermined syntax, requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation of multiple operations of the invention represented by the diagram, and transmitting at least a portion of the generated explanation of the multiple operations to the user terminal.

[0006] A second aspect of the present invention is the method of the first aspect, wherein the predetermined syntax is a syntax of a scripting language.

[0007] A third aspect of the present invention is the method of the second aspect, wherein the scripting language is Mermaid.

[0008] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the method of any one of the first to third aspects, and the figure is a sequence diagram.

[0009] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the method according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the request includes instructions that differ depending on the type of the drawing.

[0010] Furthermore, a sixth aspect of the present invention is a method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the generated description of the plurality of operations includes the logic required for each of the plurality of operations.

[0011] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is a method of the sixth aspect, wherein the diagram is a sequence diagram, and the number of the generated operations is the same as the number of steps included in the sequence diagram.

[0012] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the method of any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the request includes the definition.

[0013] A ninth aspect of the present invention is the method according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the request includes using knowledge in the set technical field.

[0014] A tenth aspect of the present invention is the method of any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the invention is a software-related invention.

[0015] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the method of the tenth aspect, wherein the generated description of the plurality of operations includes logic required to implement each of the plurality of operations as software.

[0016] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the request includes specifying an output format.

[0017] Furthermore, a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the method of any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the generative AI model is a model to which a Transformer architecture is applied.

[0018] Furthermore, a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, comprising the steps of obtaining a definition of a diagram representing the invention, the definition being in text form using a predetermined syntax; requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation of a plurality of operations of the invention represented by the diagram; and storing the generated explanation of the plurality of operations.

[0019] Furthermore, a fifteenth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, the method including the steps of obtaining a definition of a diagram representing the invention in text format using a predetermined syntax, requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation of a plurality of actions of the invention represented by the diagram, and storing the generated explanation of the plurality of actions.

[0020] Furthermore, a 16th aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for executing a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, the apparatus being configured to obtain a definition of a diagram representing the invention in text format using a predetermined syntax, request a generative AI model to generate an explanation of a plurality of actions of the invention represented by the diagram, and store the generated explanation of the plurality of actions.

[0021] In addition, a 17th aspect of the present invention is a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, comprising the steps of obtaining a definition of a diagram representing the invention, the definition being in text format using a predetermined syntax; making a first request to a first generative AI model to generate an explanation of multiple actions of the invention represented by the diagram; receiving the generated explanation of the multiple actions; making a second request to a second generative AI model to generate a new explanation based on the generated explanation of the multiple actions; and storing the generated new explanation.

[0022] An 18th aspect of the present invention is the method of the 17th aspect, wherein the second requirement includes a problem to be solved by the invention.

[0023] In addition, a 19th aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, the method including the steps of obtaining a definition of a diagram representing the invention, the definition being in text format using a predetermined syntax; making a first request to a first generative AI model to generate an explanation of multiple actions of the invention represented by the diagram; receiving the generated explanation of the multiple actions; making a second request to a second generative AI model to generate a new explanation based on the generated explanation of the multiple actions; and storing the generated new explanation.

[0024] In addition, a 20th aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for assisting in the creation of an explanation of an invention, configured to obtain a definition of a diagram representing the invention, in text format using a predetermined syntax, make a first request to a first generative AI model to generate an explanation of multiple actions of the invention represented by the diagram, make a second request to a second generative AI model to generate a new explanation based on the generated explanation of the multiple actions, and store the generated new explanation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, by obtaining a textual definition of a diagram using a predetermined syntax and requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation of the multiple actions of the invention represented by the diagram, it is possible to obtain an orderly explanation of the multiple actions of the invention in just a few tens of seconds. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method flow according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is an example of a portion of a request for a generative AI model according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of a diagram definition included in a request for a generative AI model according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0028] 1 shows a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Device 100 communicates with a user terminal 110 used by a user to assist in creating an explanation of the invention, and with a platform 120 that provides a generative AI model, via an IP network such as the Internet. While the AI model is illustratively described as being provided by platform 120 that can communicate with device 100, an application for providing the AI model can also be executed on device 100, causing device 100 to provide the AI model.

[0029] The device 100 includes a communication unit 101 such as a communication interface, a processing unit 102 such as a processor or CPU, and a storage unit 103 including a storage device or storage medium such as a memory or hard disk. The device 100 may be configured by executing a program for each process or operation in the processing unit 102. The device 100 may include one or more devices, computers, or servers. The program may include one or more programs, and may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium to form a non-transitory program product. The program may be stored in the storage unit 103 or in a storage device or storage medium 104 accessible from the device 100 via an IP network, and instructions included in the program may be executed by at least one processor of the processing unit 102. Data described below as being stored in the storage unit 103 may also be stored in the storage device or storage medium 104, and vice versa. For convenience, the storage device or storage medium 104 is depicted in FIG. 1 as a database.

[0030] First, the device 100 receives from the user terminal 110 a definition of a diagram representing an invention, in a text format using a predetermined syntax (S201). The predetermined syntax may be, for example, the syntax of a scripting language, such as Mermaid. The invention represented by the diagram may be, for example, a software-related invention, and in this case, the diagram is preferably a sequence diagram.

[0031] The apparatus 100 then requests the generative AI model to generate an explanation for the operations of the invention represented by the diagram (S202). The request may include different instructions depending on the type of diagram.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an example of a portion of code for a request to a generative AI model according to one embodiment of the present invention. The example in FIG. 3 is a portion of code written in the programming language Python. By executing this code, the OpenAI API can be called and a generative AI model provided on platform 120 can generate an explanation of the invention. Here, the variable "model" represents the type of generative AI model to be used, and the variable "temperature" represents the diversity of the output. The OpenAI API is an example, and other APIs may be used. Furthermore, the programming language Python is an example, and other languages may be used. The code is stored in memory 103, and device 100 retrieves it and executes the code obtained by setting values to variables included in the code.

[0033] In the example of Figure 3, technical knowledge in the technical field set in the variable "technicalFields" is extracted, and that knowledge is used to generate logic, which is a series of instructions, for each operation of the invention described in Mermaid notation set in the variable "mermaid." The output format can also be set in the variable "outputFormat." In this example, a diagram definition in Mermaid notation is received from the user terminal 110. However, the description of the invention received from the user terminal 110 may be converted into a diagram definition in the device 100 and set to the variable "mermaid." While the example of Figure 3 sets the acquired diagram definition as a value, the result obtained by analyzing the definition may also be set. Furthermore, the device 100 may also function as the user terminal 110. In such cases, the device 100 may simply acquire the diagram definition in some manner.

[0034] If the diagram is a sequence diagram, multiple operations may be explained together, or the number of operations for which explanations are generated may be the same as the number of steps included in the sequence diagram. If the invention is software-related, the details of the multiple operations of the invention can be generated by including instructions in the request to the generative AI model to generate the logic required to implement each of the multiple operations of the invention as software. In addition to the conditions shown in Figure 3, the conditions imposed on the generative AI model can be specified by including variables in the code and setting the variables according to specifications received from the user terminal 110.

[0035] Then, in the generative AI model, an explanation of the multiple actions of the invention is generated (S203) and transmitted to the device 100 (S204).

[0036] Figure 4 shows an example of a diagram definition according to one embodiment of the present invention. The following table shows an example of the output obtained by assigning this definition to the variable "mermaid" in the code shown in Figure 3. The variable "technicalFields" was set to "generative AI, OpenAI." It took 75 seconds to obtain output in Japanese, although the English output took less time. It can be seen that the sequence of commands given to the device for each of several actions is clearly explained.

[0037] [Table 1]

[0038] [Table 2]

[0039] Since the output of the generative AI model is not necessarily the same each time, a condition may be imposed on the generative AI model to generate an explanation based on multiple output results. Alternatively, multiple requests may be made to the generative AI model, and the device 100 may create an explanation of the invention based on multiple responses to those requests.

[0040] When requesting multiple outputs from a generative AI model, for example, the first explanation output or generated by the first request or a modified explanation may be included in the second request. The second request may then include instructions to add an explanation to the first explanation or a user-modified explanation. In this case, including in the second request the problem to be solved by the invention and, if necessary, instructions to generate a new explanation taking the problem into consideration makes it possible to generate an explanation more suitable for a patent application that takes the problem into consideration. When the first explanation or a modified explanation is included in the second request, the definition of the diagram or its analysis results may not be included. Here, "new explanation" includes changes to the first explanation or the modified explanation.

[0041] As used herein, "AI model" refers to a machine learning model trained to predict an output for a given input, and "generative AI model" refers to a large-scale language model (LLM) trained using text data to generate an output not included in the input. While LLMs incorporating the Transformer architecture are particularly preferred as generative AI models, the name of the architecture is expected to change as technology advances. Therefore, as used herein, "Transformer architecture" encompasses architectures that incorporate one or more features of the Transformer architecture or improvements thereof. While the example in Figure 3 illustrates a single API call to fulfill a desired request, it is also possible to split the request into multiple requests and implement them through multiple API calls. In this case, the multiple API calls may be directed to the same or different generative AI models. As used herein, whether "generative AI models" are identical is determined by whether the types of generative AI models specified by the user are identical. In the example in Figure 3, if the values of the variable "model" are the same, the generative AI models are considered identical. If multiple generative AI models are not identical, they may be hosted on the same platform 120. If multiple requests are directed to generative AI models hosted on the same platform 120, those requests may be fulfilled by a single call to the API.

[0042] Then, the device 100 stores the received explanation in the storage unit 103, and transmits at least a part of the explanation to the user terminal 110 as necessary (S205).

[0043] Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by obtaining a textual definition of a diagram using a predetermined syntax and requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation of the actions of the invention represented by the diagram, a well-organized explanation of the actions of the invention can be obtained in just a few tens of seconds. The ability to instantly verbalize the actions of the invention represented by the diagram based on the diagram definition significantly reduces the burden of preparing application documents. This previously unimaginable automation is made possible by focusing on the structured definition of the diagram according to a predetermined syntax, and the generative AI model supplements the logic as needed to obtain a well-organized explanation.

[0044] In the above embodiments, it should be noted that unless the word "only" is used, such as "based only on," "depending only on," or "only when," the specification assumes that additional information may be taken into consideration. Also, as an example, it should be noted that the phrase "do b when a" does not necessarily mean "do b always when a" or "do b immediately after a" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the phrase "each a constituting A" does not necessarily mean that A is composed of multiple components, but includes the case where the component is singular.

[0045] Also, just to be clear, even if there is an aspect of a method, program, terminal, device, server, or system (hereinafter referred to as a "method, etc.") that performs an operation different from that described in this specification, each aspect of the present invention is directed to an operation that is identical to one of the operations described in this specification, and the existence of an operation different from that described in this specification does not make the method, etc. outside the scope of each aspect of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 100 devices 101 Communications Department 102 Processing section 103 Storage section 104 Database 110 User Terminals 120 Platform

Claims

1. 1. A method for assisting in the preparation of an invention description, comprising: obtaining a definition of a sequence diagram representing the invention in a text format using a predetermined syntax; making a first request to a first generative AI model to generate an explanation for a plurality of operations of the invention represented by the sequence diagram; storing at least a portion of the generated behavior descriptions; Includes:

2. 10. The method of claim 1, The predetermined syntax is the syntax of a scripting language.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, The scripting language is Mermaid.

4. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The request includes different instructions depending on the type of the sequence diagram.

5. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The generated description of the plurality of operations includes the logic required for each of the plurality of operations.

6. 4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The request includes the definition.

7. 10. The method of claim 1, The method further includes making a second request to a second generative AI model to generate a new explanation based on the generated explanations for the plurality of actions.

8. 1. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting in the creation of an invention description, the method comprising: obtaining a definition of a sequence diagram representing the invention in a text format using a predetermined syntax; requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation for the plurality of operations of the invention represented by the sequence diagram; storing the generated descriptions of the plurality of actions; Includes:

9. 1. An apparatus for carrying out a method for assisting in the creation of an invention description, comprising: obtaining a definition of a sequence diagram representing the invention in a text format using a predetermined syntax; requesting a generative AI model to generate an explanation for a plurality of operations of the invention represented by the sequence diagram; The generated descriptions of the plurality of actions are stored.

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