Information processing device, information processing method, and computer program

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device including: a first keyword extraction means that extracts a first keyword from a business description for a first company; a growth potential score calculation means that calculates a growth potential score for the business description on the basis of the first keyword; and an assessment means that assesses whether or not to invest in the first company on the basis of the growth potential score.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, investment by investing companies such as large enterprises in startup companies has been increasing. In the investment scheme, for example, the patent right is used as an investment target, the investing company holds the patent right, etc., and when the startup company grows, the investment is recovered by transferring or licensing the patent right, etc. from the investing company. In such a scheme, it is important for both the investing company and the startup company to appropriately evaluate the value of the patent.

[0003] Various techniques have been disclosed as techniques for evaluating the value of a patent. In Patent Document 1, a technique for grading based on the history of the patent right and technical information and obtaining the asset value of the patent by regression analysis of the corporate asset value and the patent power is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, a technique for determining whether the business scope of the licensee is covered by the patent so that both the patentee and the licensee can obtain benefits is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when financial institutions or businesses recoup their investments by transferring intellectual property rights such as patents, they need to consider the future growth potential of the business and determine whether it is worthwhile to invest in a startup's patent acquisition. The conventional system described above could not take into account the growth potential of the business.

[0006] This invention was made in view of these circumstances and aims to appropriately evaluate the growth potential of a business. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the present invention is: A first keyword extraction method for extracting a first keyword from the business content of the first company, A growth score calculation means for calculating a growth score in the business content based on the first keyword, A means for determining whether or not to invest in the first company based on the aforementioned growth score, It is an information processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the growth potential of a business can be appropriately evaluated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the overview of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the general configuration of the evaluation system. [Figure 3] Block diagram showing the server hardware configuration. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram showing an example of the server's functional configuration. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing an example of the evaluation process. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a table used in the evaluation process. [Figure 7]This is a flowchart showing an example of the evaluation process. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a table used in the evaluation process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (Embodiment) <Overview> This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an example of a business growth potential assessment to which the information processing device according to this embodiment is applied. In this embodiment, an evaluation system is described that simulates the business contribution through the transfer, assignment, and licensing of patent rights held by a given company. In other words, the evaluation system according to this embodiment helps investors to appropriately recover their investment funds when investing in a startup company.

[0011] As mentioned above, in recent years, large corporations and other companies have been investing in startup companies. These investing companies aim to gain capital gains and income gains, as well as develop businesses that lead to innovation, through their investments in startup companies. For example, if a startup company grows and business synergies arise between the operating company (investing company), it may consider internalizing the startup company through M&A. Typically, investments in startups are made by acquiring equity, but this can be difficult due to relationships with other investors. Furthermore, changes in a startup's capital strategy due to the participation of new funders can sometimes prevent the maintenance of the relationship with the startup envisioned at the time of investment. In such cases, there is a way to invest in the acquisition of patent rights of startup companies. For startup companies, obtaining patent rights at the initial stage of technology development is also important for maintaining competitiveness in the future. However, especially for the acquisition of patent rights, it requires time and cost from research and development to the extraction of inventions. Also, when multiple patent applications are filed and obtained, the maintenance costs will increase. Therefore, investing companies that invest in startup companies have been acting to take over the acquisition and maintenance costs of patent rights of startup companies at the initial stage, or to participate as applicants when conducting joint research. And when the startup company grows, by transferring the previously acquired or obtained patent rights to the startup company, etc., the investing company can obtain profits, so it can appropriately recover the investment funds.

[0012] In the example of FIG. 1, it is determined whether the investing company should take over the patent rights of the startup company or be transferred the patent (judgment of patent application). Also, it is determined whether the patents held by the investing company should be transferred or licensed (judgment of transfer / licensing).

[0013] In this embodiment, a startup company is a company that has just started a business, has no surplus funds, and needs investment. Note that it is not limited to this, and any company that receives investment may be acceptable, for example, large companies, individual business owners, individuals, etc.

[0014] An investing company is a company, etc. that has surplus funds and makes investments in the above-mentioned startup companies, etc. For example, investing companies include large companies, investment departments of investment companies and banks, corporate venture capitals of business companies, etc. Also, investing companies include, for example, professional offices (law firms, accounting firms, tax accounting firms, patent offices, etc.). Note that it is not limited to legal persons, and individual business owners, individuals, etc. may also be acceptable.

[0015] <System Configuration> Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the system configuration of the evaluation system according to this embodiment. The evaluation system according to this embodiment is configured by connecting a server 1 that performs processing, a startup company terminal 2 operated by a person in charge of a startup company, and an investing company terminal 3 operated by a person in charge of an investing company to each other via a predetermined network N such as the Internet. The server 1 executes various processes in cooperation with the operations of the startup company terminal 2 and the investing company terminal 3.

[0016] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 1 according to this embodiment. The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input / output interface 15, an output unit 16, an input unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

[0017] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13. The RAM 13 also appropriately stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes. The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via the bus 14. The input / output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14.

[0018] The output unit 16, input unit 17, storage unit 18, communication unit 19, and drive 20 are connected to the input / output interface 15. The output unit 16 is composed of a display, a speaker, etc., and outputs various information as images and sounds. The input unit 17 is composed of a keyboard, a mouse, etc., and inputs various information. The storage unit 18 is composed of a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various data. The communication unit 19 communicates with other devices via a network N including the Internet.

[0019] The drive 20 is appropriately equipped with removable media 21, which may consist of a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory. Programs read from the removable media 21 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as needed. The removable media 21 can also store various types of data stored in the storage unit 18, just like the storage unit 18.

[0020] Although not shown in the diagram, Startup Company Terminal 2 and Investor Company Terminal 3 have hardware configurations similar to those shown in Figure 3.

[0021] <Functional Configuration> Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of Server 1 according to this embodiment.

[0022] In the CPU 11 of Server 1, the acquisition unit 31, extraction unit 32, conversion unit 33, analysis unit 34, score calculation unit 35, judgment unit 36, output unit 37, etc., function during operation.

[0023] The acquisition unit 31 acquires the business details of the startup company (first company) in making a decision on whether to file a patent application. For example, the acquisition unit 31 acquires business plan data from the startup company terminal 2. The acquired business plan is stored in the business plan DB 41. Note that subsequent processing may be performed using a business plan that has already been stored in the business plan DB 41. Furthermore, in determining whether to transfer a license, the acquisition unit 31 acquires patent information held by the investing company (second company) that has invested in the startup company. For example, the acquisition unit 31 acquires patent information stored in the owned patent DB 45. Examples of patent information include data relating to patents held by investing companies. In this embodiment, the patent information is assumed to be stored in the patent information DB44.

[0024] The extraction unit 32 extracts business keywords (first keywords) from the business content of the startup company described above in order to determine whether to file a patent application. The method for extracting business keywords is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, words that match or are similar to the keywords are extracted from among the words extracted by various natural language processing methods, etc., based on a table stored in the keyword DB 42. The Keyword DB42 will store, for example, a combination of a predetermined business area and trending keywords obtained by crawling or scraping web page information on the internet, and will be updated as needed. Furthermore, the extraction unit 32 extracts technical keywords (second keywords) from the aforementioned patent information when determining the transfer license. The method for extracting technical keywords is not particularly limited; it is preferable to extract words related to general technology from among the words extracted by performing various natural language processing, etc. Furthermore, the extraction unit 32 extracts business progress keywords (third keywords) from the business performance information of the startup company when determining whether to transfer the license. The method for extracting business progress keywords is not particularly limited, and it is preferable to extract words that are generally related to business from among the words extracted by performing various natural language processing, etc. Business performance information refers to information about the results achieved by a startup company in accordance with its business plan. Examples of business performance information include annual business reports, reports to investors, IR information, and securities reports. If the business plan is revised, information including these revisions will be considered business performance information. Business performance information may be acquired by the acquisition unit 31 described above, or it may be information that has been stored in advance in the storage unit 18 (for example, the business performance DB 46). The extracted keywords will be stored in Keyword DB42.

[0025] The conversion unit 33 converts business keywords into patent classification codes in determining whether to file a patent application. For example, the conversion unit 33 refers to the keyword DB 42 and the patent classification code DB 43 to convert business keywords into patent classification codes. Specifically, the conversion unit 33 extracts business areas from business keywords and converts them into patent classification codes corresponding to those business areas. Furthermore, the patent classification code DB43 will store, for example, a predetermined business area and the corresponding patent classification code (e.g., IPC code) associated with that business area, and will be updated as needed. The conversion unit 33 may also use a predetermined patent information search site to convert the business keyword into a patent classification code corresponding to a word that matches or is similar to it.

[0026] The analysis unit 34 analyzes patent applications related to business keywords based on business keywords and patent classification codes when making decisions regarding patent applications. For example, the analysis unit 34 analyzes the growth rate of applications, registration rate, citation rate, etc., in the patent applications (population) related to business keywords. The analysis unit 34 may also analyze other metrics besides the growth rate, registration rate, and citation rate mentioned above. The growth rate indicates the growth rate of the number of patent applications related to a given business area within the population. The registration rate indicates the proportion of patents granted within the population that pertain to a given business area. The citation rate indicates the proportion of the population in which patent documents related to a given business area are cited (cited as prior art) by other patent documents. For example, the patent classification code may be an IPC code. The analysis unit 34 may search the patent database and examine the trends in the number of patent applications, etc., for each IPC code (or for each business area).

[0027] The score calculation unit 35 calculates a growth potential score for the business content based on business keywords in determining whether to file a patent application. For example, the score calculation unit 35 scores the analysis results using predetermined coefficients (details will be described later using Figures 6A to 6E). Alternatively, for example, the score calculation unit 35 may calculate a growth score based on the acquired business keywords using a classifier (such as AI) generated by machine learning. Furthermore, the score calculation unit 35 calculates a matching score between the technology keywords and the business progress keywords when determining whether to transfer a license. For example, the score calculation unit 35 calculates a matching score (match rate) for each business based on the degree of overlap between the technology keywords and the business progress keywords (details will be described later using Figures 8A to 8B).

[0028] The decision unit 36, in making a decision on a patent application, determines whether or not to invest in a startup company (for example, by handling the costs of obtaining and maintaining patent rights) based on the growth potential score described above. For example, the decision unit 36 ​​determines that an investment should be made in a startup company if the growth potential score is above a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, in determining whether to transfer or license a patent, the decision unit 36 ​​determines whether the patents held by the investing company should be transferred or licensed. For example, the decision unit 36 ​​determines that the patents held by the investing company should be transferred or licensed if the matching score is above a predetermined threshold. The decision unit 36 ​​may also determine that the patents should be licensed if the current or future business activities of the investing company overlap with the business activities of the startup company, and that they should be transferred if they do not overlap.

[0029] The output unit 37 outputs the above-mentioned determination result to the investing company terminal 3. For example, if the above-mentioned matching score is greater than a predetermined value, the output unit 37 outputs the corresponding patent information to the investing company terminal 3 as a candidate for transfer.

[0030] Furthermore, the storage unit 18 of server 1 shown in Figure 4 is equipped with a business plan DB 41, a keyword DB 42, a patent classification code DB 43, a patent information DB 44, a patent holding DB 45, a business performance DB 46, and the like.

[0031] <Processing details> <<Processing of Patent Application Decisions>> Figure 5 shows an example of the patent application determination process according to this embodiment.

[0032] In step S11, the extraction unit 32 extracts business keywords related to the business area from the business plan of the startup company.

[0033] In step S12, the conversion unit 33 converts the business keywords into patent classification codes. For example, the conversion unit 33 may use a table described later to convert the business keywords into patent classification codes.

[0034] In step S13, the analysis unit 34 analyzes the growth rate of the number of applications, the registration rate, the citation rate, etc., in patent applications (population) related to business keywords.

[0035] In step S14, the analysis unit 34 searches for patent information based on business keywords and patent classification codes, and analyzes the trends in patent applications related to the business keywords from the search results.

[0036] In step S15, the score calculation unit 35 calculates a growth score (business growth = expected return on investment) based on the analysis results.

[0037] In step S16, the decision unit 36 ​​determines the patent application policy according to the growth score (expected level). For example, the decision unit 36 ​​determines whether or not to handle the costs of obtaining and maintaining patent rights for a startup company.

[0038] Figures 6A to 6E show examples of tables used in the patent application decision-making process. Figure 6A is an example of a table that associates business areas (businesses) with keywords. In this embodiment, the table shown in Figure 6A is assumed to be stored in the keyword DB42. Here, the keywords shown in Figure 6A are trend keywords obtained by crawling or scraping web page information on the internet, as described above, and are updated as needed. Figure 6A shows an example in which business areas such as "monitoring," "dementia," and "communication" are extracted from keywords corresponding to business keywords, such as "monitoring," "dementia," and "communication."

[0039] Figure 6B is an example of a table that associates business areas with patent classification codes. In this embodiment, the table shown in Figure 6B is assumed to be stored in the patent classification code DB43. Figure 6B shows an example in which patent classification codes such as "G06Q0 / 22", which correspond to the aforementioned business areas, have been extracted.

[0040] Figure 6C is a table showing an example of analysis results (growth rate, registration rate, citation rate, and overall) for each business area. In Figure 6C, the growth rate, registration rate, citation rate, and their overall (sum) are analyzed when comparing a predetermined period for each business area using patent documents (population) corresponding to the above-mentioned patent classification codes. The predetermined period is not particularly limited, but for example, it is good to compare the most recent 5 years with the 5 years prior to that.

[0041] Figure 6D is a table showing an example of the analysis results obtained by multiplying the above analysis results (for example, the overall result) by a predetermined coefficient. The overall value in Figure 6D is output as the growth score mentioned above. Here, the coefficient may be predetermined according to the importance of the business (business area) from the perspective of the investing company, or it may be determined according to the number and frequency of keywords extracted when performing the crawling etc. mentioned above.

[0042] Figure 6E shows an example of how the likelihood of filing a patent application is judged in three stages using predetermined thresholds. In the example shown in Figure 6E, the judgment results are shown using predetermined thresholds Th1 (e.g., 50) and Th2 (e.g., 20). For example, the judgment unit 36 ​​may determine that the patent application level is "Positive," that is, that it should be invested in, if the overall value is greater than the threshold Th1. Furthermore, for example, the judgment unit 36 ​​may determine that the patent application level is "Normal," that is, neither positive nor negative, regarding the investment, if the overall value is less than or equal to threshold Th1 and greater than or equal to threshold Th2. Furthermore, for example, the judgment unit 36 ​​may determine that the patent application level is "Negative," that is, not worth investing in, if the overall value is smaller than the threshold Th2.

[0043] ≪Processing for determining transfer licenses≫ Figure 7 shows an example of the determination process for a transfer license according to this embodiment.

[0044] In step S21, the acquisition unit 31 acquires patent information (patent list) held by the investing company.

[0045] In step S22, the extraction unit 32 extracts technical keywords related to the patent based on the patent information.

[0046] In step S23, the extraction unit 32 extracts keywords related to the business progress of the startup company.

[0047] In step S24, the score calculation unit 35 calculates the degree of matching between the technical keyword and the business progress keyword.

[0048] In step S25, the determination unit 36 ​​determines whether the matching degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to step S26; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0049] In step S26, the decision unit 36 ​​determines that the patents held by the investing company should be transferred. The decision unit 36 ​​then stores the patents related to the technical keywords as transfer candidates in a predetermined storage unit.

[0050] Figures 8A and 8B show examples of tables used in the process of determining whether a license is to be transferred. Figure 8A shows an example of the technology keywords (application keywords) of the investing company, the business progress keywords (business status keywords) of the startup company, and the matching rate (matching score) for each specified business. In the example in Figure 8A, the business area of ​​"monitoring the elderly" is shown to be not currently being carried out, according to the startup company's business progress. Also, in the business area of ​​"dementia prevention," all three keywords match, so the matching rate is 100%. Furthermore, in the business area of ​​"communication terminals with family," only one of the three keywords matches, so the matching rate is 33%.

[0051] Figure 8B shows an example of a two-stage judgment regarding the feasibility of patent transfer, using a predetermined threshold. In the example shown in Figure 8B, the judgment is shown using a predetermined threshold Th3 (for example, 30). For example, the determination unit 36 ​​may determine that the patent is transferable, i.e., should be transferred, if the degree of match is equal to or greater than the threshold Th3. Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 36 ​​may determine that the patent transfer is "not permitted," that is, that it should not be transferred, if the degree of match is less than the threshold Th3.

[0052] <Advantageous effects of this embodiment> According to the above-described embodiment, the growth potential of a startup company's business can be appropriately evaluated.

[0053] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, startup companies can proactively patent (or file patent applications for) their technology without bearing the cost themselves, even if the business content is still uncertain. This has an effect similar to that of conventional methods such as stock transfers, but unlike stock transfers, startup companies can receive support from investing companies without their management policies being influenced by those companies.

[0054] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, in exchange for paying the startup company's patent application fees on its behalf, the investing company can negotiate with the startup company to its advantage once the startup company grows. Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and any modifications, improvements, etc. that can achieve the objectives of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0055] (modified version) In the embodiments described above, an example was explained in which both a determination of whether to file a patent application and a determination of whether to assign a license are made, but the invention is not limited to this, and only one of them may be made.

[0056] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, we explained an example where there is one investing company and one startup company, but either one or both may be multiple companies. For example, it is conceivable that multiple companies would be investing companies supporting a startup company, or that one investing company would support multiple startup companies.

[0057] The embodiments described above illustrate examples of patent application, assignment, and licensing, but are not limited to these. Other intellectual property rights such as utility model rights, trademark rights, and design rights, or combinations thereof, may also be covered. In addition to patent rights, the embodiments may also cover the determination of value, assignment, and licensing of data, software, and copyrighted works held by a company.

[0058] (others) Furthermore, the series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configuration described above is merely illustrative and not particularly limiting. That is, it is sufficient for the information processing system to have the functionality to execute the series of processes described above as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this functionality is not particularly limited to the example above. Also, the location of the functional block is not particularly limited and can be arbitrary. For example, the functional block of a server may be transferred to another device, or conversely, the functional block of another device may be transferred to a server. Moreover, a single functional block may consist of hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both.

[0059] When a series of processes are executed by software, the programs that make up that software are installed on a computer or other device from a network or storage medium. The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer may be a computer capable of performing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

[0060] Such recording media containing programs may consist not only of removable media (not shown) distributed separately from the main device to provide programs to users, but also of recording media provided to users in a state where they are pre-installed in the main device. Since programs can be distributed via a network, the recording media may be installed on or accessible from a computer connected to or capable of connecting to a network.

[0061] In this specification, the step of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium includes not only processes that are performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically, but are executed in parallel or individually. Furthermore, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall system composed of multiple devices, means, etc.

[0062] In other words, the information processing device to which the present invention is applied can take various forms having the following configurations. In other words, the information processing device comprises (1) a first keyword extraction means (extraction unit 32) for extracting a first keyword from the business content of a first company; a growth score calculation means (score calculation unit 35) for calculating a growth score for the business content based on the first keyword; and a determination means (determination unit 36) for determining whether or not to invest in the first company based on the growth score.

[0063] Furthermore, (2) the growth score calculation means further comprises a conversion means (conversion unit 33) for converting the first keyword into a patent classification code, and an analysis means (analysis unit 34) for analyzing patent applications related to the patent classification code, wherein the growth score calculation means calculates a growth score for the business content based on the analysis results of the analysis means.

[0064] Furthermore, (3) the analysis means may calculate at least one of the following for patent applications relating to the first keyword: the application growth rate, the registration rate, and the citation rate.

[0065] Furthermore, (4) it is preferable to have a patent information acquisition means (acquisition unit 31) for acquiring patent information held by a second company that has invested in the first company; a second keyword extraction means (extraction unit 32) for extracting a second keyword from the patent information; a third keyword extraction means (extraction unit 32) for extracting a third keyword from business performance information of the first company; a matching score calculation means (score calculation unit 35) for calculating a matching score between the second keyword and the third keyword; and an output means (output unit 37) for outputting the corresponding patent information as a transfer candidate when the matching score is greater than a predetermined value.

[0066] Furthermore, (5) the matching score calculation means may calculate the matching score for each predetermined business area based on the degree of overlap between the second keyword and the third keyword.

[0067] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a control method for an information processing device in which a computer performs the following steps: a first keyword extraction step of extracting first keywords from the business content of a first company; a growth score calculation step of calculating a growth score for the business content based on the first keywords; and a determination step of determining whether or not to invest in the first company based on the growth score.

[0068] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to perform the following steps: (7) a first keyword extraction step of extracting first keywords from the business content of a first company; a growth score calculation step of calculating a growth score for the business content based on the first keywords; and a determination step of determining whether or not to invest in the first company based on the growth score. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1: Server 2: Startup company terminal 3: Investor company terminal 11:CPU 18:Storage section 19:Communication section 31: Acquisition unit 32: Extraction unit 33: Conversion unit 34: Analysis Department 35: Score Calculation Department 36: Decision-Making Department 37: Output section 41: Business plan database 42: Keyword database 43: Patent Classification Code Database 44: Patent Information Database 45: Owned Patent Database 46: Business Performance Database

Claims

1. A first keyword extraction method for extracting a first keyword from the business content of the first company, A conversion means for converting the first keyword into a patent classification code, An analytical means for analyzing patent applications related to the aforementioned patent classification code, A growth score calculation means for calculating a growth score in the business content based on the first keyword, A means for determining whether or not to invest in the first company based on the aforementioned growth score, It has, The analysis means calculates at least one of the following for patent applications related to the first keyword: the application growth rate, the registration rate, and the citation rate. The growth score calculation means calculates a growth score for the business content based on the analysis results of the analysis means. Information processing device.

2. A means for acquiring patent information that acquires patent information held by a second company that has invested in the first company, A second keyword extraction means for extracting a second keyword from the aforementioned patent information, A third keyword extraction means for extracting a third keyword from business performance information of the first company, A matching score calculation means for calculating the matching score between the second keyword and the third keyword, The system further includes an output means that outputs the corresponding patent information as a candidate for transfer when the matching score is greater than a predetermined value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The matching score calculation means calculates the matching score for each predetermined business area based on the degree of overlap between the second keyword and the third keyword. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. A method of information processing performed by a computer, The first keyword extraction step involves extracting the first keyword from the business content of the first company, A conversion step of converting the first keyword into a patent classification code, An analysis step of analyzing patent applications related to the aforementioned patent classification code, A growth score calculation step that calculates a growth score in the business content based on the first keyword, A decision step to determine whether or not to invest in the first company based on the aforementioned growth score, Includes, In the analysis step described above, at least one of the following is calculated for patent applications related to the first keyword: the application growth rate, the registration rate, and the citation rate. In the growth score calculation step, the growth score for the business content is calculated based on the analysis results in the analysis step. Information processing methods.

5. The first keyword extraction step involves extracting the first keyword from the business content of the first company, A conversion step of converting the first keyword into a patent classification code, An analysis step of analyzing patent applications related to the aforementioned patent classification code, A growth score calculation step that calculates a growth score in the business content based on the first keyword, A decision step to determine whether or not to invest in the first company based on the aforementioned growth score, Includes, In the analysis step described above, at least one of the following is calculated for patent applications related to the first keyword: the application growth rate, the registration rate, and the citation rate. In the growth score calculation step, the growth score for the business content is calculated based on the analysis results in the analysis step. A computer program that causes a computer to perform a process.

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