Tokyo, November 09, 2011
Fujitsu today announced that it has developed a patent-search service that makes searching for international patents simple. ATMS/PATENTAN, is part of Fujitsu's ATMS intellectual property solution that provides comprehensive support to businesses for their intellectual property-related activities. The new service is being offered under a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, initially on a free trial basis starting today in Japan.
The service allows users to search for, view, and print the patent information of countries around that world that is disclosed by the Japan Patent Office. It includes reading-assistance features that convert the very particular format of patent texts in Japanese into more reader-friendly forms. The service can also perform "SmartSearches" that can easily look up related information based on full text, keywords, and patent numbers, so that a company's intellectual-property department, researchers, and developers can research patents more efficiently. Searches can be performed on patents from Japan, Europe, North America, China, India, Brazil, and other nations.
Customers will be able to quickly conduct patent research covering countries around the world to accelerate business activities, as well as research and development. As this service is being offered on the SaaS model, customers need not set up or operate any special systems. Instead, they can quickly and inexpensively access the service from any Internet connection.
Customers can try out the SmartSearch function during its trial period. The commercial version of the service with full functionality is due in March 2012. In the commercial version, basic functionality will be available at no charge(1).
The service was developed jointly with G-Search Limited, a Fujitsu Group company with an extensive track record in database services.
Background
Intellectual property is increasingly becoming important to companies as a means to create new value and strengthen their technological foundation. This has made patent searches typically performed by intellectual property departments, researchers, and developers, an extremely important tool in establishing competitive superiority. However in Japan alone, there are more than 10 million patents, making the task of finding relevant information arduous and time-consuming. There is a widespread need to improve the efficiency of patent searches.
Fujitsu has responded to this need by developing ATMS/PATENTAN, a SaaS model which makes it easy to conduct searches on international patents. The new service is available starting today on a trial basis with limited functionality.
ATMS/PATENTAN will on display at the 2011 Patent Information Fair & Conference, running November 9-11, 2011 at the Science Museum in Tokyo's Kitanomaru Park.
Service Features
1. Patent-text readability support functionality increases efficiency of patent searches
Using Fujitsu’s proprietary analysis technology, this service rearranges paragraphs written in Japanese using the particular format for patents, into a more readable form. As well, ATMS/PATENTAN helps to edit and process phrasings that can be difficult for non-specialists to understand, into more reader-friendly forms. Furthermore, functions such as SmartSearch, which simplifies searching for related information based on text, keywords, and patent numbers, are incorporated into the service to allow researchers and developers to conduct patent searches more efficiently.
2. Handles international patent searches covering not only Europe, North America, and China, but also India, Brazil, and other countries
The service handles searches that cover Japan, Europe, North America, as well as China, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, and other countries around the world, all in one batch. Furthermore, it uses INPADOC(2) data to check patent family information and legal status.
3. Basic functionality to be offered at no charge in commercial version to encourage use
Users need only a G-Search ID, which is available at no charge and with no application procedure, in order to make immediate use of the service's basic functionality. Basic functionality includes full-text searches, summary and full-text views, as well as PDF views. Support services, which include downloads and readability support, are available as for-fee options in one-day billing increments. This on-demand basis is ideal for those who only need to use the service a few times per month.
4. Offered using the SaaS model for low costs and quick starts
As the service is offered using the SaaS model, customers need no special ICT systems, and pay nothing for operations and maintenance. With nothing but a personal computer (with peripherals) and an Internet connection, users can quickly access the service.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and Availability
| Service Name |
Pricing (excluding tax) |
Availability |
ATMS/PATENTAN
patent-search service (one-day usage) |
From 0 JPY |
March 2012 (expected) |
ATMS/PATENTAN
patent-search service (per-ID basis) |
From 10,000 JPY per month/per ID |
March 2012 (expected) |
ATMS/PATENTAN
patent-search service (unlimited ID basis) |
Available by quotation |
March 2012 (expected) |
* NOTE: The trial basis service starting today is available at no charge.
Sales Target
Sales of 5 billion yen for the ATMS series as a whole over the next 3 years.
