Control device and control method

Abstract

To reduce the burden of determining whether or not to maintain industrial property rights. [Solution] The management device 10 manages procedures for industrial property rights. The management device 10 has a storage unit 11 and a control unit 12. The storage unit 11 records a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights are applied, in relation to each other. The control unit 12 acquires information on industrial property rights to which a maintenance decision should be made and notifies the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a management device and a management method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a management device that manages the payment of fees required to maintain industrial property rights such as patents. In this management device, it inquires the customer about the necessity of paying the maintenance fee of the industrial property right, and pays the maintenance fee based on the customer's answer.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, a customer who has received an inquiry about the necessity of paying the maintenance fee determines whether to maintain the industrial property right based on various information, and decides to pay the maintenance fee for the industrial property right determined to be maintained. Such a determination of maintaining an industrial property right is also required when determining, for example, a request for examination or payment of a registration fee in an industrial property right under application. However, the determination of maintaining an industrial property right is highly difficult, and the burden on the applicant and the right holder is large.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reduce the burden when determining the necessity of maintaining an industrial property right.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The management device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a management device that manages procedures of industrial property rights, a plurality of industrial property rights, the existence status of the industrial property right, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made, and notifies the status of the existence of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, It has, Other types of industrial property rights are different from the types of industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made.

[0007] The control method according to the first aspect of the present invention is: A method for managing industrial property rights procedures, comprising a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights have been applied, wherein the method involves the processor, To obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, To provide notification of the status of at least one other industrial property right of a different type from the acquired industrial property right, and which is associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right.

[0008] The control device according to a second aspect of the present invention is: A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made, and notifies the status of the existence of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, It has, If other industrial property rights are associated with related information different from the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights, the control unit notifies the other industrial property rights of the different related information along with the status of their existence.

[0009] The control method according to a second aspect of the present invention is: A method for managing industrial property rights procedures, comprising a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights have been applied, wherein the method involves the processor, To obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, To be notified of the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, If other industrial property rights are associated with related information different from the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights, the different related information shall be notified along with the information on the status of the other industrial property rights.

[0010] The control device according to the third aspect of the present invention is: A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, Obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, and notify the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the related information indicated by the obtained industrial property rights, and a control unit; It has, The control unit makes a proposal regarding the maintenance decision of the industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made according to the status of the other industrial property rights. When at least one other industrial property right exists, the control unit makes a proposal that the industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made should be maintained.

[0011] The management method according to the third aspect of the present invention is A method of managing industrial property rights procedures using a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including at least one of (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information to which the industrial property rights are applied, associated with each other, the method causing the processor to Obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, Notify the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the related information indicated by the obtained industrial property rights, Make a proposal regarding the maintenance decision of the industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made according to the status of the other industrial property rights, When at least one other industrial property right exists, make a proposal that the industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made should be maintained.

[0012] The management device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is A management device for managing industrial property rights procedures, A plurality of industrial property rights, The status of the industrial property rights, (a) Information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) related information including at least one of the information to which the industrial property rights are applied, A memory unit that records them in association with each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a determination of maintenance should be made and notifies value information representing the value of the acquired industrial property rights, having The value of the industrial property right is calculated based on the number of other industrial property rights associated with the related information indicated by the industrial property right, and sales information or shipment information of products, methods, goods, or services related to the related information.

Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden when determining the necessity of maintaining industrial property rights.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of the management device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows an example of a rights information database. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of maintenance annuity payment processing executed by the control unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on a customer's terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen displayed on another customer's terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows another example of a screen displayed on a customer's terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows another example of a screen displayed on a customer's terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of an implementation status database. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows another example of a screen displayed on a customer's terminal. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows another example of a rights information database. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows another example of a rights information database. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] With reference to the attached drawings, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0016] Figure 1 illustrates the configuration of the management device 10 according to this embodiment. The management device 10 is a device for managing the payment of expenses required to maintain industrial property rights (hereinafter simply referred to as maintenance annuities). The payment of maintenance annuities for industrial property rights is one example of the procedures for industrial property rights.

[0017] In this specification, the term "industrial property right" includes not only registered industrial property rights but also industrial property rights that are pending registration but not yet registered. In other words, the term "maintenance annuity for industrial property rights" as used herein includes not only the expenses incurred to maintain industrial property rights after registration but also the expenses incurred to maintain industrial property rights during the application process. Hereafter, industrial property rights, including those pending registration, will simply be referred to as industrial property rights.

[0018] The management device 10 is, for example, a device managed by an applicant or rights holder of an industrial property right, or by the applicant or rights holder's application agent. Alternatively, the management device 10 is, for example, a device managed by an annuity management company. In this example, we will describe the case where the management device 10 is managed by an annuity management company. That is, the annuity management company uses the management device 10 to manage the payment of maintenance annuities for industrial property rights requested by its clients (applicants or rights holders, or their application agents).

[0019] As illustrated in Figure 1, the management device 10 is connected to the terminals 30 of one or more customers via a wireless communication network 20 in a way that allows for notification. The management device 10 manages the payment of maintenance annuities for one or more industrial property rights for each of the one or more customers.

[0020] The customer uses terminal 30 to request the pension management company to manage the payment of maintenance annuities for industrial property rights. Specifically, the customer notifies the management device 10 of the industrial property rights for which they request management of maintenance annuity payments via terminal 30. When the customer receives an inquiry from the management device 10 regarding the payment of maintenance annuities, they decide whether to maintain the industrial property rights and determine whether maintenance annuity payments are necessary. The customer then uses terminal 30 to instruct the management device 10 whether maintenance annuity payments are necessary. Note that the customer's terminal 30 may be a terminal owned by the customer, or a terminal not owned by the customer that the customer logs into. The terminal may be a personal computer, a tablet device, or a mobile phone.

[0021] The management device 10 has a storage unit 11. The storage unit 11 includes a rights information database 111. The rights information database 111 records information about industrial property rights, associated with a management number assigned to each industrial property right. Whenever a customer requests management of the payment of maintenance annuities for a new industrial property right, information about the requested industrial property right is added to the rights information database 111.

[0022] Information concerning industrial property rights includes bibliographic information, maintenance annuity information, status information, and related information. Bibliographic information of industrial property rights includes, for example, information such as the country of application, type of right, application number, registration number, priority date, application date, registration date, applicant, right holder, client, and client reference number. Maintenance annuity information of industrial property rights includes, for example, information such as the annual maintenance annuity, payment due date, expected payment amount, and payment status.

[0023] Figure 2 shows an example of a rights information database 111. In this example, the rights information database 111 includes the country of application, type of right, application number, application date, registration number, registration date, The following information is required: the rights holder, the customer, the customer reference number, the payment deadline and estimated payment amount for the next annual maintenance pension, The status of the rights and related information are recorded and associated with the management number. In the column for the type of right, P indicates a patent, D indicates a design, and T indicates a trademark.

[0024] Status information indicates the status of an industrial property right. Status includes the state of being in existence or extinct. Status may also include planned existence or planned extinction, where it has been decided to continue or extinct the right, but it is not yet formally in existence or extinction. For example, planned existence includes cases where maintenance annuity payments have been made but the payment process has not been completed. For example, planned extinction includes cases where the maintenance annuity payment deadline has not yet passed and the right remains in a state of being maintained.

[0025] For example, the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2 records that management numbers 001, 002, 004, and 006 are still in existence. It also records that management number 003 has been extinguished, and that management number 005 is expected to continue existing.

[0026] Related information refers to information that indicates the relevant grounds for multiple industrial property rights. Specifically, related information for a given industrial property right includes information on which that industrial property right applies, and at least one piece of information on other industrial property rights related to that industrial property right. Related information may be obtained, for example, from customers.

[0027] Information to which industrial property rights apply is information relating to products, methods, goods, or services to which industrial property rights apply. Alternatively, information to which industrial property rights apply is information relating to products, methods, This may also include information about brands uniquely set by the manufacturer for products and services. Product information may include, for example, the name of the product, such as a television or mobile phone, or a number indicating the model or generation of the product.

[0028] Information on other industrial property rights related to an industrial property right refers to information on other industrial property rights that share information on which the industrial property right applies. That is, when multiple industrial property rights apply to the same product, method, goods, or service, the multiple industrial property rights include one industrial property right and other industrial property rights related to it. Examples of information on other related industrial property rights include: Examples include the application number or registration number of the industrial property right in question, or the management number assigned to each industrial property right.

[0029] For example, if parts covered by patents with management numbers 001, 002, and 003 are installed in product X, the related information for management numbers 001, 002, and 003 in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2 will record information for product X. Similarly, if parts covered by patent with management number 004 are installed in product Y, the related information for management number 004 in the rights information database 111 will record information for product Y. Furthermore, if the design covered by design number 005 is used in product Y, the related information for management number 005 in the rights information database 111 will record information for product Y. Additionally, if the trademark with management number 006 is used as the brand name for product Y, the related information for management number 006 in the rights information database 111 will record information for product Y. Finally, if the design covered by design number 005 is also used in product X, the related information for management number 005 will also record information for product X.

[0030] As illustrated in Figure 1, the control device 10 has a control unit 12. The control unit 12 is The control unit 12 is connected to the storage unit 11 via a network for communication. The control unit 12 may also be configured to form a single device together with the storage unit 11.

[0031] The control unit 12 is configured to identify the industrial property rights for which maintenance annuities are to be inquired about, and to inquire with the customer about the payment of maintenance annuities for the identified industrial property rights. The control unit 12 is also configured to carry out the procedure for payment of maintenance annuities for industrial property rights based on instructions from the customer.

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit 12 is configured to notify the relevant information indicated by the identified industrial property right and the status of other industrial property rights associated with it.

[0033] Figure 3 illustrates the flow of the maintenance pension payment process executed by the control unit 12.

[0034] As illustrated in Figure 3, first, the control unit 12 refers to the rights information database 111 and extracts industrial property rights whose maintenance annuity payment deadlines fall within a predetermined period (STEP 1). For example, the predetermined period can be a six-month period from the present into the future. The control unit 12 executes the STEP 1 process, for example, at each predetermined period (for example, once a month).

[0035] For example, if the specified period is set to six months from the present and STEP 1 is executed on June 1, 2021, then cases with management numbers 001 and 004 whose payment deadline is earlier than December 1, 2021 will be extracted from the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2.

[0036] Next, the control unit 12 refers to the rights information database 111 and identifies the relevant information for the extracted industrial property rights (STEP 2). For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2, the case with management number 001 has product X recorded as relevant information. The control unit 12 identifies product X as the relevant information for the case with management number 001. Also, the case with management number 004 has product Y recorded as relevant information. The control unit 12 identifies product Y as the relevant information for the case with management number 004.

[0037] Next, the control unit 12 obtains the status of other industrial property rights associated with the identified related information (STEP 3). For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2, cases with management numbers 002, 003, and 005 have product X recorded as related information. Also, cases with management numbers 005 and 006 have product Y recorded as related information. The control unit 12 obtains the status of cases with management numbers 002, 003, and 005, which are associated with product X, the related information of case 001. The control unit 12 also obtains the status of cases with management numbers 005 and 006, which are associated with product Y, the related information of case 004. In the following explanation, other industrial property rights associated with the relevant information of an industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying maintenance annuities for that industrial property right will simply be referred to as "other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right."

[0038] Next, the control unit 12 notifies the customer of the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right, along with an inquiry regarding the payment of maintenance fees for that industrial property right (STEP 4). Specifically, the control unit 12 refers to the rights information database 111 and creates a list of industrial property rights for which the payment of maintenance fees should be inquired. The control unit 12 also adds the status of other related industrial property rights to this list.

[0039] The control unit 12 then outputs a list of the customer's industrial property rights to the customer's terminal 30. For example, the control unit 12 sends a list of industrial property rights to the customer's terminal 30 via email or an electronic file sharing system. Alternatively, the control unit 12 displays a screen containing the list of industrial property rights on the web browser of the management device 10. The customer can view the screen containing the list of industrial property rights on the display unit of the terminal 30 by logging into the management device 10. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may output the web page address information of the screen containing the list of industrial property rights to the customer's terminal 30.

[0040] Figure 4 shows an example of a screen displayed on customer ABC's terminal 30. The list of industrial property rights contains information about customer ABC's industrial property rights (case with management number 001). In Figure 4, the statutory deadline is the deadline for paying maintenance fees to the Japan Patent Office as stipulated by law. The response deadline is a deadline set earlier than the statutory deadline by which the annuity management company hopes the customer will respond in order to encourage a response from the customer. In this example, the response deadline is set one month before the statutory deadline. The related status column displays the status of other related industrial property rights. Specifically, the related status column displays information indicating the continued existence of case with management number 002 (JP2017-123456), which is related to case with management number 001; information indicating the expiration of case with management number 003 (US2017-123457); and information indicating the expected continued existence of case with management number 005 (JD2016-345679).

[0041] Figure 5 shows an example of a screen displayed on customer BCD's terminal 30. The list of industrial property rights contains information about customer BCD's industrial property rights (case with management number 004). The related status column displays information indicating the expected survival of case with management number 005 (JD2016-345679), which is related to case with management number 004, and information indicating the survival of case with management number 006 (JT2016-345680). Note that the related status column may also display text, characters, symbols, or marks other than those shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0042] Next, in STEP 5 of Figure 3, when the control unit 12 receives instructions from the customer regarding the payment of the maintenance pension, it determines whether the customer's instructions are instructions for the payment of the maintenance pension (STEP 5). The control unit 12 receives customer instructions, for example, from the customer's terminal 30 via email or an electronic file sharing system. Alternatively, the control unit 12 receives customer instructions through customer input on a screen displayed on the web browser of the management device 10. If the control unit 12 determines that the customer does not wish to pay the maintenance pension (NO in STEP 5), it does not perform the maintenance pension payment procedure and terminates the process.

[0043] On the other hand, if the customer's instructions are for the payment of maintenance pension (YES in STEP 5), The control unit 12 performs the procedure for paying the maintenance pension (STEP 6). For example, the control unit 12 pays the maintenance pension to the Japan Patent Office system 40, which is connected via the wireless communication network 20. Alternatively, the control unit 12 instructs the pension payment agent system 50, which is connected via the wireless communication network 20, to pay the maintenance pension.

[0044] Generally, when multiple industrial property rights are common to a particular product, method, goods, or service, the decision on whether to maintain these industrial property rights is often made based on the same criteria, such as sales and shipment figures for the common product. To check the status of these interrelated industrial property rights, one might consider using a search site provided by a general patent office, for example. However, while general search sites can search for multiple industrial property rights that share the same underlying application, they are not linked to multiple industrial property rights that have different underlying applications, making searching difficult.

[0045] According to the management device 10 of this embodiment, when deciding whether to maintain an industrial property right in order to pay maintenance annuities for that industrial property right, it is possible to refer to the status of other industrial property rights related to that industrial property right. Therefore, the burden of deciding whether or not to maintain an industrial property right is reduced.

[0046] In this embodiment, notification is given regarding the status of industrial property rights of a different type from the type of industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying maintenance fees for industrial property rights. For example, as shown in Figure 4, notification is given regarding the status of a design case (management number 005), which is a different type of design from the patent case (management number 001).

[0047] Since there is no common basic application for industrial property rights of different types, general search sites cannot identify related industrial property rights. In contrast, the management device 10 of this embodiment notifies the user of the status of industrial property rights of a different type than the type of industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying the maintenance fee for the industrial property right. This makes it possible to check the status of industrial property rights of different types, which is difficult to obtain through general search sites.

[0048] In addition, while the status of all other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying the maintenance fee for industrial property rights is notified, the status of only industrial property rights of different types may also be notified. For example, in the list shown in Figure 4, the status of only the design case with management number 005, which is a design different from the patent case with management number 001, may be notified. In this case, the control unit 12 may be configured to acquire only the status of other industrial property rights of different types when acquiring the status of other industrial property rights associated with the identified related information in STEP 3 of Figure 3.

[0049] In this embodiment, the status of other related industrial property rights includes not only survival or extinction, but also planned survival or planned extinction. For example, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the status of case number 005 is shown as planned survival. For example, if the payment of a maintenance pension is instructed to the pension payment agent system 50, it takes time for the payment procedure to be completed. Also, even if it is determined that payment of a maintenance pension is not required, the right remains in a state of maintenance until the payment deadline has passed, so it takes time for the right to expire. Therefore, by including planned survival or planned extinction in the status of survival, the latest update status of other related industrial property rights can be referenced.

[0050] In this embodiment, if the status of all other related industrial property rights is the same (for example, all are still in existence or are scheduled to exist, or all are extinguished or are scheduled to expire), the status of at least one of the related industrial property rights may be notified. For example, in the list shown in Figure 5, cases with management numbers 005 and 006 are both still in existence or are scheduled to exist, so the status of either case 005 or 006 may be notified.

[0051] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may be configured to notify the other industrial property rights, along with their status, if other industrial property rights related to an industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying maintenance annuities for industrial property rights are also associated with other related information that differs from the related information indicated by the industrial property right.

[0052] For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2, the design related to case number 005 is used for products X and Y. The control unit 12 may add the information for product Y, which is related to management number 005, to the list of industrial property rights for which maintenance pension payments are queried, as illustrated in Figure 6.

[0053] When a single industrial property right is used in multiple products, methods, goods, or services, the determination of whether or not to maintain that industrial property right is made by comprehensively considering the circumstances of all the products, methods, goods, or services in which it is used. Therefore, by notifying other relevant information to which other related industrial property rights are associated, the status of other industrial property rights can be referenced, assuming that the status of those other industrial property rights is determined not only based on common relevant information but also on other relevant information.

[0054] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may be configured to make a suggestion regarding the decision on maintaining an industrial property right, depending on the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when paying the maintenance annuity for the industrial property right. Specifically, the control unit 12 may be configured to suggest that the industrial property right should be maintained if at least one other related industrial property right is still in existence.

[0055] For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2, case number 002 is still in existence, case number 003 has been discontinued, and case number 005 is scheduled to continue. The control unit 12 may, as illustrated in Figure 7, propose to the list of industrial property rights for which maintenance pension payments are inquired, that the maintenance of rights for case number 001 be considered.

[0056] By referring to the proposals for maintaining industrial property rights provided by the management device 10 in this way, the burden of making decisions on maintaining industrial property rights is reduced. Furthermore, since the continuation of industrial property rights is proposed if at least one other industrial property right is still in existence, it is possible to prevent industrial property rights from being abandoned based on the status of other industrial property rights that have expired.

[0057] Furthermore, if all other related industrial property rights have expired, the control unit 12 may suggest that the possibility of waiving the industrial property rights should be considered.

[0058] In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 1, the storage unit 11 may further include an implementation status database 112. The implementation status database 112 may record sales information or shipment information for products, methods, goods, or services related to the relevant information. Figure 8 shows an example of the implementation status database 112. In this example, the implementation status database 112 records sales, shipment quantities, and implementation status in association with the implementation targets (product X, product Y).

[0059] The control unit 12 may be configured to refer to the implementation status database 112 and notify the system of sales or shipment information related to the relevant information, along with the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right whose maintenance is determined when the maintenance annuity for the industrial property right is to be paid. For example, in the implementation status database 112 shown in Figure 8, the sales of product X are xxx and the number of shipments is xxxx. The control unit 12 may be configured to add the sales xxx and number of shipments xxxx of product X to the list of industrial property rights for which the maintenance annuity payment is queried, as illustrated in Figure 9. This allows the system to refer to sales or shipment information of products, methods, goods, or services related to the relevant information to determine whether the industrial property right should be maintained.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may be configured to delete related information from the rights information database 111 and the implementation status database 112 of the storage unit 11 when it acquires termination information indicating the end of a product, method, or goods or services related to the related information. For example, when the control unit 12 acquires termination information indicating the end of manufacturing of product X, it deletes the information for product X from the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2 and the implementation status database 112 shown in Figure 8. By deleting this unnecessary related information from the storage unit 11, the information stored in the storage unit 11 can be updated, and free space in the storage unit 11 can be secured.

[0061] In this embodiment, the rights information database 111 may also record the fields to which the industrial property rights belong. Figure 10 shows another example of the rights information database 111. In addition to the information shown in Figure 2, the rights information database 111 also records the fields to which the industrial property rights belong. For example, the control unit 12 obtains information on the fields to which the industrial property rights belong from the customer's terminal 30 or the Japan Patent Office system 40, and records it in the rights information database 111. In this example, the rights information database 111 also records value information representing the value of the industrial property rights.

[0062] For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 10, the technical fields to which the industrial property rights belong are recorded for patent cases with management numbers 001 to 004. In this example, the technical fields to which the industrial property rights belong are classified according to the International Patent Classification (IPC). For design cases with management number 005, the design classification is recorded. Design cases may also be classified by the name of the article, etc. For trademark cases with management number 006, the classification of goods or services is recorded.

[0063] In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 1, the storage unit 11 may further include a trend information database 113. The trend information database 113 records trend information indicating whether the field to which the industrial property rights belong is a popular or unpopular field. Technology trend information is acquired, for example, from outside the management device 10 and recorded in the trend information database 113.

[0064] A technology trend represents the trend in the technological field to which industrial property rights belong. Technology trends are calculated and evaluated using existing methods. For example, technology trends include recent market trends and recent patent application trends related to the technological field to which industrial property rights belong. Alternatively, technology trends may include the number of times a technology is featured in media such as magazines and television, and search rankings of keywords on the internet. For example, the more times a technology is featured in media such as magazines and television, or the higher its search ranking of keywords on the internet, the higher its technology trend is considered to be. In other words, the higher the technology trend, the more popular the technological field to which industrial property rights belong is considered to be.

[0065] The control unit 12 may be configured to refer to the rights information database 111 and the trend information database 113 and notify the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right for which maintenance is determined when paying maintenance annuities for the industrial property right, along with trend information of those other industrial property rights. This allows the decision to maintain the industrial property right to refer to the trend information of other related industrial property rights. For example, even if an industrial property right is currently not being used by the company and is therefore often judged as unnecessary, if it is a right in a recently popular technology field, there is a possibility of licensing from other companies, so the decision to maintain the right may be made. Alternatively, instead of trend information of other industrial property rights, the trend information of the industrial property right for which maintenance is determined may be notified.

[0066] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may be configured to perform the payment procedure for maintenance annuities for industrial property rights based on the status of other related industrial property rights, without contacting the customer. This allows the procedure to be performed automatically without contacting the customer. The burden of deciding whether to maintain industrial property rights is reduced. Furthermore, even when the process is carried out automatically, the status of other related industrial property rights is notified, so customers can check the status of other related industrial property rights that were referenced when deciding whether to pay maintenance annuities.

[0067] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 may be configured to notify the value information of other industrial property rights, along with the status of their continued existence, when the maintenance pension for industrial property rights is determined to be maintained. Alternatively, the control unit 12 may be configured to notify the value information of the industrial property right to be maintained, along with the status of their continued existence, when the maintenance pension for industrial property rights is determined to be maintained, when the maintenance pension for industrial property rights is determined to be maintained.

[0068] The value of industrial property rights is assessed from various perspectives, such as protecting the rights holder's business or acting as a check on the businesses of other companies. Specifically, the value of industrial property rights is calculated by comprehensively evaluating one or more items and is expressed using numbers or letters.

[0069] The value of industrial property rights can be calculated in advance and recorded as value information in the rights information database 111. For example, in the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 10, the value is evaluated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5. Alternatively, instead of ranking the value numerically, You can also rank items using letters of the alphabet (for example, A, B, C, ...). In this case, too, since the value is simply quantified and ranked, and then replaced with letters, it falls under the category of representing value numerically.

[0070] Examples of items used to calculate value include the level of attention the patent application receives, the status of implemented products, and the status of implementation by other companies. Each item is calculated and evaluated using various existing methods.

[0071] The level of attention an application receives represents the level of attention it receives in relation to the examination of industrial property rights. For example, the level of attention received includes attention from the applicant, attention from the examiner, and attention from third parties. For instance, if an expedited examination is requested, the level of attention received by the applicant is considered high. The more times an industrial property right is cited in the rejection of other industrial property rights, the higher the examiner's attention it is considered to have. For example, if an invalidation trial or opposition is requested, it is considered to have attracted a high level of attention from third parties. The value of an industrial property right is higher the higher the attention it receives from the applicant.

[0072] The "implementation status of products" refers to the status of products in which industrial property rights are exercised. For example, product status may include the number of products in which industrial property rights are exercised, the sales or distribution figures for each product, sales rankings, or the percentage of the market in which products in which industrial property rights are exercised. The value of industrial property rights is higher the greater the number of products in which they are exercised, and the greater the sales or distribution figures for each product.

[0073] "Other companies' implementation status" refers to the extent to which other companies are implementing industrial property rights. For example, other companies' implementation status includes the number of products made by competitors related to the industrial property rights, the sales volume or distribution volume of each product, and the degree of relevance between the industrial property rights and the competitors' products. The value of industrial property rights is higher the more products made by competitors related to the industrial property rights, the greater the sales volume or distribution volume of each product, and the higher the degree of relevance.

[0074] If the value is low, there is a high probability of relinquishing the industrial property right. If the value is high, there is a high probability of retaining the industrial property right. Therefore, the decision to retain an industrial property right can be made by referring to the value information of the industrial property right being considered for retention or other related industrial property rights.

[0075] Furthermore, the value of an industrial property right may be calculated based on the number of other industrial property rights related to that industrial property right and sales or shipment information of products, methods, goods, or services related to the industrial property right. Specifically, the control unit 12 calculates the value by referring to the rights information database 111 shown in Figure 2 and the implementation status database 112 shown in Figure 8.

[0076] For example, when calculating the value of management number 001, in the rights information database 111, the other industrial property rights associated with product X to which the case of management number 001 applies are management numbers 002, 003, and 005. In other words, there are three other industrial property rights related to the case of management number 001. Also, in the implementation status database 112, the sales of product X are xxx and the number of shipments is xxxx. The control unit 12 calculates the value of the case of management number 001 based on an index obtained by multiplying the number of other related industrial property rights (three in this example) by the sales (xxx in this example) or the number of shipments (xxxx in this example).

[0077] Alternatively, the value may be calculated by multiplying the sales ranking or shipment ranking by the number of other related industrial property rights (three in this example) instead of sales or shipment figures.

[0078] Furthermore, the value of industrial property rights does not necessarily have to be calculated in advance and recorded in the rights information database 111. For example, the control unit 12 may be configured to calculate the value by referring to the rights information database 111 and the implementation status database 112 when making an inquiry about maintenance annuities for industrial property rights.

[0079] In this embodiment, in STEP 1 of Figure 3, the control unit 12 extracts cases inquiring about the payment of maintenance pensions as industrial property rights that are judged to be maintained. That is, the control unit 12 obtains information on industrial property rights that should be judged to be maintained based on the information stored in the memory unit 11. However, the information on industrial property rights that are judged to be maintained may also be obtained by input by the customer using the terminal 30.

[0080] In this embodiment, the management device 10 is a device for managing the payment of maintenance fees for industrial property rights. However, the management device 10 may be configured to manage other industrial property rights procedures in addition to or instead of the payment of maintenance fees. For example, the management device 10 may be configured to manage the procedures from application to granting of industrial property rights in addition to or instead of the payment of maintenance fees.

[0081] In this embodiment, the management device 10 acquires information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when paying maintenance fees for industrial property rights and notifies the management device of the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights. However, the management device 10 may be configured to acquire information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when dealing with procedures for other industrial property rights and notify the management device of the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights. For example, if the management device 10 manages the procedures from application to granting of industrial property rights, the control unit 12 may be configured to acquire information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when determining whether or not to request examination for an industrial property right under application. In addition, the control unit 12 may be configured to acquire information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when paying the fees required to register an industrial property right under application (so-called approval fees and registration fees), in addition to or instead of determining whether or not to request examination. Furthermore, the control unit 12 may be configured to acquire information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when determining whether or not to respond to grounds for rejection notified to an industrial property right under application.

[0082] The control unit 12, which has the various functions described above, includes a processor, non-temporary recording means, The system also includes temporary recording means. The non-temporary recording means and temporary recording means can be implemented by general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose memory include ROM and RAM. In this case, the ROM may store a computer program (computer-readable instructions) that performs the above-mentioned processing. The processor can be implemented by a general-purpose microprocessor that works in cooperation with the general-purpose memory. Examples of general-purpose microprocessors include a CPU, MPU, and GPU. The general-purpose microprocessor selects at least a portion of the computer program stored in the ROM and loads it onto the RAM, and works in cooperation with the RAM to perform the above-mentioned processing. The above-mentioned computer program may be pre-installed in the general-purpose memory, or it may be downloaded from an external server device via a wireless communication network and then installed in the general-purpose memory.

[0083] The processor may be implemented by a dedicated integrated circuit capable of executing the above-mentioned computer program, such as a microcontroller, ASIC, or FPGA. In this case, the above-mentioned computer program is pre-installed in the memory elements included in the dedicated integrated circuit. Each processor can also be realized through a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0084] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalents.

[0085] In the embodiments described above, the rights information database 111 shown in Figures 2 and 10 records information to which industrial property rights have been applied (product information in this example) as related information. However, as shown in Figure 11, for example, the rights information database 111 may also record information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights (application numbers in this example).

[0086] In the above embodiment, the value information of the industrial property right is notified along with the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right to be maintained. However, the value information of the industrial property right may be configured to be notified independently of the status of other industrial property rights related to the industrial property right to be maintained.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the management device 10 is managed by an annuity management company. However, the management device 10 may be managed by the applicant or right holder of an industrial property right. That is, the applicant or right holder uses the management device 10 to manage the payment of maintenance annuities for one or more industrial property rights that they own. Alternatively, the management device 10 may be managed by the applicant's or right holder's application agent. When the management device 10 is managed by the applicant or right holder or their application agent, the customers to whom the management device 10 makes inquiries about the payment of maintenance annuities are the applicant, right holder, or application agent who manages the management device 10. That is, the list of industrial property rights for which the payment of maintenance annuities is inquired is displayed on a display unit (not shown) connected to the management device 10. The applicant, right holder, or application agent gives instructions for the payment of maintenance annuities using an input unit (not shown) connected to the management device 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 10 Management device 11 Storage section 111 Rights Information Database 112 Implementation Status Database 113 Trend Information Database 12 Control Unit 20 Wireless Communication Networks 30 devices 40. Japan Patent Office System 50. Pension Payment Agent System

Claims

1. A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, and notifies the status of the existence of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, It has, Other types of industrial property rights are different from the types of industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made, and are managed by a control device.

2. A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, and notifies the status of the existence of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, It has, The control unit is a management device that, if other industrial property rights are associated with related information different from the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights, notifies the other industrial property rights of the different related information along with the status of the other industrial property rights.

3. A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights and, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, and notifies the status of the existence of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, It has, The control unit makes a proposal regarding the determination of whether to maintain the industrial property rights, depending on the status of the other industrial property rights, The control unit is a management device that, if at least one other industrial property right exists, proposes that the industrial property right for which a maintenance decision should be made should be maintained.

4. The management device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the other types of industrial property rights are different from the types of industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made.

5. The control unit, if other industrial property rights are also associated with related information different from the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights, notifies the other industrial property rights of the different related information along with the status of the other industrial property rights, the management device according to claim 1 or claim 3.

6. The control unit makes a proposal regarding the determination of whether to maintain the industrial property rights, depending on the status of the other industrial property rights, The control unit proposes that, if at least one other industrial property right is still in existence, the industrial property right for which a determination of maintenance should be made should be maintained, according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit deletes the related information relating to the termination information from the storage unit when it obtains termination information indicating the termination of a product, method, goods, or service relating to the related information.

8. The aforementioned storage unit stores sales information or shipping information for products, methods, goods, or services related to the aforementioned related information. The control unit notifies the sales information or shipping information relating to the related information along with the status of other industrial property rights, according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The control unit acquires information on industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made when paying the costs required to maintain the industrial property rights that are pending or registered, according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The control unit acquires information on industrial property rights for which a maintenance decision should be made when paying the fees required to register the industrial property rights that are currently under application, as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The control unit acquires information on industrial property rights that should be maintained when determining whether or not to request examination of the industrial property rights that are currently being applied for, according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The control device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the control unit inquires whether or not to take the necessary steps to maintain the industrial property right for which a maintenance decision should be made.

13. The control unit performs the procedures necessary to maintain the industrial property right for which a maintenance decision should be made based on the status of other industrial property rights, according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

14. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the status of other industrial property rights includes those that are expected to continue or those that are expected to expire.

15. The memory unit stores trend information indicating whether the field to which the industrial property rights belong is a popular or unpopular field. The control unit notifies the status of the other industrial property rights, along with trend information of the other industrial property rights, according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. The control unit notifies the other industrial property rights of value information representing the value of the other industrial property rights, along with the status of the other industrial property rights, according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. The control unit notifies the management device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which provides value information representing the value of the industrial property right for which a decision on maintenance should be made, along with the status of the existence of other industrial property rights.

18. The management device according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the value of the industrial property right is calculated based on the number of other industrial property rights associated with the related information indicated by the industrial property right and sales or shipping information of products, methods, goods, or services relating to the related information.

19. The management device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the storage unit stores the value information representing the value of each of the plurality of industrial property rights.

20. The aforementioned storage unit stores sales information or shipping information for products, methods, goods, or services related to the aforementioned related information. The management device according to claim 18, wherein the control unit calculates the value of an industrial property right when it obtains information on the industrial property right for which a decision on maintenance should be made.

21. A management system for managing industrial property rights procedures, Multiple industrial property rights, The status of the aforementioned industrial property rights and, (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the said industrial property right and (b) related information including at least one of the information on which the said industrial property right is applied, A memory unit that records them in relation to each other, A control unit that acquires information on industrial property rights that should be maintained and notifies value information representing the value of the acquired industrial property rights, It has, A management device that calculates the value of the aforementioned industrial property right based on the number of other aforementioned industrial property rights associated with the relevant information indicated by the aforementioned industrial property right, and sales or shipment information of products, methods, goods, or services relating to the relevant information.

22. A method for managing industrial property rights procedures, comprising a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights are applied, wherein the method involves the processor, To obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, A method for providing notification of the status of at least one other industrial property right having a different type from the acquired industrial property right and associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right.

23. A method for managing industrial property rights procedures, comprising a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights are applied, wherein the method involves the processor, To obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, To be notified of the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, If other industrial property rights are associated with related information different from the related information indicated by the acquired industrial property rights, the different related information shall be notified along with the information on the status of the other industrial property rights. method.

24. A method for managing industrial property rights procedures, comprising a processor, non-temporary recording means for recording computer-readable instructions executed by the processor, and a storage unit for recording a plurality of industrial property rights, the status of the industrial property rights, and related information including (a) information on other industrial property rights related to the industrial property rights and (b) information on which the industrial property rights are applied, wherein the method involves the processor, To obtain information on industrial property rights for which a decision on maintenance should be made, To be notified of the status of at least one other industrial property right associated with the relevant information indicated by the acquired industrial property right, Depending on the status of the other aforementioned industrial property rights, a proposal should be made regarding the decision on whether to maintain the aforementioned industrial property rights. If at least one other said industrial property right is still in existence, the proposal will be made that the said industrial property right to be judged for maintenance should be maintained. method.

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