Information processing device

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing device that streamlines the process from invention discovery to patent application by revitalizing meetings related to invention discovery. [Solution] In the information processing system, the server's theme acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating a theme for realizing a new service for company K as theme information It. The theme analysis unit 121 analyzes the theme information It acquired by the theme acquisition unit 111. Based on the results of the analysis by the theme analysis unit 121, the function presentation unit 131 presents one or more candidate functional elements F necessary to realize the new service.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are technologies for improving the efficiency of meetings. For example, in Patent Document 1, a technology for making proposals for participants in a newly held meeting based on the content of the speeches of the persons who attended the held meeting and the theme of the newly held meeting has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there is a situation where there is a demand for the development of a method that can improve the process from the discovery of an invention to the filing of a patent application, particularly by activating meetings related to the discovery of inventions.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to improve the process from the discovery of an invention to the filing of a patent application by activating meetings related to the discovery of inventions.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: theme acquisition means for acquiring information indicating a theme for realizing a predetermined object as theme information; theme analysis means for analyzing the theme information; <000​​It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to revitalize meetings related to invention discovery and streamline the process from invention discovery to patent application. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an overview of the service that can be realized by an information processing system to which a server according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an overview of the feature presentation service, which is part of this service. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an overview of the extraction criteria suggestion service, which is part of this service. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an overview of the question generation service, which is part of this service. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an overview of the contribution rate calculation service, which is part of this service. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an overview of the staff assignment service, which is part of this service. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an information processing system to which a server according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 8] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the server hardware configuration in the information processing system. [Figure 9] This is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server in Figure 8 that constitutes the information processing system in Figure 7, for executing the function presentation processing, extraction condition presentation processing, invention identification feasibility determination processing, question generation processing, contribution rate calculation processing, and personnel assignment processing. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] First, with reference to Figures 1 to 6, we will describe the outline of the service (hereinafter referred to as "this service") that can be realized by an information processing system (see Figure 7, described later) to which Server 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0011] Figures 1 to 6 show an overview of the service that can be realized by an information processing system to which a server according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0012] This service provides attendees of a designated meeting with real-time information that will help improve the quality and efficiency of that meeting. Figure 1 shows a so-called remote development meeting M conducted at a certain company K. Development meeting M is an internal meeting held regularly to realize the provision of a new service unlike any other (hereinafter referred to as "new service"). At development meeting M, development of the new service takes place, along with the discovery of related invention I and consideration of obtaining patent rights for the discovered invention I. In the remote development meeting M, each participant A1 through An (where n is an integer of 2 or greater) participates by operating their respective information processing devices 2-1 through 2-n (hereinafter referred to as "participant terminals 2-1 through 2-n"), such as personal computers. In Figure 1, each of attendees A1 through A5 is assumed to be participating in development meeting M while operating attendee terminals 2-1 through 2-5. Attendees A1 through A5 are individuals directly or indirectly involved in the development of the new service, such as executives of company K, individuals responsible for research and development of the new service, and individuals responsible for intellectual property management.

[0013] Dedicated application software for users of this service can be installed on each of the attendee terminals 2-1 to 2-5. As a result, each of the attendees A1 to A5 can use this service using each of the attendee terminals 2-1 to 2-5 on which this application software is installed. Also, each of the attendees A1 to A5 can also use this service by accessing a dedicated website for users of this service, which is displayed by the browser function of each of the attendee terminals 2-1 to 2-5. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish each of the attendee terminals 2-1 to 2-n, these are collectively referred to as "attendee terminal 2". Also, when referring to the attendee terminal 2, the attendees A1 to An are collectively referred to as "attendee A".

[0014] This service includes a function presentation service, an extraction condition presentation service, a question generation service, a contribution rate calculation service, and an assignee allocation service. The "function presentation service" refers to a service that presents candidates for one or more functions (hereinafter referred to as "functional elements") that can be elements for realizing the theme of the development meeting M to the attendee A. The "extraction condition presentation service" refers to a service that presents information (hereinafter referred to as "extraction condition information") for extracting information indicating prior art related to the theme of the development meeting M to the attendee A. The "question generation service" refers to a service that generates questions for obtaining additional invention-specific information required for identifying an invention related to the theme of the development meeting M. The "contribution rate calculation service" refers to a service that calculates the contribution rate of each speaker identified from the voice data of the development meeting M to the creation of the invention I. The "assignee allocation service" refers to a service that allocates the processing of assignees required for realizing the theme of the development meeting M according to the progress of the development meeting M.

[0015] In FIG. 2, an overview of the function presentation service among this service is shown. The function presentation service presents one or more candidate functional elements necessary to realize the theme of development meeting M. In other words, during development meeting M, one or more candidate functional elements necessary to realize company K's new service are presented in real time to attendees A1 through A5.

[0016] In other words, the function presentation service obtains information indicating the theme of the development meeting M (in the example in Figure 2, it is a new service from company K) (hereinafter referred to as "theme information") (step S11). Here, the format of the theme information is not particularly limited, and it can be keywords, sentences, categories, etc. Specifically, examples of theme information include keywords such as "MaaS," sentences such as "services that can be realized using automobiles other than for transportation," categories such as "transportation," "vehicles in general," and "services," and classification criteria used by public institutions for technology classification. The theme information is obtained by entering it into attendee terminal 2.

[0017] Next, the acquired theme information is analyzed (step S12). Here, the analysis method is not limited to any particular case; for example, text mining may be performed on literature related to the acquired thematic information. Examples of "literature" include documents containing the contents of patent applications or utility model registration applications.

[0018] Next, based on the analysis of the theme information, one or more candidate functional elements F that may be necessary for realizing company K's new service are extracted and presented to attendees A1 to A5 in real time (step S13). The method for extracting functional elements F is not particularly limited. For example, one method is to extract functional elements with a high degree of overlap from those obtained as a result of text mining on one or more documents related to the acquired thematic information. "Depth of overlap" is an indicator that shows the amount of commonality between two pieces of information. The more commonality there is, the higher the degree of overlap, and the less commonality there is, the lower the degree of overlap. Furthermore, the method for presenting the extracted functional element F candidates is not particularly limited. For example, the functional element F candidates may be presented along with a score normalized from the "degree of overlap" mentioned above. The values ​​"90%", "88%", and "65%" shown in Figure 2 are all examples of scores.

[0019] According to the function presentation service, attendees A1 to A5 of development meeting M can delve deeper into each of the one or more presented functional elements, making it easier to discover inventions that will realize company K's new service. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application. Furthermore, according to the function presentation service, one or more functional elements are classified according to their content, compiled into a database along with various information, and presented in real time. Specifically, for example, although not illustrated, a diagram or chart is presented that visualizes functional elements extracted (scraped) from technologies described in published patent gazettes, etc., obtained as a result of prior art searches, in the form of a so-called patent map. This information is used as useful information when considering whether or not the inventions targeted for discovery by participants A1 to A5 of Development Meeting M have been granted patent rights (e.g., patent rights have been obtained).

[0020] The following provides a more detailed explanation of the feature presentation service. For example, attendee A enters the string "autonomous driving" as the theme information for development meeting M into attendee terminal 2. As a result, in step S11, server 1 obtains the theme information for development meeting M, "autonomous driving," from attendee terminal 2.

[0021] Next, in step S12, Server 1 searches for patent documents based on the theme information of Development Meeting M ("Autonomous Driving"). Specifically, for example, Server 1 searches for patent documents using the keyword "autonomous driving" in a predetermined database containing patent document data. Alternatively, for example, Server 1 searches for patent documents using patent classification codes (e.g., FI-F terms) related to "autonomous driving" in a predetermined database containing patent document data. Server 1 then performs text mining on the patent documents extracted through the search.

[0022] Server 1 then extracts the words and phrases that correspond to functional elements from the results of the text mining process. Specifically, for example, as a result of text mining, one or more integrated words are extracted using a predetermined database (e.g., a thesaurus or a dictionary that systematically organizes the relationships between higher and lower-level concepts). This integration may be performed as part of the text mining process. Server 1 then extracts the terms used in the patent document as functions or means for realizing autonomous driving and identifies them as functional elements. As a result, functional elements such as "(GPS, sensors, etc.) self-positioning unit (function)", "(camera, LIDAR, etc.) obstacle detection unit (function)", "(route calculation unit (function) (calculates the driving route)", "(map processing unit (function) (processes map information)", "driving control unit (function) (controls the drive and steering mechanisms based on the route calculated by the route calculation unit)", "(driver monitoring camera, etc.) occupant monitoring unit (function)", and "(communication unit (function) (communicates with other vehicles, control centers, etc.))" are extracted.

[0023] Furthermore, for each of these functional elements, Server 1 generates indicators such as frequency of occurrence and importance based on multiple patent documents extracted through the search using a predetermined method. That is, for example, the number of occurrences may be the sum of the number of times the functional element appears in multiple patent documents. Alternatively, for example, the number of patent documents in which the functional element appears may be used as the number of occurrences. For example, importance may be determined based on the frequency of occurrence. Furthermore, for example, each functional element may be given a higher importance rating if it represents a special technical feature in the patent document. Furthermore, the frequency of occurrence and importance may be generated (calculated) by a predetermined function that combines the examples described above. Alternatively, the frequency of occurrence and importance may be generated using an AI trained by a predetermined learning algorithm.

[0024] For example, functional elements, their frequency of occurrence, and their importance may be generated as a patent map. In other words, for example, based on the patent documents extracted through a search, a bubble chart of the F-terms assigned to those patent documents is generated as a patent map.

[0025] Next, in step S13, Server 1 presents the extracted functional elements to participant A during the meeting in real time. Furthermore, Server 1 can simultaneously present the generated occurrence counts and importance levels mentioned above. For example, Server 1 can prioritize the presentation of functional elements with high occurrence counts and importance levels. For example, if a bubble chart of F-terms assigned to patent documents is generated as a patent map based on patent documents extracted through a search, this patent map is presented to attendee A. This allows attendee A to understand the importance of each of the multiple functional elements (such as the rate at which they are considered in the literature).

[0026] In this way, Server 1 can present functional elements to Attendee A in real time (during the meeting) based on the theme information of Development Meeting M entered by Attendee A during the meeting. That is, functional elements are presented to Attendee A without requiring any time for tasks such as searching for or checking literature. As a result, Attendee A can discuss the functional elements in more depth during the meeting.

[0027] Figure 3 shows an overview of the extraction criteria suggestion service, which is part of this service. The extraction criteria presentation service generates and presents information (hereinafter referred to as "extraction criteria information") for extracting information that indicates prior art potentially related to the theme of Development Meeting M. Examples of extraction criteria information include keywords, search expressions, and categories (for example, classification criteria used by public institutions for technology classification). Specifically, the extraction criteria presentation service generates extraction criteria information to extract information that may be related to company K's new service during the development meeting M, and presents it in real time to attendees A1 through A5.

[0028] In other words, the extraction criteria suggestion service obtains theme information for development meeting M (step S21). Specifically, the theme information obtained is information about a new service from company K. The theme information is obtained by being entered into attendee terminal 2. Next, the acquired theme information is analyzed (step S22). The analysis method is not particularly limited and is the same as in the example in Figure 2, for example, text mining targeting relevant literature may be performed.

[0029] Next, based on the results of the analysis of the theme information, information Ip (hereinafter referred to as "extraction condition information Ip") is generated that indicates the conditions for extracting information that may be related to the new service of company K, and is presented to attendees A1 to A5 in real time (step S23). The method for generating the extraction condition information Ip is not particularly limited. For example, a search expression that matches the functional element F with a high degree of overlap, extracted from one or more documents related to the acquired theme information, may be generated as the extraction condition information Ip. Specifically, although not shown in the diagram, a search expression associated with various functional elements F may be stored in advance in a predetermined database (for example, the extraction condition DB185 in Figure 9), and the search expression extracted from there may be used as the extraction condition information Ip.

[0030] Furthermore, the method for presenting the generated extraction condition information Ip to attendees A1 through A5 is not particularly limited. For example, a search expression that can be immediately searched in a patent database generally provided by government agencies may be presented, such as one that combines keywords and categories.

[0031] Furthermore, the extraction condition information Ip can be generated and presented for each of the one or more extracted functional elements F. Specifically, for example, if four types of functional elements F are extracted, four types of extraction condition information Ip can be generated for each of the four types of functional elements F.

[0032] According to the extraction criteria suggestion service, attendees A1 to A5 of development meeting M can extract information indicating prior art based on the presented extraction criteria information Ip. Furthermore, the extraction condition information Ip can also be presented as part of the results of the prior art search. This makes it easier to make an initial judgment on whether Company K's new service meets the requirements necessary to obtain a patent (hereinafter referred to as "patent requirements"), such as whether it is a novel technology unlike anything before. In other words, it becomes possible to conduct a thorough prior art search during development meetings. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0033] The following provides a more detailed explanation of the extraction criteria suggestion service. First, in step S21, server 1 obtains, for example, the theme information for development meeting M, "autonomous driving," from attendee terminal 2. Furthermore, the method for obtaining the theme information of the development meeting M in step S21 and step S11 in Figure 2 above may be as follows. For example, server 1 can obtain theme information based on information shared in the meeting. For example, server 1 can obtain theme information by analyzing data from materials shared in advance in the meeting and using text mining or the like. Alternatively, server 1 can obtain theme information based on information from characters and images contained in the screen by analyzing the screen shared in the meeting (such as shared documents or images of a whiteboard). Alternatively, server 1 can obtain information about substances contained in the documents or images (such as chemical formulas or structural formulas of compounds) as theme information.

[0034] Next, in step S22, server 1 performs theme information analysis. The theme information analysis may be the same as the process in step S12 in Figure 2, or it may be achieved by other processes.

[0035] Next, in step S23, server 1 sets the extraction condition information Ip based on the results analyzed in the processing of step S22. That is, for example, in the processing of step S22, server 1 extracts multiple first document sets. Next, Server 1 sets the extraction condition information Ip based on multiple first document sets. Specifically, for example, Server 1 adopts phrases used in multiple sets of first documents as keywords included in the extraction condition Ip. For example, Server 1 creates a ranking of the number of patent classification codes (IPC, F-term, FI, etc.) assigned to each of the multiple first document groups, and adopts the top-ranked patent classification codes in that ranking as categories (patent classification codes) included in the extraction condition information Ip.

[0036] For example, Server 1 can create multiple second sets of documents, which may include the cited references listed in each of the multiple first sets of documents, or the documents cited during the substantive review process. In this case, server 1 can set the extraction condition information Ip based on the first and second sets of documents.

[0037] Alternatively, for example, Server 1 may present the first and second sets of documents to Attendee A. In this case, Attendee A selects a third set of documents from the presented first and second sets that they deem appropriate for a search, that is, useful for examining topical information. The result of Attendee A's selection is obtained by Server 1 via Attendee Terminal 2. Then, Server 1 sets the extraction condition information Ip based on the third set of documents. This allows for the setting of more appropriate extraction condition information Ip.

[0038] Figure 4 shows an overview of the question generation service, which is part of this service. The question generation service generates one or more questions to obtain additional information needed to identify the invention related to the theme of Development Meeting M. Specifically, the question generation service extracts one or more pieces of information (hereinafter referred to as "invention-identifying information") necessary to identify the invention that will realize company K's new service during the development meeting M. If it is determined that the invention cannot be identified with only the extracted one or more pieces of invention-identifying information, one or more questions are generated to obtain additional information necessary to identify the invention.

[0039] In other words, information regarding an invention that will realize a new service for company K is acquired as invention information (step S31). The invention information is acquired by inputting it into attendee terminal 2. Next, the acquired invention information is analyzed (step S32). The analysis method is not particularly limited; for example, it may be used to analyze whether there is any information that should be entered into attendee terminal 2, or the magnitude of the information entered into attendee terminal 2.

[0040] Next, based on the results of the analysis of the invention information, one or more invention identification pieces of information necessary to identify the invention that will realize the new service of company K are extracted from the invention information (step S33). Next, a determination is made (step S34) as to whether the extracted invention identification information can be used to identify an invention that will realize the new service of company K. Here, the method for determining whether the extracted invention identification information can identify the invention that will realize company K's new service is not limited to any particular method. For example, a score (hereinafter referred to as the "invention identification score") that expresses the degree of completeness of whether the invention can be identified as a percentage based on the results of the analysis of the invention information may be calculated. Specifically, for example, if no information is entered into attendee terminal 2, the invention identification score will be "0%". Also, if information is entered into attendee terminal 2, but the amount of information is insufficient, the invention identification score will be "1 to 99%" depending on the content of the missing information. Furthermore, if a sufficient amount of information to identify the invention is entered into attendee terminal 2, the invention identification score will be "100%".

[0041] Here, let's say, for example, that the invention identification score is calculated to be "80%", as shown in Figure 4. In this case, a message is displayed that identifies what information is missing and prompts the user to input that missing information. Specifically, for example, a message such as "Your invention identification score is 80%. The missing information is 'Effects of the Invention'. If you input 'Effects of the Invention', your invention identification score will reach 100%" is displayed. This makes it easy for attendee A to know what information to consider and input in order to identify the invention, and makes it possible to conduct a hearing at the development meeting M to find out what information is missing in order to identify the invention.

[0042] Here, there are no particular limitations on how the hearings regarding the missing information needed to identify the invention are conducted; for example, the hearings may be conducted in the form of questions. Specifically, for example, if it is determined that there is insufficient information regarding the "effects of the invention" to identify the invention, a question such as "What effects can be expected?" will be generated and displayed on attendee terminal 2. The content of the question displayed on attendee terminal 2 may be pre-generated using anticipated questions and answers. Alternatively, for example, a search of patent documents may be performed based on the content of the generated questions. If the search results extract one or more documents describing highly similar technologies, the search results may be presented, and questions such as, "How does the invention in this document differ from the invention we are currently discussing?" may be generated. This would allow for in-depth discussion of patentability requirements (e.g., novelty and inventive step) at the development meeting M stage. As a result, meetings can be conducted more efficiently, contributing to the streamlining of the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0043] The following provides a more detailed explanation of the question generation service. In the example above, the objective of development meeting M was to discover inventions and file patent applications. Therefore, the invention identification score was adopted as an indicator of the amount of information used in the question generation service. The following is an example of the information used to calculate the inventiveness score index. In other words, the information used to calculate the inventiveness score index may be any item described in the patent application documents. Specifically, for example, prior art, problems, solutions, and detailed descriptions in the specification may be used. Also, for example, drawings of specific embodiments in the drawings (for example, exploded views or six-view drawings of a structure may be used).

[0044] Furthermore, the information quantity indicator used in the question generation service can be varied depending on the purpose of development meeting M. Specifically, for example, if the purpose of development meeting M is standardization (for example, formulating specifications as a standard such as ISO or JIS), a score (indicator) may be used. Specifically, for example, in a meeting M aimed at standardization, a decision is made on what kind of support is needed for the standardization process. The following items are used as information to calculate the score (indicator) at that stage. Specifically, items such as brand awareness, relationship to business plans, internal preparations, track record, and industry and company-related information are used to calculate the score (indicator). In other words, by collecting this information, those who are trying to standardize the process (for example, the company to which participant A belongs) will be able to request expert support for the necessary items in their standardization efforts. Server 1, for example, if there is insufficient information regarding awareness, will generate questions such as: "Have you ever used a plan?", "Have you ever created a plan?", "Are you familiar with standards related to your company's operations?", and "Have you ever participated in activities that contribute to the dissemination of standards?". In this way, information on the above items is collected by answering questions generated by Server 1. By repeating this question-and-answer process for each item, and reaching a score (metric) of 100%, an appropriate determination is made regarding what kind of support is needed for standardization.

[0045] For example, if the purpose of the meeting is sales, the scoring (indicator) items may be set based on the know-how of veteran sales representatives. In this case, the questions generated by the question generation service are presented only to participant A who is selling to other participants. This allows participant A to ask other participants the same questions that an experienced salesperson would ask, enabling them to conduct sales activities like a seasoned veteran.

[0046] Figure 5 shows an overview of the contribution rate calculation service, which is part of this service. The contribution rate calculation service includes a service that identifies speakers from the audio data of development meeting M and calculates the contribution rate of each speaker (attendee A) in that meeting. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(A), audio data is acquired during the development meeting M (step S41). Then, the speaker (attendee A) of the statement included in the acquired audio data is identified (step S42). Then, based on the information identifying attendee A as the speaker (hereinafter referred to as "speaker information"), the theme information, and the information indicating the content of the speaker's remarks at the meeting (hereinafter referred to as "remarks information"), the contribution rate of the remarks at the meeting is calculated for each speaker (attendee A) (step S43). This automatically calculates the contribution rate of each inventor to the discovered invention. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0047] Furthermore, the contribution rate calculation service allows ideas entered into each of the multiple attendee terminals 2 during the development meeting M to be shared among the multiple attendees A. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(B), attendee A writes (inputs) their ideas on an electronic sticky note E displayed on the screen of attendee terminal 2 (a smartphone in the example of Figure 5(B)). Then, attendee A swipes the electronic sticky note E on the screen of attendee terminal 2 to fade it out. This transmits information indicating the content written on the electronic sticky note E, and it is displayed on a designated display device H (for example, a display device with whiteboard functionality) installed in the meeting room. Specifically, the electronic sticky notes E with ideas written on them are displayed side by side on the display device H. This allows all attendees A to see the content written on the electronic sticky notes E. As a result, the efficiency of meeting progress can be improved, and it is possible to accommodate so-called online meetings. Furthermore, the content of the ideas written on the electronic sticky note E is digitized and managed in association with information that uniquely identifies attendee A (e.g., an ID). At this time, the method of associating attendee A with the electronic sticky note E is not particularly limited; for example, attendee A may be identified from the attendee terminal 2 that sent the electronic sticky note E. Alternatively, attendee A may be identified by image recognition of the name written on the electronic sticky note E.

[0048] Figure 6 shows an overview of the personnel assignment service, which is part of this service. The personnel allocation service is a service that assesses the progress of development meeting M and allocates personnel who may be necessary to realize the themes for developing company K's new service.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in Figure 6, information regarding development meeting M is acquired as meeting information (step S51). Additionally, audio data from the development meeting M is acquired as audio information (step S52). Then, the speaker (attendee A) of each predetermined unit of speech contained in the acquired audio information is identified (step S53). Next, the progress of development meeting M is determined based on the acquired meeting information, information indicating the identified speakers, and information indicating the content of the speakers' statements (step S54). Then, based on the assessment of the progress of development meeting M, the necessary personnel (for example, those suitable to handle the remaining tasks) for realizing the themes for company K's new service are assigned. (Step S55). The results of the assignment of personnel are then presented to the relevant individuals. If they agree to the presentation, the assignment results are reflected; if they do not agree, the input of prescribed information to correct the assignment results is accepted (step S56). Specifically, for example, if the assessment of the progress of development meeting M reveals a lack of information regarding embodiments for identifying the invention, the assignment will be made to the development staff or attendee A, who spoke the most at development meeting M. Also, for example, if the assessment of the progress of development meeting M reveals a lack of information regarding prior art, the assignment will be made to a member of the intellectual property department who was in charge of the prior art search or to a person with specialized knowledge of intellectual property (for example, a patent attorney, intellectual property analyst, etc.). Subsequently, when the person in charge performs the assigned task, the details are recorded as meeting information, and the progress of development meeting M is determined (step S57). If any uncompleted items are found as a result of the determination, an alert is sent to the person in charge of the task related to that item (step S58).

[0050] Traditionally, inventions discussed at Development Meeting M required confidentiality, making it difficult for anyone other than attendee A to know the progress of the discussions. For example, an in-house intellectual property officer who did not attend Development Meeting M as attendee A could only find out when the invention request form was created and received. In contrast, the personnel allocation service allows even those who did not attend Development Meeting M to understand the progress of the invention discussions based on information such as the content of Development Meeting M, materials showing the content of the ideas submitted at Development Meeting M, the statements made by attendee A at Development Meeting M, search history, and development status. Based on that progress, the service then indicates what kind of personnel should be assigned where.

[0051] This allows participant A to easily understand the difference between the current state and the state that should be reached in order to file a patent application for a given invention. It also allows them to easily identify where they are stuck. As a result, the patent prosecution process can be carried out more efficiently. In other words, it facilitates the allocation of personnel necessary for efficient patent applications, thus contributing to the streamlining of the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0052] Next, with reference to Figure 7, we will describe the configuration of an information processing system to which a server 1, according to one embodiment of the information processing device of the present invention, is applied, which enables the provision of the service described above. Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of an information processing system to which a server according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0053] The information processing system shown in Figure 7 is configured to include a server 1 and attendee terminals 2. Server 1 and attendee terminal 2 are interconnected via a designated network NW such as the Internet or LAN (Local Area Network).

[0054] Server 1 is an information processing device managed by the service provider (not shown). Server 1 performs various processes necessary to realize this service while communicating with attendee terminals 2 as needed.

[0055] Attendee terminal 2 is an information processing device operated by attendee A, who is attending development meeting M remotely. Attendee terminal 2 consists of a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc. Note that only one attendee terminal 2 is depicted in Figure 7, but this is a simplification to aid in understanding the explanation. In other words, there can actually be as many attendee terminals 2 as there are attendees A who are attending development meeting M remotely.

[0056] Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the server hardware configuration in the information processing system shown in Figure 7.

[0057] Server 1 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an input unit 16, an output unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0058] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to the program recorded in the ROM 12 or the program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13. RAM13 also stores data and other information necessary for the CPU11 to perform various processes.

[0059] The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An input / output interface 15 is connected to an input unit 16, an output unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0060] The input unit 16 is configured, for example, with a keyboard, and is used to input various types of information. The output unit 17 consists of a display such as an LCD and a speaker, and outputs various information as images and sounds. The memory unit 18 is composed of DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and stores various types of data. The communication unit 19 communicates with other devices (for example, the attendee terminal 2 in Figure 7) via a network NW, including the Internet.

[0061] A removable media 40, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately mounted in the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 40 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. Furthermore, the removable media 40 can store various types of data stored in the storage unit 18, just as the storage unit 18 does.

[0062] Although not shown in the diagram, attendee terminal 2 in Figure 7 can have a configuration that is basically the same as the hardware configuration shown in Figure 8. Therefore, the explanation of the hardware configuration of attendee terminal 2 will be omitted.

[0063] Through the cooperation of various hardware and software constituting the information processing system in Figure 7 to which Server 1 in Figure 8 is applied, it becomes possible to execute various processes including function presentation processing, extraction condition presentation processing, invention identification feasibility determination processing, question generation processing, contribution rate calculation processing, and personnel assignment processing. As a result, the service provider can provide the above-mentioned service to attendee A. "Function presentation processing" refers to the process of analyzing theme information that indicates themes for realizing a given target, and presenting one or more candidate functional elements that may be necessary for realizing that target. "Extraction condition presentation processing" refers to the process of analyzing theme information that indicates themes for realizing a predetermined target, and generating and presenting information for extracting information that indicates prior art that may be related to the predetermined target. "Invention Identification Determination Process" refers to the process of extracting invention identification information from invention information relating to a given invention and determining whether the given invention can be identified using that invention identification information. "Question generation process" refers to the process of identifying the invention-specific information that is additionally necessary to identify a given invention, and generating a predetermined question to obtain that missing invention-specific information. "Contribution rate calculation process" refers to the process of identifying speakers from audio data of a meeting on a specified topic and calculating the contribution rate of each speaker's contribution to that meeting. "Assigning personnel" refers to the process of determining the progress of a meeting on a given topic and assigning personnel who may be necessary to achieve that topic. The following describes the functional configuration for executing the function presentation process, extraction condition presentation process, invention identification feasibility determination process, question generation process, contribution rate calculation process, and personnel assignment process, which are performed on Server 1 in Figure 8, which constitutes the information processing system in Figure 7, with reference to Figure 9.

[0064] Figure 9 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server in Figure 8 that constitutes the information processing system in Figure 7, specifically for executing the function presentation processing, extraction condition presentation processing, invention identification feasibility determination processing, question generation processing, contribution rate calculation processing, and personnel assignment processing.

[0065] As shown in Figure 9, when Server 1 in Figure 8 performs candidate suggestion processing, the CPU 11 functions as follows: acquisition unit 101, analysis unit 102, presentation unit 103, specific information extraction unit 104, judgment unit 105, identification unit 106, question generation unit 107, contribution rate calculation unit 108, and person in charge assignment unit 109.

[0066] Furthermore, one area of ​​the storage unit 18 of server 1 is provided with a theme DB 181, an invention DB 182, a meeting DB 183, a personnel DB 184, and an extraction condition DB 185. Theme DB181 stores theme information. Invention DB182 stores invention information. Meeting DB183 stores meeting information and audio information. Personnel DB184 stores personnel information. Personnel information includes information on executives and employees of company K, including attendees of development meeting M. Extraction criteria DB185 stores search expressions associated with functional element F.

[0067] The acquisition unit 101 acquires various types of information. The acquisition unit 101 includes a theme acquisition unit 111, an invention acquisition unit 112, a voice acquisition unit 113, and a meeting acquisition unit 114.

[0068] The theme acquisition unit 111 acquires information indicating themes for realizing a new service for company K, as theme information. The theme information acquired by the theme acquisition unit 111 is stored and managed in the theme DB 181.

[0069] The invention acquisition unit 112 acquires information relating to a predetermined invention as invention information. The invention information acquired by the invention acquisition unit 112 is stored and managed in the invention database 182.

[0070] The audio acquisition unit 113 acquires audio data as audio information from a meeting themed on realizing a new service for company K.

[0071] The meeting information acquisition unit 114 acquires meeting information related to a meeting themed on realizing a new service for company K.

[0072] The analysis unit 102 performs analysis of various types of information. The analysis unit 102 includes a theme analysis unit 121 and an invention analysis unit 122.

[0073] The theme analysis unit 121 analyzes the theme information acquired by the theme acquisition unit 111.

[0074] The invention analysis unit 122 analyzes the invention information obtained by the invention acquisition unit 112.

[0075] The display unit 103 displays various types of information. The display unit 103 includes a function display unit 131 and an extraction condition display unit 132.

[0076] Based on the results of the analysis by the theme analysis unit 121, the function presentation unit 131 presents one or more candidate functional elements F necessary to realize the new service of company K.

[0077] The extraction condition presentation unit 132 generates and presents extraction condition information Ip that may be related to the new service of company K, based on the results of the analysis by the theme analysis unit 121. The extraction condition information Ip generated by the extraction condition presentation unit 132 is stored and managed in the extraction condition DB 185.

[0078] The specific information extraction unit 104 extracts invention-specific information from the invention information of a given invention based on the results of the analysis by the invention analysis unit 122.

[0079] The determination unit 105 performs various determinations. The determination unit 105 includes a specific determination unit 151 and a situation determination unit 152.

[0080] The identification determination unit 151 determines whether a predetermined invention can be identified using the invention identification information extracted by the identification information extraction unit 104.

[0081] The status determination unit 152 determines the progress of the development meeting M based on the meeting information obtained by the meeting acquisition unit 114, the speaker information of the speaker identified as the speaker, and the speech information indicating the content of the speech made by that speaker.

[0082] The identification unit 106 performs various types of identification. The identification unit 106 includes a missing identification unit 161 and a speaker identification unit 162.

[0083] The deficiency identification unit 161 identifies the invention identification information that is additionally necessary to identify a given invention, based on the result of the determination by the identification determination unit 151.

[0084] The speaker identification unit 162 identifies the speaker of each predetermined unit of speech included in the speech information acquired by the speech acquisition unit 113.

[0085] The question generation unit 107 generates predetermined questions for obtaining the invention identification information identified by the deficiency identification unit 161.

[0086] The contribution rate calculation unit 108 calculates the contribution rate of each speaker's contribution to the meeting based on speaker information indicating the speaker identified by the speaker identification unit 162, theme information indicating the theme of the meeting, and speech information indicating the content of the speaker's speech.

[0087] The personnel allocation unit 109, based on the results of the determination by the situation determination unit 152, allocates personnel who may be necessary to realize the themes for realizing the new service of company K.

[0088] The information processing device in Figure 8, having the functional configuration shown in Figure 9, can perform function presentation processing, extraction condition presentation processing, invention identification feasibility determination processing, question generation processing, contribution rate calculation processing, and personnel assignment processing. This makes it easier to discover inventions related to the theme of realizing a new service for company K. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application. Furthermore, the development meeting M will enable a thorough prior art review. Furthermore, at the development meeting M, it becomes easier to understand the difference between the state that should be reached in order to file a patent application and the current state. Furthermore, development meetings allow for gathering information about any missing details needed to identify the invention. Furthermore, the inventor's contribution rate to the discovered invention is automatically calculated. Furthermore, it becomes easier to allocate the personnel necessary for efficiently filing patent applications. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0089] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and any modifications, improvements, etc. that can achieve the objectives of the present invention are considered to be included in the present invention.

[0090] For example, in the above embodiment, a remote format is adopted for the development meeting M of company K, but it is not limited to this, and a face-to-face format may be used, such as in a meeting room in the real world of company K. In the case of a face-to-face format, a microphone device (not shown) capable of recording the voice of attendee A is installed in the meeting room where the development meeting M is held. The recorded voice data is then acquired by server 1 as voice information. The format of the development meeting M can be arbitrarily selected according to the individual circumstances of attendee A (e.g., commuting, working from home).

[0091] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described based on the premise of a development meeting M at company K, it is not limited to this. In other words, for example, a lecturer can use this service as participant A. In this case, participant A can use the score (metric) of the question generation service to understand whether or not they have covered the necessary topics in the lecture. Furthermore, for example, each of the services (functions) mentioned above is also useful in video conferences conducted between two people: a sales representative and a representative from the client company. Furthermore, for example, each of the above-mentioned services (functions) may be adopted as a service (function) within a training system that mimics a remote video call system. That is, for example, a sales representative with little sales experience can use it alone as participant A. In this case, participant A uses the training system to practice sales talk, etc., assuming that there are other participants A present. At this time, for example, participant A can practice sales talk by using the score (metric) of the above-mentioned question generation service.

[0092] Furthermore, the system configuration shown in Figure 7 and the hardware configuration of Server 1 shown in Figure 8 are merely illustrative examples for achieving the objectives of the present invention and are not particularly limited.

[0093] Furthermore, the functional block diagram shown in Figure 9 is merely illustrative and not particularly limiting. In other words, it is sufficient if the information processing system in Figure 7 is equipped with the functionality to execute the function presentation process, extraction condition presentation process, invention identification feasibility determination process, question generation process, contribution rate calculation process, and personnel assignment process as a whole. The functional blocks and databases used to realize this functionality are not particularly limited to the example in Figure 9.

[0094] Furthermore, the location of the functional blocks and database is not limited to Figure 9, but can be any location. In the example in Figure 9, the function presentation process, extraction condition presentation process, invention identification feasibility determination process, question generation process, contribution rate calculation process, and personnel assignment process are controlled by the CPU 11 of Server 1 in Figure 8, which constitutes the information processing system in Figure 7, but the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, at least a portion of the function blocks and database located on Server 1 may be provided on Attendee Terminal 2 or other information processing devices not shown.

[0095] Furthermore, the series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. Furthermore, a single functional block may consist of hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

[0096] When a series of processes are executed by software, the programs that make up that software are installed on a computer or other device from a network or storage medium. The computer may be a computer that is built into dedicated hardware. Furthermore, a computer can be any computer capable of performing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

[0097] Such recording media containing programs may consist not only of removable media (not shown) distributed separately from the main unit of the device to provide the program to the user, but also of recording media provided to the user in a state where they are pre-installed in the main unit of the device.

[0098] In this specification, the step of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium includes not only processes that are performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically, but are executed in parallel or individually.

[0099] In summary, the information processing device to which the present invention applies only needs to have the following configuration, and can take various forms. That is, the information processing device to which the present invention is applied (for example, Server 1 in Figure 9) is: A theme acquisition means (for example, the theme acquisition unit 111 in Figure 9) acquires information indicating a theme for realizing a predetermined target (for example, the new service in Figure 2) as theme information (for example, the theme information in Figure 2), The theme analysis means (for example, the theme analysis unit 121 in Figure 9) performs the analysis of the aforementioned theme information, Based on the results of the analysis, a function presentation means (for example, the function presentation unit 131 in Figure 9) presents one or more candidate functional elements (for example, functional element F in Figure 2) that may be necessary for realizing the predetermined target, Prepare.

[0100] In other words, when information indicating a theme for realizing a given target is acquired as theme information, the acquired theme information is analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, one or more candidate functional elements that may be necessary for realizing the given target are presented. This makes it easier to discover inventions from themes that can realize a given objective. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent filing.

[0101] Furthermore, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is: A theme acquisition means (for example, the theme acquisition unit 111 in Figure 9) acquires information indicating a theme for realizing a predetermined target as theme information, The theme analysis means (for example, the theme analysis unit 121 in Figure 9) performs the analysis of the aforementioned theme information, Based on the results of the analysis, an extraction condition presentation means (for example, the extraction condition presentation unit 132 in Figure 9) generates and presents information for extracting prior art that may be related to the predetermined target (for example, the extraction condition information Ip in Figure 2), Prepare.

[0102] In other words, once information indicating a theme for realizing a given target is acquired as theme information, the acquired theme information is analyzed. Based on the results of that analysis, information is acquired and presented to extract information indicating prior art that may be related to the given target. This enables thorough prior art searches during development meetings. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0103] Furthermore, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is: An invention acquisition means (for example, the invention acquisition unit 112 in Figure 9) acquires information relating to a predetermined invention as invention information (for example, the invention information in Figure 2), An invention analysis means (for example, the invention analysis unit 122 in Figure 9) for analyzing the aforementioned invention information, Based on the results of the analysis by the invention analysis means, a specific information extraction means (for example, the specific information extraction unit 104 in Figure 9) extracts one or more pieces of information from the invention information that are necessary for identifying the invention as invention specific information (for example, the invention specific information in Figure 2), A determination means (for example, the identification determination unit 151 in Figure 9) that determines whether the extracted invention identification information can identify the predetermined invention, Prepare.

[0104] In other words, once information relating to a given invention is acquired as invention information, the acquired invention information is analyzed. Based on the results of this analysis, one or more pieces of information necessary to identify the given invention are extracted from the acquired invention information as invention identification information. Then, a determination is made as to whether the given invention can be identified using that invention identification information. This makes it easier to understand the differences between the state that should be reached for patent application and the current state during development meetings. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0105] Furthermore, based on the result of the determination by the determination means, there is a deficiency identification means (for example, the deficiency identification unit 161 in Figure 9) that identifies additional invention identification information necessary to identify the predetermined invention, A question generation means (for example, the question generation unit 107 in Figure 9) that generates predetermined questions for obtaining specified invention identification information, It can provide even more.

[0106] In other words, based on the determination of whether the extracted invention-specific information can identify a given invention, additional invention-specific information necessary to identify the given invention is identified. Then, a set of questions is generated to obtain the identified invention-specific information. This allows for gathering information during development meetings to identify any missing details needed to pinpoint the invention. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0107] Furthermore, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is: A sound acquisition means (for example, the sound acquisition unit 113 in Figure 9) acquires audio data of a meeting on a predetermined theme as audio information (for example, the audio information in Figure 2), A speaker identification means (for example, the speaker identification unit 162 in Figure 9) that identifies the speaker of each utterance in a predetermined unit contained in the acquired audio information, Based on the information indicating the speaker identified by the speaker identification means (for example, speaker information in Figure 2), the information indicating the theme of the meeting (for example, theme information in Figure 2), and the information indicating the content of the statement (for example, statement information in Figure 2), a contribution rate calculation means (for example, contribution rate calculation unit 108 in Figure 9) calculates the contribution rate of the statement in the meeting for each speaker. It is equipped with.

[0108] In other words, when audio data from a meeting on a predetermined theme is acquired as audio information, the individual speaker of each predetermined unit of speech contained in the acquired audio information is identified. Then, based on the information indicating the identified speaker, the information indicating the theme of the meeting, and the information indicating the content of the speaker's remarks in the meeting, the contribution rate of each speaker's remarks in the meeting is calculated. This automatically calculates the inventor's contribution rate to the discovered invention. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application.

[0109] Furthermore, the information processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is: A meeting acquisition means (for example, the meeting acquisition unit 114 in Figure 9) acquires information about meetings on a predetermined theme as meeting information (for example, the meeting information in Figure 2), Audio acquisition means (for example, audio acquisition unit 113 in Figure 9) that acquires audio data of the aforementioned meeting held as audio information, A speaker identification means (for example, the speaker identification unit 162 in Figure 9) that identifies the speaker of each utterance in a predetermined unit contained in the acquired audio information, A status determination means (for example, a status determination unit 152 in Figure 9) determines the progress of the meeting based on the acquired meeting information, information indicating the identified speaker (for example, speaker information in Figure 2), and information indicating the content of the statement (for example, statement information in Figure 2), Based on the result of the determination by the situation determination means, a personnel allocation means (for example, the personnel allocation unit 109 in Figure 9) allocates personnel who may be necessary to realize the theme, It is equipped with.

[0110] In other words, information about meetings on a predetermined theme is acquired as meeting information. Audio data of the meetings that were held is also acquired as audio information. Then, the individual speakers of each predetermined unit of speech contained in the acquired audio information are identified. Based on the acquired meeting information, the information identifying the speakers, and the information indicating the content of the speakers' speeches, the progress of the meeting is determined. Based on the results of that determination, the necessary personnel for achieving the theme are assigned. This makes it easier to allocate the necessary personnel for efficient patent applications. As a result, it can contribute to streamlining the process from invention discovery to patent application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0111] 1...Server, 2...Attendee terminal, 11...CPU, 12...ROM, 13...RAM, 14...Bus, 15...Input / Output interface, 16...Input unit, 17...Output unit, 18...Storage unit, 19...Communication unit, 20...Drive, 40...Removable media, 101...Acquisition unit, 102...Analysis unit, 103...Presentation unit, 104...Specific information extraction unit, 105...Determination unit, 106...Specific unit, 107...Question generation unit, 108...Contribution rate calculation unit, 109...Responsible person assignment unit, 111...Theme acquisition unit, 112...Invention acquisition unit 113...Voice acquisition unit, 114...Meeting acquisition unit, 121...Theme analysis unit, 122...Invention analysis unit, 131...Function presentation unit, 132...Extraction condition presentation unit, 151...Specific determination unit, 152...Status determination unit, 161...Defect identification unit, 162...Speaker identification unit, 181...Theme DB, 182...Invention DB, 183...Meeting DB, 184...Personnel DB, 185...Extraction condition DB, A...Attendees, M...Development meeting, K...Company, Ip...Extraction condition information, F...Functional elements, E...Electronic sticky note, H...Display device, NW...Network

Claims

[Claim 1] A means of acquiring meeting information that obtains information about meetings on a specified theme, Audio acquisition means for acquiring audio data of the aforementioned meeting held as audio information, A means for identifying the speaker of each utterance in a predetermined unit contained in the acquired audio information, A status determination means for determining the progress of the meeting based on the acquired meeting information, information indicating the identified speaker, and information indicating the content of the statement, A means for assigning personnel to whom the necessary personnel for realizing the theme may be assigned based on the results of the above determination, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

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