IP Library Granted Patent US 12664170
Granted Patent B2
US 12664170 · App. 18/907,433 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Patent mapping

Inventors: Steven W. Lundberg (Edina, MN); Lars Olof Hugo Svensson (Plymouth, MN)
Assignee: Black Hills IP Holdings, LLC
G06F16/24578G06F16/2455G06F16/248G06F16/252G06F16/26G06F16/93G06F16/9535G06F40/237G06Q10/10G06Q50/184G06F2216/11
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12664170
App. No.
18/907,433
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method for patent mapping are provided. The system comprises a database of patent sets and a database of patents, each patent stored in the database of patents associated with one or more patent sets stored in the database of patent sets; and one or more modules to perform a portion of one or more of the following: receive input identifying a set of keyword source claims associated with a first patent set; automatically extract at least one keyword from the source claims; receive or formulate a search query associated with the first patent set, the search query including the at least one keyword; search the entire first patent set as a function of the search query; generate search results, the search results including one or more patent claims associated with the search query; and map the one or more patent claims to a patent concept.

Claims (59)

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving input identifying a set of keyword source claims associated with a first patent portfolio;

automatically extracting a keyword from the set of keyword source claims;

identifying a synonym associated with the keyword;

formulating a search query associated with the first patent portfolio, the search query including a plurality of terms, wherein the plurality of terms includes both the keyword and the synonym associated with the keyword;

searching the first patent portfolio as a function of the search query;

generating a claim similarity index for each patent claim of a plurality of patent claims included in search results of the search query, wherein the claim similarity index is based on occurrences of the plurality of terms in each patent claim;

automatically ordering the plurality of patent claims based on the claim similarity index for each patent claim and an importance rank of the plurality of terms; and

mapping the plurality of patent claims to a patent concept based on the ordering of the plurality of patent claims.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

automatically ordering the plurality of terms included in the formulated search query based on the importance rank, wherein the importance rank is based on comparing a first importance rank of a first term of the plurality of terms relative to a second importance rank of a second term of the plurality of terms.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

maintaining a database of ontologies, the ontologies including patent concepts, wherein the patent concepts include a scope concept, the scope concept defining a scope to which a patent claim is limited.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein mapping the plurality of patent claims to the patent concept further includes:

maintaining a database of patent claims, the database of patent claims including the plurality of patent claims;

storing an indication of a relationship between the patent concept and the plurality of patent claims in the database of patent claims.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is not mapped to the patent concept.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is mapped to the patent concept.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , retrieving patent claims which include terms from the search query and synonyms of the terms to generate the search results.

8 . At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to:

receive input identifying a set of keyword source claims associated with a first patent portfolio;

automatically extract a keyword from the set of keyword source claims;

identify a synonym associated with the keyword;

formulate a search query associated with the first patent portfolio, the search query including a plurality of terms, wherein the plurality of terms includes both the keyword and the synonym associated with the keyword;

search the first patent portfolio as a function of the search query;

generate a claim similarity index for each patent claim of a plurality of patent claims included in search results of the search query, wherein the claim similarity index is based on occurrences of the plurality of terms in each patent claim;

automatically order the plurality of patent claims based on the claim similarity index for each patent claim and an importance rank of the plurality of terms; and

map the plurality of patent claims to a patent concept based on the ordering of the plurality of patent claims.

9 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to:

automatically order the plurality of terms included in the formulated search query based on the importance rank, wherein the importance rank is based on comparing a first importance rank of a first term of the plurality of terms relative to a second importance rank of a second term of the plurality of terms.

10 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to:

maintain a database of ontologies, the ontologies including patent concepts, wherein the patent concepts include a scope concept, the scope concept defining a scope to which a patent claim is limited.

11 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , the instructions to map the plurality of patent claims to the patent concept further comprising instructions to:

maintain a database of patent claims, the database of patent claims including the plurality of patent claims; and

store an indication of a relationship between the patent concept and the plurality of patent claims in the database of patent claims.

12 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is not mapped to the patent concept.

13 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is mapped to the patent concept.

14 . The at least one non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations to:

retrieve patent claims which include terms from the search query and synonyms of the terms to generate the search results.

15 . A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations to:

receive input identifying a set of keyword source claims associated with a first patent portfolio;

automatically extract a keyword from the set of keyword source claims;

identify a synonym associated with the keyword;

formulate a search query associated with the first patent portfolio, the search query including a plurality of terms, wherein the plurality of terms includes both the keyword and the synonym associated with the keyword;

search the first patent portfolio as a function of the search query;

generate a claim similarity index for each patent claim of a plurality of patent claims included in search results of the search query, wherein the claim similarity index is based on occurrences of the plurality of terms in each patent claim;

automatically order the plurality of patent claims based on the claim similarity index for each patent claim and an importance rank of the plurality of terms; and

map the plurality of patent claims to a patent concept based on the ordering of the plurality of patent claims.

16 . The system of claim 15 , the memory further comprising instructions to:

order, automatically, the plurality of terms included in the formulated search query based on the importance rank, wherein the importance rank is based on comparing a first importance rank of a first term of the plurality of terms relative to a second importance rank of a second term of the plurality of terms.

17 . The system of claim 15 , the memory further comprising instructions to:

maintain a database of ontologies, the ontologies including patent concepts, wherein the patent concepts include a scope concept, the scope concept defining a scope to which a patent claim is limited.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions to map the plurality of patent claims to the patent concept further includes instructions to:

maintain a database of patent claims, the database of patent claims including the plurality of patent claims; and

store an indication of a relationship between the patent concept and the plurality of patent claims in the database of patent claims.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is not mapped to the patent concept.

20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the indication of the relationship includes an indication that at least one of the patent claims is mapped to the patent concept.