NEWS

Minesoft enhance Citation Explorer module in flagship product, PatBase

It is no secret that patent data yields a rich source of competitive intelligence. A significant volume of technical and scientific information (estimates range from 70 to 80%) is only to be found in patent documents. It won’t be published anywhere else!

Having access to a powerful and comprehensive patent search and analysis platform, like Minesoft’s PatBase, is therefore crucial to exploit patent data. For example, being able to analyse patent citations is a great source of competitive & business intelligence, to see who is involved in inventing the critical technology and how the knowledge in the sector is building up – and where. For this, you need a high quality, extensive global database of patents.

Due to the volume and complexity of patent citations, it is a difficult area to efficiently navigate. Citation Explorer is provided as an interactive module within PatBase which makes it much easier to locate, browse and review the complex web of patent citations on a single invention or patent document basis. Citations can be viewed side-by-side, visualised on a timeline or tree and relevant statistics revealed. Incorporating the latest customer feedback has led to Minesoft further enhancing Citation Explorer. A new methodology to effectively track backward and forward citations for a family of interest makes life easier. Citations can be displayed by various criteria, allowing users to get an easy overview, cross-reference related citations and discover their origins.

In addition, the Citation Tree, a means to follow and traverse citation paths from patent to patent, now shows forward and backward citations simultaneously. As a result, it is easier to extrapolate and draw conclusions. Users can quickly identify which patents are being cited by or citing the invention of interest. Hovering over the publication number lets you quickly scan the title, assignee and excerpt of the abstract.

Exploring forward citations provides an excellent source of competitive business intelligence. You can quickly identify players working in a similar technology area, new competitors entering a similar field, potential licensing opportunities and keep an eye on potential infringers in the sea of data.

Citation Explorer is a comprehensive global patent citation database, ideal for unearthing new players or technologies in your area. Even better – it is included in all PatBase Subscriptions at no extra cost.

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