Information output device, program, and information output method

Abstract

To provide an information output device or the like, which outputs analysis results of intellectual property information devised so as to be directly utilized in management strategies.SOLUTION: An information processing server 1 includes: a classification unit 13 configured to classify an objective mass of patent documents into a plurality of groups according to patent classification codes; a calculation unit 14 configured to calculate a rate of change for each group classified by the classification unit 13 using the number of patent application documents included in the group and the filing date of each patent document; a graph creation unit 15 configured to create a graph with the rate of change and the number of documents serving as each axis and arrange circles indicating respective groups on the graph; and a graph output unit 16 configured to output the graph created by the graph creation unit 15 to a terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information output device, a program, and an information output method. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, intellectual property information has been analyzed as part of the external environment analysis used to formulate technology strategies. In intellectual property information analysis, information such as the number of applications filed by applicants and in technical fields, trends over time, and the distribution of technological elements has been mechanically analyzed, and the information has been visualized using graphs and maps to provide information to support decision-making in formulating strategies. As an example of the analysis of intellectual property information, a patent evaluation method is disclosed that includes the steps of: calculating the degree of technical similarity between a specific patent in a group consisting of multiple patents and other patents in the group; calculating the technical density, which indicates the degree of number of patents in a technical field similar to the technical field of a specific patent application, from the technical similarity with other patents in the group; and calculating the technical density for multiple patents in the group (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-86238 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Graphs and mappings for the analysis of intellectual property information, including those in Patent Document 1, are intended to display intellectual property information in an easy-to-understand manner. However, in order to utilize this information to support decision-making regarding business strategies, it is necessary to devise a display that is easier for managers and others to understand.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an information output device or the like that outputs the analysis results of intellectual property information that are devised so that they can be directly utilized in business strategies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to an information output device comprising: a classification means for classifying a group of patent documents into a plurality of small groups according to the contents of the patent documents; a change rate calculation means for calculating a change rate for each small group classified by the classification means using the number of documents, which is the number of patent documents included in the small group, and the date related to the patent document; a graph creation means for creating a graph with an axis relating to the change rate and an axis relating to the number of documents, and arranging symbols representing the small groups on the graph; and a graph output means for outputting the graph created by the graph creation means to a display device.

[0007] In the information output device, the graph creation means may further provide an explanatory text that explains the small group indicated by the symbol.

[0008] In the information output device, the graph creation means may change the display mode of the related small groups so that related small groups among the plurality of small groups can be identified.

[0009] In addition, in the information output device, the classification means may acquire the group of patent documents from a patent database, and classify the acquired group of patent documents into the plurality of small groups based on classification codes included in the patent documents.

[0010] The information output device may further include a management graph creation means for creating a management graph in which the rate of change of the graph created by the graph creation means is the market growth rate and the number of documents is the market share, and the graph output means may output the management graph created by the management graph creation means.

[0011] In the information output device, the management graph creation means may further arrange four quadrants of PPM (Product Portfolio Management) on the management graph.

[0012] The information output device may also include a graph modification means for converting at least one of the axes relating to the rate of change and the axis relating to the number of documents into a logarithmic graph with a logarithmic scale based on the arrangement of the small groups on the graph created by the graph creation means, and the management graph creation means may create the management graph based on the logarithmic graph created by the graph modification means.

[0013] In addition, in the information output device, the management graph creation means may use a correspondence between the contents of the patent document and the business name to place the business name corresponding to the classification of the small group represented by the symbol in place of or together with the symbol.

[0014] It may also be a program for causing a computer to function as an information output device.

[0015] The present invention also relates to an information output method using a computer, the method including: a classification step of classifying a group of patent documents into a plurality of small groups according to the contents of the patent documents; a change rate calculation step of calculating, for each small group classified by the classification step, a change rate using the number of documents, which is the number of patent documents included in the small group, and the dates associated with the patent documents; a graph creation step of creating a graph with an axis relating to the change rate and an axis relating to the number of documents, and arranging symbols representing the small groups on the graph; and a graph output step of outputting the graph created in the graph creation step to a display device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present invention can provide an information output device or the like that outputs the analysis results of intellectual property information that are designed to be directly utilized in business strategies. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an intellectual property information output system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an information processing server and a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit of the information processing server according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a management graph creation process of the information processing server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a graph creation process of the information processing server according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a graph created by the information processing server according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management graph created by the information processing server according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of another management graph created by the information processing server according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, this is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this example. (Embodiment) [Overall configuration of intellectual property information output system 100] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an intellectual property information output system 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the information processing server 1 and the terminal 4 according to this embodiment. The intellectual property information output system 100 is a system used by, for example, a business operator such as a company that wants to utilize the results of analysis of intellectual property information as part of its management strategy. The intellectual property information output system 100 may also be a system used by, for example, a consulting company that receives a request from a business operator that wants to utilize the results of analysis of intellectual property information as part of its management strategy.

[0019] The intellectual property information output system 100 shown in Fig. 1 includes an information processing server 1 (information output device), a patent DB (database) 3, and a terminal 4, which are communicatively connected via a communication network N. The communication network N is, for example, a communication line network such as the Internet. The communication network N may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), etc., and may be wired or wireless.

[0020] [Information Processing Server 1] The information processing server 1 is, for example, a server, but may also be a terminal such as a personal computer (PC). The information processing server 1 may be configured with one computer or multiple computers. When multiple computers are used, these computers are connected via, for example, a communication network N. The information processing server 1 may also be configured as a virtual server (virtual machine) provided on, for example, a cloud.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing server 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, and a communication IF (interface) unit 29. The control unit 10 is an information processing unit (CPU) that calculates and processes information, and performs overall control of the information processing server 1. The control unit 10 works in cooperation with the above-mentioned hardware to execute various functions by appropriately reading and executing an operating system (OS) and various application programs stored in the storage unit 20.

[0022] Specifically, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the information processing server 1 is realized by causing a computer to execute a program. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable non-transitory information recording medium such as a compact disc, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a digital video disk, a magnetic tape, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEOPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a flash memory, or a semiconductor memory. This information recording medium can be distributed and sold independently of the computer.

[0023] Generally, a computer reads a program recorded on a non-transitory information recording medium into RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a temporary storage device included in the storage unit 20, and then the CPU serving as the control unit 10 executes the instructions included in the read program. In addition, the program can be distributed and sold to computers, etc. from a program distribution server, etc. (not shown) via a temporary transmission medium such as a communication network N, independent of the computer on which the program is executed.

[0024] The program can also be written in a programming language for describing the behavior of electronic circuits. In this case, various design drawings, such as wiring diagrams and timing charts for the electronic circuit, are generated from the program written in the programming language for describing the behavior of electronic circuits, and the electronic circuit that constitutes the information processing server 1 can be created based on the design drawings. For example, the information processing server 1 can be configured on reprogrammable hardware using FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology from a program written in a programming language for describing the behavior of electronic circuits. It is also possible to configure an electronic circuit dedicated to a specific application using ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) technology.

[0025] The information processing server 1 is configured so that the control unit 10 controls the following components to execute the processes described in this embodiment. The control unit 10 includes a filtering condition receiving unit 11, a patent document acquisition unit 12, a classification unit 13 (classification means), a calculation unit 14 (change rate calculation means), a graph creation unit 15 (graph creation means), a graph output unit 16 (graph output means), and a management graph creation unit 17 (graph modification means, management graph creation means).

[0026] The narrowing-down condition receiving unit 11 receives narrowing-down conditions for patent documents for which a graph is to be created from the terminal 4. The narrowing-down conditions received by the narrowing-down condition receiving unit 11 may include various conditions, such as conditions relating to dates, businesses, and technical scope as the scope of patent documents. The date-related narrowing conditions may be, for example, items of dates described in patent documents, such as application dates and registration dates, and the period thereof. The narrowing criteria for businesses may be, for example, a specific business, or multiple businesses in a specific industry. In the case of a specific business, the narrowing criteria may be, for example, the applicant name of the business, or the identification number of the applicant listed in the patent gazette. In the case of a specific industry, the narrowing criteria may be the applicant names of multiple businesses related to the specific industry. Furthermore, the narrowing criteria may be for a specific business field among the specific business. The narrowing down conditions relating to the technical scope may be, for example, those using classification codes relating to patents such as IPC, FI, and F-terms (hereinafter also referred to as patent classification codes).

[0027] Furthermore, the narrowing-down conditions accepted by the narrowing-down condition accepting unit 11 may be technical keywords. Furthermore, the filtering conditions accepted by the filtering condition accepting unit 11 may be limited to, for example, Japanese patent documents or may include foreign patent documents. In addition, the patent publications may include publications related to utility models. The narrowing down conditions may be various as described above, but are intended to obtain patent documents within the desired range by management users (hereinafter simply referred to as users) who make business decisions by looking at the graphs.

[0028] The patent document acquisition unit 12 searches the patent DB3 using the filtering conditions received by the filtering condition receiving unit 11, and acquires patent documents that match the filtering conditions from the patent DB3, which is a database of patent publications. The patent document acquisition unit 12 may also acquire data on at least predetermined items of patent documents from the patent DB3, rather than the patent documents themselves. The predetermined items include, for example, application numbers, filing dates, and patent classification codes, and the data on the predetermined items is bibliographic information including the predetermined items.

[0029] The classification unit 13 classifies predetermined item data related to patent documents acquired by the patent document acquisition unit 12 into a plurality of groups (small groups). Here, the classification unit 13 classifies into a plurality of groups based on, for example, patent classification codes, which represent the contents of the patent documents. More specifically, the classification unit 13 classifies, for example, documents with the same first four digits of the IPC code into the same group.

[0030] The calculation unit 14 calculates the rate of change for each group classified by the classification unit 13 using the number of patent documents included in the group and the filing dates of the patent documents. Here, the calculation unit 14 sets a base period and a creation period based on the filing dates of the acquired patent documents, and counts the number of documents within the period. The calculation unit 14 may, for example, divide the range of filing dates in half, with the first half being the base period and the second half being the creation period. Here, the creation period refers to a period for checking the change status. Furthermore, the base period refers to a period used as the basis for calculating the rate of change. On the premise that a patent gazette is usually published one year and six months after the filing date, the calculation unit 14 may set the creation period, for example, to a period going back a predetermined period (e.g., three years, five years, etc.) with a base date of one year and six months or more from the current date. Similarly, the calculation unit 14 may set the reference period to a period earlier than the creation period, for example, at the same interval as the creation period. As a specific example, the calculation unit 14 may set the creation period to the three years from 2015 to 2017, and the reference period to the three years from 2012 to 2014.

[0031] Then, the calculation unit 14 calculates the rate of change from the number of documents included in each of the reference period and the creation period. The rate of change (%) can be calculated, for example, by the following formula (1), where n is the number of documents in the creation period and a is the number of documents in the reference period.

[0032] Equation (1) Rate of change (%) = {(na) / a} × 100

[0033] According to the above formula (1), if the number of documents in the creation period, n, is greater than the number of documents in the base period, a, the rate of change will be a positive (+) value, which represents an increase or growth rate. On the other hand, if the number of documents in the creation period, n, is less than the number of documents in the base period, a, the rate of change will be a negative (-) value, which represents a decrease.

[0034] The graph creation unit 15 creates a graph with the rate of change on the vertical axis and the number of documents on the horizontal axis. Here, since the graph created by the graph creation unit 15 is intended to be used for business strategy, the rate of change may be limited to positive values ​​only. Next, the graph creation unit 15 places a symbol such as a circle at the position where the rate of change indicated by the group value and the number of documents intersect. Then, the graph creation unit 15 may place the patent classification code (description) indicated by the symbol near the symbol. Furthermore, the graph creation unit 15 refers to the related code storage unit 22 and groups together multiple related groups into a related group. Then, the graph creation unit 15 adds or changes the display mode of the graph so that the related groups can be identified. For example, the graph creation unit 15 adds a box indicating the related group. For example, the graph creation unit 15 unifies the color of symbols within the related group.

[0035] The graph output unit 16 outputs the graph created by the graph creation unit 15 to the terminal 4. The graph output unit 16 also outputs to the terminal 4 a management graph created by the management graph creation unit 17, which will be described next.

[0036] The management graph creation unit 17 creates a management graph in which the rate of change of the graph created by the graph creation unit 15 is the market growth rate and the number of documents is the market share. In doing so, the management graph creation unit 17 creates a logarithmic graph by setting the axis of the rate of change and the axis of the number of documents to a logarithmic scale based on the density (arrangement, degree of variation) of the symbols on the graph created by the graph creation unit 15, and then creates the management graph. The management graph creation unit 17 also places four quadrants of PPM (Product Portfolio Management) on the created management graph. Here, PPM is a general management framework that divides a business into four quadrants based on market growth rate and market share. The four quadrants are (1) problem children (areas to focus on), (2) stars (areas to maintain and continue current efforts), (3) cash cows (areas to recover profits by reducing investment), and (4) losers (areas to withdraw from). Furthermore, the management graph creation unit 17 may place the business name in place of a symbol such as a circle placed on the graph created by the graph creation unit 15, or together with the symbol.

[0037] The storage unit 20 is a storage area such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc. required for the control unit 10 to execute various processes. The storage unit 20 includes a program storage unit 21, a related code storage unit 22, a business information storage unit 23, and an acquired data storage unit 24. The program storage unit 21 is a storage area for storing various programs. The program storage unit 21 stores an information output program 21a, which is a program for executing the functions of the control unit 10 described above.

[0038] The related code storage unit 22 is a storage area for collectively storing related patent classification codes. The related code storage unit 22 is stored in the storage unit 20 in advance, for example, before the graph creation process is performed. The related code storage unit 22 illustrated in FIG. 3(A) stores related IDs (IDentifications) and patent classification codes in association with each other. The related ID is identification information for identifying related patent classification codes as a group. The patent classification code stores a plurality of related patent classification codes.

[0039] The business information storage unit 23 is a storage area that stores, for each business, the business name of the business that the business is conducting. The business information storage unit 23 is stored in the storage unit 20 based on information obtained in advance from the business, etc., before the graph creation process is performed, for example. The business information storage unit 23 illustrated in FIG. 3(B) stores patent classification codes in association with business IDs and business names as keys. The business operator ID is identification information that identifies a business operator. The business name is the name of the business that the business operator is conducting. The patent classification code is a patent classification code included in the business indicated by the business name of the business operator, and may include one or more patent classification codes.

[0040] The acquired data storage unit 24 is a storage area that temporarily stores, for example, data of predetermined items acquired by the patent document acquisition unit 12. The acquired data storage unit 24 illustrated in FIG. 3(C) stores application numbers, patent classification codes, and application dates in association with each other. The application number is the application number of the patent described in the patent gazette. The patent classification code is, for example, IPC, etc., as described in the patent publication. The filing date is the filing date of the patent as stated in the patent gazette. The communication IF unit 29 in FIG. 2 is an interface for communication between the patent DB 3 and the terminal 4.

[0041] [Patent DB3] The patent DB3 is a database that stores patent publications. For example, the patent DB3 may be included in a commercially available patent database search system, or may be a patent information platform provided by the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training, an independent administrative institution.

[0042] [Terminal 4] The terminal 4 is, for example, a PC, and serves to realize functions as at least a display device and an input device for the information processing server 1. The terminal 4 may also be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 4 includes a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, an input unit 43, a display unit 44 (display device), a communication IF unit 49, and the like. The control unit 40 is a CPU that calculates and processes information, and performs overall control of the terminal 4. The control unit 40 works in cooperation with the above-mentioned hardware to execute various functions by appropriately reading and executing the OS and various application programs stored in the storage unit 41. The storage unit 41 is a storage area such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, data, etc. required for the control unit 40 to execute various processes.

[0043] The input unit 43 receives input from the user and may include a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like. The display unit 44 displays a screen for accepting data input from the user and a screen showing the results of arithmetic processing by the computer, and includes display devices such as cathode ray tube displays (CRT) and liquid crystal displays (LCD). The input unit 43 and the display unit 44 may be integrated into a touch panel display. The communication IF unit 49 is an interface for communicating with the information processing server 1.

[0044] Note that a computer refers to an information processing device equipped with a control unit, a storage device, etc., and the information processing server 1 and the terminal 4 are both information processing devices equipped with a control unit, a storage device, etc., and are included in the concept of a computer.

[0045] [Processing Description] Next, the processing in the information processing server 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the management graph creation process of the information processing server 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the graph creation process of the information processing server 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a graph created by the information processing server according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a management graph created by the information processing server according to this embodiment.

[0046] Upon receiving an instruction to create a graph from the terminal 4, the control unit 10 of the information processing server 1 performs graph creation processing in step S (hereinafter, "step S" will be simply referred to as "S") 11 in FIG. Here, the graph creation process will be described with reference to FIG. 5, the control unit 10 (narrowing condition receiving unit 11) receives the narrowing conditions from the terminal 4. When the control unit 10 connects to the terminal 4 in response to a connection request from the terminal 4, the control unit 10 outputs, for example, a screen (not shown) for inputting the narrowing conditions to the terminal 4, so that the user can input the narrowing conditions from the screen.

[0047] In S22, the control unit 10 (patent document acquisition unit 12) acquires data on specified items of patent documents from the patent DB 3 in accordance with the filtering conditions received from the terminal 4, and stores the acquired data on specified items in the acquired data storage unit 24. In S23, the control unit 10 (classification unit 13) classifies the patent documents stored in the acquired data storage unit 24 into groups using the patent classification codes. In S24, the control unit 10 (calculation unit 14) calculates the number of documents and the rate of change for each classified group. The control unit 10 may, for example, calculate the rate of change using the above-mentioned formula (1) after tallying and inputting the number of applications, which are the number of patent documents within the reference period and the creation period, for each patent classification code into a temporary storage area of ​​the storage unit 20 as shown in Fig. 3(D).

[0048] In S25, the control unit 10 (graph creation unit 15) creates a graph using the calculated rate of change and the number of applications. In this case, the control unit 10 may create a graph limited to those in which the rate of change is a positive value, that is, those indicative of a growth rate. Then, the control unit 10 places (plots) a circle corresponding to each group at a position on the created graph that indicates each group. In S26, the control unit 10 (graph creation unit 15) places the patent classification code of the circle near the circle. Here, instead of or together with the patent classification code, the content (explanation) indicated by the patent classification code may be placed near the circle. Also, instead of being placed near the circle, a leader line may be added to the circle, and the patent classification code of the circle may be placed at the end of the leader line.

[0049] In S27, the control unit 10 (graph creation unit 15) refers to the related code storage unit 22, groups a plurality of related groups into a related group, and adds and arranges a display indicating the related group on the graph. In S28, the control unit 10 (graph output unit 16) outputs the created graph to the terminal 4. By the above-described processing in the information processing server 1, the control unit 40 of the terminal 4 can output the graph received from the information processing server 1 to the display unit 44.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows an example of a graph 60 output on the display unit 44 of the terminal 4. Graph 60 is a graph with the growth rate on the vertical axis and the number of applications (number of documents) on the horizontal axis, and includes circles 61 indicating each group, codes 62, explanatory text 63, leader lines 64, and boxed areas 65. The circle 61 indicates the position of the relevant group. The circle 61 is displayed in the same color within the related group, making it possible to distinguish it from other related groups. Code 62 is the patent classification code indicated by circle 61, which in this example is the first four digits of the IPC. Description 63 is the content of the patent classification code. The lead line 64 associates the circle 61 with the code 62 and the description 63 . The enclosed area 65 indicates a related group.

[0051] In the example of graph 60, codes 62 "C25C," "B22F," and "C22C" have a similar relationship of "copper powder used in electromagnetic shielding," and are therefore included in the same enclosure 65. Also, in the example of graph 60, codes 62 "C03C" and "B60J" relate to "glass," and are therefore included in an enclosure different from enclosure 65. In addition, in relation to the management graph described below, the graph 60 is shown as a logarithmic graph on both the vertical and horizontal axes. However, the graph 60 does not need to be a logarithmic graph and may be a normal graph. In addition, the display unit 44 may display a screen (not shown) including the graph 60 and a button for outputting the management graph, and the user of the terminal 4 may select the button to output the management graph.

[0052] Returning to FIG. 4, in S12, the control unit 10 of the information processing server 1 determines whether or not a request to create a management graph has been received from the terminal 4. If a request to create a management graph has been received (S12: YES), the control unit 10 proceeds to S13. On the other hand, if a request to create a management graph has not been received (S12: NO), the control unit 10 terminates this process. In S13, the control unit 10 (management graph creation unit 17) modifies the graph created in S11 to create a management graph that applies the graph to PPM. More specifically, the control unit 10 creates a logarithmic graph by setting the axis of the rate of change and the axis of the number of applications (number of documents) to a logarithmic scale based on the density of the circles on the graph. In S14, the control unit 10 (management graph creation unit 17) creates a management graph by corresponding the growth rate of the graph changed in S13 to the market attractiveness of the PPM, and by corresponding the number of applications of the graph changed in S13 to the relative market share of the PPM.

[0053] In S15, the control unit 10 (management graph creation unit 17) places the four quadrants of the PPM at the corresponding positions on the created management graph. In S16, the control unit 10 (graph output unit 16) outputs the created management graph to the terminal 4. By the above-described processing in the information processing server 1, the control unit 40 of the terminal 4 can output the management graph received from the information processing server 1 to the display unit 44.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows an example of a management graph 70 output on the display unit 44 of the terminal 4. Management graph 70 is a graph with market growth rate on the vertical axis and market share on the horizontal axis. The market growth rate indicates the attractiveness of the market, and if management graph 70 relates to a patent of a certain business, market share indicates the strength of that company. Management graph 70 also shows four quadrants, quadrants 71 to 74, along with the name of each quadrant. The management graph 70 is a graph in which the previously described graph 60 has been applied to PPM, and therefore includes enclosed areas 65a to 65c. The enclosed areas 65a and 65b are included in quadrant 71, which is the "problem child," and the enclosed area 65c is included in quadrant 73, which is the "money tree."

[0055] Using this management graph 70, management can determine that what is shown in boxed area 65c (specifically, in this example, conventional wiring boards and cables mainly related to electromagnetic wave shielding) has already seen many applications and is technologically saturated, so it would be better to reduce investment and recover the profits. Also, what is shown in boxed area 65a (specifically, in this example, copper powder used in electromagnetic wave shielding) and what is shown in boxed area 65b (in this example, laminated glass) are fields that are expected to grow in the future, so management can determine that they should focus on them.

[0056] As an example of a management graph, the name of the business may be displayed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of another management graph created by the information processing server 1 according to this embodiment. The management graph 80 shown in Figure 8(A) is the management graph described above with the addition of business names. The control unit 10 (management graph creation unit 17) can achieve this by, for example, referring to the business information storage unit 23, obtaining the business names of the businesses in the graph from the patent classification codes corresponding to the circles on the graph, and adding and arranging the obtained business names.

[0057] On the other hand, the management graph 81 shown in Figure 8(B) has, instead of circles on the graph, the business names corresponding to the circles on the graph placed in the positions where the circles would be placed. This can be realized by the control unit 10 (management graph creation unit 17), for example, referring to the business information storage unit 23, obtaining the business names of the operators on the graph from the patent classification codes corresponding to the circles on the graph, and replacing the circles on the graph with the obtained business names in the positions of the circles on the graph. In either case of the management graphs 80 and 81, outputting the business name on the PPM makes it possible to more clearly indicate the business or product area, which can be utilized in management decisions.

[0058] As described above, the information processing server 1 of this embodiment has the following advantages. (1) The group of patent documents to be targeted is classified into multiple groups according to the patent classification code, and for each group, the rate of change is calculated using the number of patent documents included in the group and the filing date of the patent document. A graph is then created with the rate of change and the number of documents on each axis, and a circle representing each group is placed on the graph. The created graph is then output to terminal 4. Therefore, by regarding the number of documents in the graph output to terminal 4 as the degree of attention to the technology and the rate of change as the growth rate, the output graph can be directly utilized in business strategy.

[0059] (2) As an explanatory text for the group indicated by the circle, for example, a patent classification code, etc., is further placed on the graph. Therefore, the meaning of the circle can be recognized at a glance. (3) Related groups are displayed in a changeable manner so that related groups can be easily identified among multiple groups. Therefore, related groups in a technical field can be referenced as a single entity, making it easier to understand the relationship between technical fields.

[0060] (4) A group of patent documents was obtained from Patent DB3, and the obtained patent documents were classified based on the classification codes contained in the patent documents. Therefore, the target patent documents can be obtained using Patent DB3. In addition, since patent documents are classified using patent classification codes, the classification accuracy can be increased.

[0061] (5) The rate of change in the created graph was used as the market growth rate, and a management graph was created with the number of documents as the market share, and the created management graph was output. Therefore, it is possible to output the analysis results of intellectual property information that are designed to be directly utilized in business strategies. (6) The four quadrants of PPM have been added to the management graph. Also, the business name is output instead of or in addition to the circle. This allows the management graph to be easily understood at a glance.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Note that the above-described embodiments and the modified embodiments described below can be used in appropriate combinations, but detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0063] (Variations) (1) In the present embodiment, examples have been described in which related groups are displayed by enclosing them in a boxed area or by displaying items in the same related group in the same color, but this is not limiting. For example, when creating a graph that includes patents from multiple businesses, it is possible to output marks that include one's own patents and marks that include other patents in a different display format. This allows the marks indicating other companies' patents to be recognized at a glance, making it easier to compare one's own patents with those of other companies.

[0064] (2) In the present embodiment, the business name is output by referencing the business information storage unit stored in advance in the storage unit, but this is not limiting. For example, the user may view the management graph output on the terminal, select or specify a circle to be used for the business, and input the business name, which causes the business name to be output on the management graph.

[0065] (3) In the present embodiment, the narrowing down of target patent publications is explained as being based on applications, but the present invention is not limited to this. The narrowing down conditions vary depending on the type of analysis results to be utilized in business strategies, and so the narrowing down may be based on registrations, for example.

[0066] (4) In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which a graph is created with the rate of change on the vertical axis and the number of documents on the horizontal axis, but this is not limiting. For example, a graph may be created with processed values ​​based on the rate of change or the number of documents on each axis.

[0067] (5) In the present embodiment, a system using an information processing server and a terminal has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the system may be realized by a stand-alone computer in which the terminal has the functions of the information processing server. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Information processing server 3 Patent DB 4. Terminal 10,40 Control section 11 Filtering condition reception section 12 Patent Document Acquisition Department 13 Classification section 14 Calculation section 15 Graph Creation Section 16 Graph output section 17 Management Graph Creation Department 20,41 Storage part 21a Information output program 22 Related code storage section 23 Business information storage department 24 Acquired data storage unit 44 Display section 60 graphs 70, 80, 81 Management Graph 100 Intellectual Property Information Output System

Claims

1. a classification means for classifying a group of patent documents into a plurality of subgroups based on classification codes contained in the patent documents and representing the contents of the patent documents; a related code storage unit that stores a plurality of related classification codes in association with each other; a change rate calculation means for calculating a change rate for each small group classified by the classification means using the number of documents, which is the number of patent documents included in the small group, and the dates of the patent documents; a graph creation means for creating a graph with an axis relating to the rate of change and an axis relating to the number of documents, and arranging symbols representing the small groups on the graph; a graph output means for outputting the graph created by the graph creation means to a display device; Equipped with The graph creation means refers to the related code storage unit to arrange an enclosure region surrounding the plurality of related small groups, thereby making related groups identifiable.

2. 2. The information output device according to claim 1, The graph creation means places explanatory text explaining the small group represented by the symbol near the symbol.

3. In the information output device according to claim 1 or claim 2, The graph creation means places a leader line extending from the symbol, and places an explanatory text explaining the small group represented by the symbol at the end of the leader line.

4. 4. The information output device according to claim 1, The graph creation means changes the display mode of the related small groups so that the related small groups can be identified.

5. 5. The information output device according to claim 1, The classification means acquires the group of patent documents from a patent database.

6. 6. The information output device according to claim 1, graph modification means for converting at least one of the axis relating to the rate of change and the axis relating to the number of documents into a logarithmic graph with a logarithmic scale based on the arrangement of the small groups on the graph created by the graph creation means; management graph creation means for creating a management graph in which the rate of change of the logarithmic graph created by the graph modification means is a market growth rate and the number of documents is a market share, and for arranging four quadrants of PPM (Product Portfolio Management) on the management graph; a management graph output means for outputting the management graph created by the management graph creation means to the display device; An information output device comprising:

7. In the information output device according to claim 6, a business information storage unit that stores the correspondence between the classification code and the business name; The management graph creation means refers to the business information storage unit and places the business name corresponding to the classification of the small group represented by the symbol in place of or together with the symbol.

8. In the information output device according to claim 6 or claim 7, the graph output means outputs a member for outputting the management graph together with the graph to the display device; The management graph output means outputs the management graph created by the management graph creation means to the display device in response to receiving an operation on the member.

9. A program for causing a computer to function as the information output device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An information output method using a computer, comprising: a classification step of classifying the target patent document population into a number of subsets based on classification codes contained in the patent documents and representative of the content of the patent documents; a change rate calculation step of calculating a change rate for each small group classified by the classification step using the number of documents, which is the number of patent documents included in the small group, and the dates related to the patent documents; a graph creation step of creating a graph with an axis relating to the rate of change and an axis relating to the number of documents, and arranging symbols representing the small groups on the graph; a graph output step of outputting the graph created in the graph creation step to a display device; Including, The graph creation step refers to an association code storage unit that stores a plurality of associated classification codes in association with each other, and arranges an enclosure area that encloses the plurality of associated small groups, thereby making the associated groups identifiable.

11. In the information output method according to claim 10, a graph modification step of converting at least one of the axis relating to the rate of change and the axis relating to the number of documents into a logarithmic graph with a logarithmic scale based on the arrangement of the small groups on the graph created in the graph creation step; a management graph creating step of creating a management graph in which the rate of change of the logarithmic graph resulting from the graph changing step is set as a market growth rate and the number of documents is set as a market share, and arranging four quadrants of PPM (Product Portfolio Management) on the management graph; a management graph output step of outputting the management graph created in the management graph creation step to the display device; A method comprising:

Images