Report:Thomson Innovation/Import, Export, and Download/Import Functions

Import Functions

Import Folder Structures and Work Files

According to the Thomson Innovation help files, users can import work files and folder structures by uploading .CSV files to the platform. Under the Saved Work tab, select either the Public or Personal Folders. In the center pane above the hierarchy of saved folders, users can select the Import option when the Public or Personal folders are currently open. The user must select a .CSV import file that meets the following requirements:^[1]

• Comma-separated (.CSV) value file
• 2 GB or less
• 200,000 lines or less

In addition, a single .CSV file can create, at maximum:^[1]

• 50 folders
• 250 work files
• 10 levels per folder structure

Lines in an import file must use the following structure:

Folder,Subfolder,Work File,Publication Number,Native Japanese Record Key (JLSRECORD)

The help file describes each of these fields as follows:^[1]

• Folder and Subfolder: The name of a folder or a subfolder. These must be valid folder names. Any entries to the left of a work file name are assumed to be folders and subfolders. The left-most entry is assumed to be a folder; any entries between the folder and the work file are assumed to be subfolders. Folders structures are created in the folder in which you start the upload.
• Work File: The name of the work file. This must be a valid work file name. The work file may either be the final entry on a line (excluding the Native Japanese Record key) or the final entry before a publication number. If you do not include folder structure, the work file is created in the folder in which you start the upload.
• Publication Number: Any valid publication number for a patent record. Publication numbers must be the final entry on a line (excluding the Native Japanese Record key). If you only include a publication number entry in a line, it is assigned to a system-generated work file.
• Native Japanese Record Key (JLSRECORD): Work files that you want to use for Native Japanese Language patents and patents you want included from the Native Japanese Language collection must have this key in the last position of the entry. If you do not include this key, the record or work file will be associated with the Core and/or Asian Translated collections.

Choose the Import option under Personal or Public Folders to upload CSV files containing work file data and folder structures.

Import Lists of Document Numbers

A large list of document numbers may be imported into the system for search and analysis, and/or for the purpose of obtaining copies or file histories. The Patent Number search form in Innovation is capable of performing many different tasks upon a list of input document numbers.

The Innovation Patent Number Search screen, which can be used for importing document numbers.

The simplest function of this screen is that a list of patent document numbers can be input into the text box (or uploaded as a .txt file), where they will be converted into an ordinary Results Set (hit list) or Work File that may be browsed by the user. From a Results Set, the imported document numbers may be saved to a Marked List or a Work File, may be put into an export spreadsheet or report, and may be otherwise manipulated by the user as the Innovation features allow (for example, the data may be graphed, or citation analysis may be performed on it, etc). Alternatively, if the “Document Copies” or “File Histories” options are selected, the system will directly convert the numbers into a document or file history order (which the user will then need to confirm in the Document Delivery window). Up to 30,000 (for Express and Pro users) or 60,000 (for Analyst users) document numbers can be imported when the Results Set or Work File options are checked. The system will accept a list of up to 500 documents when the “Document Copies” option is selected and up to 25 documents if the “File Histories” option is selected.^[2] See the Downloads section for more information about the ordering process from this screen or from the Results Set toolbar.

When importing document numbers directly into the system, only the documents' publication numbers (or DWPI accession numbers) may be used. If there are any number formatting discrepancies, or numbers with missing country codes, users will have a chance to review these errors before proceeding with the order, via the dialog box shown in the figure below. Users are also given the opportunity to save and export any unrecognized document numbers (presumably so that users can continue the quest for these documents elsewhere, or attempt to figure out what formatting problems exist within these numbers).

Thomson Innovation does provide some additional tutorial information about document numbers and the importance of including kind codes in a number search. The following information is provided in the system's help file:^[2]

Note: Some countries re-use core publication numbers for different inventions and rely on the Kind Code to establish the uniqueness of the number. Because of this, when doing a Publication Number search, it is always better to include the Kind Code in your search criteria. Countries/authorities who currently do not re-use core publication numbers are: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CH, CU, DD, DE, EP, ES, FR, GB, IL, NZ, SE, SU, TN, US, WO, and YU.

The help file also provides guidance on entering DWPI Accession Numbers:^[2]

DWPI Accession Numbers must follow one of the following patterns. YYYY is a four-digit year from 1966 onwards, and CCCCCC is a sequence of six alpha-numeric characters.

• YYYY-CCCCCC
• YYYYCCCCCC

If any document numbers are not recognized by the system, users will have the opportunity to correct formatting or add country codes via this pop-up dialog box.

Once all numbers are appropriately recognized by the system, users will proceed to the result set, Create Work File menu, or Document Delivery window (depending on the type of result output type the user selected).

Finally, another function of this window is that it can conduct a variety of family, citation or update searches on the input document numbers. For more information about these features, see the Specialized Search section.

Editor's Note:

Thomson Innovation will accept a list of document numbers separated by semicolons, spaces, tabs, or line breaks.^[2] It can also accept some punctuation within document numbers, such as commas (e.g. US6,789,321) or slashes (e.g. US2003/0088892A1), and dashes in a patent publication number are ignored by the search.^[2] It can also sometimes interpret document numbers that are not entered in its preferred number format, such as Patent Cooperation Treaty (WO/PCT) documents which do not list the 4-digit year at the beginning of the number.

This input window has been designed to make importing outside document lists convenient. The ability to skip the "Result Set" window and go straight to the Document Delivery window (as described in Downloads) is an efficiency advantage that the system did not have in its initial release, but has since implemented.

An advantage to this function is the ability of the system to accept punctuation or re-format document numbers that aren’t in its preferred input style. For example, any document containing typical punctuation, such as US6,777,888, will be recognized by the system and re-formatted so that the search will be successful. In addition, if some leading numbers are missing from a document’s notation, the system can sometimes interpret the request correctly in spite of preferring a different format (e.g. the system will automatically add a “20” to the beginning of a PCT number published after 2000). This overcomes some of the prior drawbacks to the earlier Thomson Reuters products’ import interfaces.