1. PATENT SEARCHES IN CHEMISTRY AND OIL AREA :
WEB PATENT DATABASES AND TOOLS COMPARISON
Didier Bernard
Nathalie Gautier-Hamel
IFP-Lyon
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

2. IFP Institut Français du Pétrole www.ifp.fr

3. Institut Français du Pétrole
IFP is a scientific research and industrial development, training, and information services center active in the fields of oil & natural gas, their use, in particular by vehicles, and new energy and environmental technologies (production of fuels from biomass, biofuels, hydrogen, the capture and storage of CO2, etc.).
For IFP, these challenges lead to five priorities for the coming decades:       • renewing and increasing world oil & gas reserves,       • designing refining and petrochemical processes that are clean and highly efficient,       • diversifying energy sources for the production of fuels and hydrogen,       • reducing vehicle fuel consumption and emissions,       • mastering CO2 capture and storage.
~ 1800 persons, 65% of them in R&D.
IFP portfolio now includes more than 12,000 patents.
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

4. IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

6. CONSIDERED DATABASES ESP@CENET MICROPATENT PATBASE PATANALYST
TOTALPATENT
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

7. CONSIDERED DATABASES ESP@CENET :
The "advanced search" screen offers limited possibilities (title and abstract are the only searchable text fields, limited number of search terms per field (4), only Boolean operators usable, no proximity operator...)
Not usable for sophisticated keyword searches or long strategy equation.
Very practical tool with a large coverage (> 70 authorities) to find one or a few particular patents and allowing easy access to patent classes, technical images, family members, legal status,…
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

8. CONSIDERED DATABASES PATANALYST : TOTAL PATENT
Promising tool but latest beta-test version will only begin late January 2006.
TOTAL PATENT
We didn’t have the chance to test a beta-test version but we still hope to do so before the end of 2006.
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

9. MICROPATENT VS PATBASE COMPARISON
MICROPATENT / PATBASE
MICROPATENT VS PATBASE COMPARISON
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

10. Searches possibility About 75 authorities PATBASE MICROPATENT
Full text for Main authorities :
EP, PCT, US, GB, DE, FR
English Abstracts for JP (A).
About 75 authorities
Full text for Main authorities :
EP, PCT, US, GB, DE, FR
English Abstracts and/or title for other authorities : JP, ZA, CA, CN...
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

11. SEARCHES
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

12. Advanced command language :
SEARCHES
Command language
PATBASE
MICROPATENT
Advanced command language :
Truncations, proximity operators
Query combination
Search fields selection
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

13. SEARCHES Search strategies PATBASE MICROPATENT
Search in every single patent
each single patent is displayed
Search in patent families !
"exotic" countries are included but when families include main authorities patents, search is only performed in main authorities patents full text
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

14. ANSWER SET
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15. RESULTS Display format PATBASE MICROPATENT
Patents numbers list including :
IPC
Publication data
Title
Click on patent number Full text
Display format choice :
Customized format
Similar format as traditional hosts
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19. RESULTS Highlighting PATBASE MICROPATENT 5 colours highlighting
Window summarizing colours highlighting
Easy and direct access to the search terms in full text
Search terms in
bold letters
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23. RESULTS Drawings PATBASE MICROPATENT
Micropatent Format : one drawing per patent
to obtain all drawings need to order full text
Direct link to
mosaic
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26. Every (covered) authorities patent
RESULTS
Patent families
PATBASE
MICROPATENT
Every (covered) authorities patent
Sort by families
Family display
Direct family display
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30. RESULTS Legal status PATBASE MICROPATENT Micropatent format
from Inpadoc
Legal status from :
Inpadoc
National registers (link)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

31. RESULTS Data export format PATBASE MICROPATENT HTML Format
Excel Format
PDF Format
RIS Format
HTML Format
Excel Format
PDF Format
Word Format
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

32. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

33. ADVANTAGES PATBASE MICROPATENT
Very good technical support (devoted person)
Fast updates : at least weekly
Statistical analysis available :
Applicant Applicant
IPC IPC, ECLA, US classes
Publication date
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

34. ADVANTAGES MICROPATENT
Worksheet : possibility of searches reworking, updating ...
Truncations : left, middle or right truncations available
demetallisation *metallisation, demetalli*ation, demetallisat*
Automatic session saving for 18h.
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

35. ADVANTAGES PATBASE Direct link to all patent drawings
Search terms 5 colours highlighting
Similar display as traditional hosts databases : easier to read and analyze
Large authorities coverage (75 instead of 7)
Word export format available (with and without html links)
FR or DE patent : English abstracts often available
Patent families directly displayed
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

36. DISADVANTAGES PATBASE MICROPATENT
Errors in text cutting are (quite often) found
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006
PDG – 22/09/2005
PDG – 22/09/2005

37. DISADVANTAGES MICROPATENT
Stop words (the, of, to ...) are considered as non existing words
Chemical names are considered as a "global" entity : if the query is a part of a complicated name, preceding (substituant) terms do not count for proximity operator searches
e.g. "preparation of cast elastomers using 2-methyl-1,3-propanediol" is found with the query "preparation" near5 "1,3-propanediol"
Patent families are not directly available
Chinese patents are not included in the search database : impossible to obtain Chinese companies portfolio information
(90 % of the Chinese patents do not have families)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

38. DISADVANTAGES PATBASE
System could be very slow depending on companies’ network
Large memory size export datasheets (≈ 10 MB for ≈ 100 results)
US Patents < 1975 : only bibliographic data (no full text, claims or abstracts)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

39. ILLUSTRATIONS
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

40. SEARCH FOR 1,3-PROPANEDIOL PREPARATION :
EXAMPLE 1
SEARCH FOR 1,3-PROPANEDIOL PREPARATION :
("1,3-PROPANEDIOL" or "1,3-PROPANDIOL") separated with 4 words ("PREPARATION" or "PRODUCTION" or "SYNTHES*" or "FABRICATION" or "MANUFACTURE“ or “HERSTELLUNG”) in Title, Abstract and Claims fields
Specific "format", using quotes, has to be used in Patbase for accurate chemical name searches
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

41. MICROPATENT RESULTS : 179 patent families
EXAMPLE 1
MICROPATENT RESULTS : 179 patent families
125 patent families are found in both databases
25 patent families containing 1,2-propanediol as part of a "long" chemical name
13 patent families with a large number of stop words between the 2 terms (up to 12 words may be found between the searched terms)
12 patent families depend on differences in the 2 databases content (Micropatent : French title of WO patents and no full text for < 2000 EP-B patents in Patbase)
3 results with erroneous description / claims split
1 result containing a misspelling
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

42. PATBASE RESULTS: 160 patent families
EXAMPLE 1
PATBASE RESULTS: 160 patent families
125 patent families are found in both databases
10 results are non-covered Micropatent authorities patents (CN, KR, IT, CH, DK even one MY not found in CAS or Derwent)
8 families containing erroneous paragraph cutting
6 results are non-covered Micropatent time period patents (DE, FR, JP)
5 patent families depend on differences in the 2 databases content (in Micropatent : no abstract - in Patbase : English abstract of DE or FR patents)
4 results containing mistakes in chemical name writing
1 is a missing patent in Micropatent (GB)
1 because of erroneous patent number
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

43. OTHER FOUND DISCREPANCIES :
EXAMPLE 1
OTHER FOUND DISCREPANCIES :
US patents < 1975 : no abstracts, no claims in Patbase
Faster updates in Micropatent (few days)
Micropatent families include national republications of EP-B patents (DE, AT,...)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

44. EXAMPLE 1 SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY :
Same level of scientific accuracy is found in both databases :
≈ 40 % of patents actually deals with 1,3-propanediol preparation
Significant noise but the number of accurate patents found is similar to CAS search (67 in both databases and CAS search : 62 patents for "1,3-propanediol"/SPN)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

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46. 3 strategies combination with the AND operator :
EXAMPLE 2
SEARCH FOR PATENTS DEALING WITH TROUBLESHOOTING IN MULTITUBULAR REACTORS
3 strategies combination with the AND operator :
TAC = (“multitub*” or (“multi” adj “tube?”) or (“multi” adj “tubing”)
FT = (“malfunction” or (“hot” adj “spot?”) or “troubleshoot*” or “trouble” adj “shoot*”)
IPC = B01J8* or B01J19*
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

47. MICROPATENT RESULTS : 10 patent families
EXAMPLE 2
MICROPATENT RESULTS : 10 patent families
All patent families are found in both databases
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

48. EXAMPLE 2 PATBASE RESULTS : 18 patent families
10 patent families are found in both databases
3 patent families with a dash inside one of the searched keyword (dash is considered as a writing character in Micropatent)
2 results found in Patbase because of the occurrence of each of the searched terms in 2 different family members
2 results with searched IPC belonging to a Micropatent non-covered authority family member (CA)
1 complexe case*
* Only the DE family member contains the searched IPC, TAC of which not containing any of the searched terms. In Patbase, the family indicates every patent IPC (furthermore the Patbase DE patent abstract English translation contains the appropriate keywords)
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006

49. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
EVERY TOOL HAS ITS OWN ADVANTAGES/ DISADVANTAGES : CHOICE SHOULD DEPEND ON SEARCH TYPE OR USER PREFERENCES
IMPROVEMENT IN DATABASE CONTENT IS NEEDED (PARAGRAPHS OR DESCRIPTION/CLAIMS CUTTINGS, CHEMICAL NAMES,…)
HOMOGENEOUS SEARCH LANGUAGE WOULD BE WELCOME
EVERY DATABASE IS GIVING UNIQUE ACCURATE RESULTS, ALL OF THEM SHOULD BE USED : A DUPLICATE REMOVAL TOOL IS NOW NEEDED
IPIConfex - 6/03/2006