Program

The PIUG is pleased to announce the program (subject to change) at the Plenary Sessions for the PIUG 2019 Annual Conference. When planning your trip to the conference, please keep the following events in mind so that you do not miss out on a valuable opportunity.

PLEASE BE ADVISED that attendees and speakers who are not members of PIUG will not have post-conference access to the conference presentations posted on the PIUG wiki, which is a PIUG member benefit. To enable post-conference access to PIUG conference presentations, and to also save significantly on PIUG conference registration fees, BECOME A MEMBER of PIUG by going to the PIUG Membership page.

Schedule at a Glance

See the Schedule at a Glance table on the Conference Overview page.

Registration

The deadline for Early-bird registration is March 22, after which rates will increase. Register soon. Rates are available by clicking details under the PIUG 2019 Annual Conference on the PIUG Calendar Page.

Technical Session - Monday to Wednesday

The PIUG would like to inform all conference attendees that the use of photographic or recording devices of any kind to create recordings of the conference proceedings including the technical program and workshops is strictly prohibited. This includes recordings by the audience for personal use.

Please note that the speakers listed below may change if circumstances arise. Accordingly, please monitor this web page for updated information.

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Conference Abstracts and Biographies

Hague System for International Registration of Industrial Designs

Damon Neagle, Design IP and The Hershey Company

Abstract

The Hague System is becoming an increasingly efficient tool to obtain design protection in multiple countries. Recent implementation by the United States, Japan, and Canada and expected implementation in the near future by Mexico and China will only continue to increase its use. We will cover the basic framework of the Hague System, the application and examination process for an International Registration, and resources options for searching and determining status of International Registrations.

Biography

Damon Neagle is the managing attorney of Design IP, an Allentown, Pennsylvania-based law firm. Damon also serves as patent counsel to The Hershey Company, where he manages its global patent portfolio. Damon a broad IP practice with an emphasis on IP portfolio management and patent prosecution.

Best Practices in Searching Designs

Dominic DeMarco, DeMarco IP

Abstract

The World is an evolving place and Designs are evolving with it. New tools become available, old tools disappear, laws change, and the importance of Designs increases.

Every patent information professional should know how to effectively search Designs to support their internal customers or external clients when called upon to do so. No advanced degree or special certification is needed, but you do require knowledge of the how and where to perform the search.

Biography

Dominic DeMarco is the Managing Director of DeMarco IP, a patent search boutique firm located minutes from the USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, VA. He is a registered patent agent with over twenty years of experience providing high quality patent searches to customers all over the world.

Dominic is also the lead engineering instructor for the PIUG "Fundamentals of Patent Searching" and "FTO Searching" courses and has represented PIUG while teaching patent information basics on behalf of WIPO. In addition, he was brought into the USPTO as a volunteer to instruct over two thousand patent examiners on "Gap Analysis" of their internal systems and strategies to help improve their patent search methodologies.

Figure Search on Utility Patent Applications Drawings

Qiang Lu and Kate Luo, USPTO

Abstract

The drawings in a utility patent application are the lynchpin to the content of the application as a whole; they provide a quick and visual way to establish certain understanding of inventive points in an application. Patent rules also require the drawings show what is being claimed as the invention. Hence, the importance of the drawings cannot be understated in utility patents.

Traditional image based approaches have difficulty to succeed in utility patent application drawings search domain for two main reasons, (1) difficult to handle text search query, (2) image based features generated on drawings in similar structures does not translate to similarity in their actually content (e.g. two same structured flowcharts with different text content).

A novel hybrid figure search system, combining features extracted from both the text version of figure descriptions and drawings themselves, has been developed by the Big Data team in CTO in USPTO. It can retrieve highly relevant drawings from millions of utility patent applications using either a text search query, and/or a figure drawing from another patent application. The system is easy to train and highly scalable, and provides another valuable avenue towards a comprehensive patent information search system.

Biographies

Qiang Lu is a data scientist working for OCIO at USPTO. He is an expert in big data analytics, data mining, natural language processing, information extraction, statistical modeling, and machining learning in general. Prior joining the USPTO, he was a senior research scientist in the research and development department at Thomson Reuters. He has authored multiple scientific papers in leading international conferences, and holds several patents in the fields of text search and document recommendation. He has B.S. and M.S. degree in Electric Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from SUNY at Buffalo.

Kate Luo received the B.S. degree in automatic control from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in computer engineering from the State University of New York, at Buffalo, respectively. She was a principle scientist in the Health Imaging Research Laboratory at Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. She then joined USPTO as a primary patent examiner and also worked on research projects for patent classification and search. She has authored over 15 scientific papers in both journals and international conferences, and over 15 patents in field of medical image processing, pattern recognition, and medical informatics.

Patent Information Searching: Productivity and Progress

Thomas E. Wolff, Wolff Information Consulting LLC

Abstract

Patent search systems have evolved to deal with the rapidly increasing numbers of patent applications worldwide, particularly in China, and the multitude of languages inventors use. The growing numbers of patent documents and diversity of languages challenge producers in their efforts to maintain value-added databases, i.e. those with indexing and coding applied by technical experts. New search systems [e.g. Derwent Innovation, Orbit and PatBase] have come to the fore to facilitate patent searching. In this paper, I will explore the net effect of these developments on the time needed for patent searchers to carry out effective patentability, invalidity or FTO searches. I will draw on my experiences to address the factors that affect the productivity of individual patent searchers and look forward to improvements in searching resources, including artificial intelligence.

Biography

Thomas E. Wolff, Ph.D. formed Wolff Information Consulting LLC in 2006 to provide technical and patent information services on a contract basis, following a career at the company variously known as Amoco Chemical Co., BP, Innovene, and Ineos. Tom has two U.S. patents and is a registered patent agent with the USPTO. Tom is certified by the International Standards Board (ISBQPIP) as a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP).

Keynote Address

Laura A. Peter, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO

Abstract

Pending.

Biography

Laura A. Peter is the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In this role, she is responsible for all agency operations and managing approximately 13,000 employees.

Prior to joining the USPTO, Ms. Peter was the Deputy General Counsel of A10 Networks, where she oversaw daily legal matters related to commercial agreements, litigation, and intellectual property (IP) portfolio development. In 2014, she helped shepherd the company through its initial public offering.

Ms. Peter has practiced IP law for over 20 years. Previously, she was Vice President and General Counsel of Immersion Corporation, where she led all aspects of the company's legal issues, including its IP portfolio. She was also Assistant General Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property at Foundry Networks, where she built a successful patent portfolio and litigation program. She began her career as a commercial and IP litigator at Townsend, Townsend and Crew (now Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP).

Ms. Peter received a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Cornell University and a master's in public policy from the University of Chicago. She also holds a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law and a Master of Law degree in international business law from King's College London.

Panel Discussion: Patent Intelligence in the Boardroom

Moderator: Daniel Videtto, Derwent, a Clarivate Analytics company

Panelists: Greg Roland, Global Head of Search and Analytics, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research; and Thomas E. Wolff, Wolff Information Consulting LLC

Abstract

As patent professionals, we know the importance of IP in securing protection for innovation within an organization and how that protection can be used to drive success for the organization. As practitioners, we are challenged daily by the changing patent landscape and the need to keep abreast of new technology in patent research. But how do we ensure our message is heard in the boardroom alongside discussion of sales, EBITDA, budgets, market conditions and other C-level conversations? If IP really is a critical business asset, how do we ensure it receives the attention it deserves at board level? And how do we ensure the information we provide is as complete and accurate as it needs to be to address business-critical decisions?

Join us for a panel discussion of the issues involved, how to ensure our patent research is fit for purpose and the skills required to effectively provide actionable intelligence at board level.

Biographies

Daniel Videtto joined Clarivate Analytics in February 2017 as President of the IP and Techstreet businesses. Dan was most recently an Executive Committee Member of Interactive Data (IDC), where he was the Managing Director and President of Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong. Prior to that, Dan was a member of the Executive Committee at Information Holdings where he was President of the MicroPatent and Master Data Center businesses.

Dan graduated from California State University - Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian Studies and then went on to earn his Master's in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, AZ.

Greg Roland has been the Global Head of Search and Analytics within the Research and Development IP group since November 2014. Greg has 29 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry spending the last 18 years providing information support to IP and BD&L. Greg started his pharma career in 1990 as a bench scientist at Parke-Davis in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a member of the anti-infective group. After Pfizer acquired Parke-Davis in 2000, Greg managed a team of biomedical, chemistry and CI professionals. In 2005, Greg transitioned to Pfizer's Patent department as part of the Global Legal Information Science Team. In August of 2009, he joined Merck's Knowledge Discovery Knowledge Management (KDKM) group in World Wide Licensing as a Director in Boston. Greg has a B.S and M.S from Eastern Michigan University in Biology.

Thomas E. Wolff, Ph.D. formed Wolff Information Consulting LLC in 2006 to provide technical and patent information services on a contract basis, following a career at the company variously known as Amoco Chemical Co., BP, Innovene, and Ineos. Tom has two U.S. patents and is a registered patent agent with the USPTO. Tom is certified by the International Standards Board (ISBQPIP) as a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP).

Leveraging Traditional Search Techniques in STNext to Support and Enhance IP Valuation

Paul Peters, Chemical Abstracts Service

Abstract

The value of an organization's intellectual property portfolio has become a critical intangible asset. As the volume and value of IP-driven business transactions is on the rise, IP searchers and patent analysts can use their skills to enhance their organization's strategy in this area. See how you can leverage traditional search techniques in STNext to provide strategic insight that supports valuation-driven business decisions and potentially augment the value of your organization's patent assets with non-patent literature to maximize licensing revenue.

Biography

Paul Peters has been working for CAS for over 24 years. After earning his Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering, he worked in the library of the Netherlands Occupational Health and Safety organization. After gaining familiarity with first generation online searching tools, he worked as a workshop instructor for STN in the Netherlands for 7 years. During this time he trained over 500 examiners of the European Patent Office in doing patentability and novelty searching in chemistry and related fields. In 1995 he joined CAS as a regional sales manager and soon thereafter became the director of sales in Europe, Middle East and Africa. He has been involved in several European patent information interest groups, like PDG, PATCOM, CEPIUG and several national groups. Paul now leads the staff in the US and Europe who provide customer training for all CAS products. Paul also coordinates the activities of the technical training staff in Asia and Latin America.

Who's Responsible for Inaccurate Search Results? is It the Source, the Searcher or the Stakeholder?

Susanne Hantos, Davies Collison Cave

Abstract

Liability in the provision of information can be an unclear and sometimes uncomfortable question that quietly resides in the back of the mind until trouble strikes. Information providers can lull themselves into believing that the finger can be pointed elsewhere when things go wrong. But can they? How effective are disclaimers? This presentation will review litigation, commentary and anecdotes about where liability sits when a search goes off the tracks.

Biography

Susanne Hantos is a Senior Associate and the Manager of the Patent Intelligence Services division of Davies Collison Cave, an Asia-Pacific intellectual property law firm. Susanne is a registered Australian and New Zealand patent attorney and a Canadian patent agent who specializes in searching and analysing patent and other technical information in order to provide intellectual property advice. Susanne has been an active volunteer of the PIUG since 2008 including as the Chair of the Certification Working Group (2008-2011) and as the Co-Chair of the 2014 Annual Conference Program Committee. Susanne also served on the PIUG Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014 as the PIUG Chair. In 2014, she was appointed as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of World Patent Information and since 2016 she has been a member of the editorial advisory board for the journal. Susanne also volunteered as a co-ordinator of the international certification initiative for Qualified Patent Information Professionals (QPIP). In 2018, she became the Vice Chair of the Supervisory Council of the International Standards Board for Qualified Patent Information Professionals (ISBQPIP).

Nothing New Under the Sun; Dealing with Very Old Prior Art, Non-patent Literature and Obviousness

Stephen Adams, Magister Ltd.

Abstract

The "universal novelty" standard rules the working environment for the modern information professional conducting a patentability or validity search. Typical legal definitions of the state of the art (everything… made available to the public… written or oral… before the date of filing) were framed in a pre-digital world, and today encompass – in theory – a much wider range of sources of information than could have been imagined. A searcher who seeks to fulfil this demanding requirement is faced with practical difficulties of access, coupled with time constraints, which often inhibit expansion of their retrieval beyond a subset of recent publications produced in electronic form at source. One consequence is that a large percentage of official search reports consist solely of patent documents published within the last decade. Search skills in the older literature, or the use of other forms such as secondary and tertiary literature, seem to be forgotten. However, such sources may be a rich mine of information on the development of a specific field of technology, and provide important clues about the state of the "common general knowledge," on which to build an argument for (lack of) inventive step.

Biography

Stephen Adams is the managing director of Magister Ltd., a UK-based consultancy specialising in patents information founded in 1997. Mr. Adams holds a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Bristol and an M.Sc. in Information Science from City University, London, and is a Member of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). He is the author of two editions of "Information Sources in Patents", published by Walter de Gruyter KG, and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Elsevier journal "World Patent Information". He received the IPI Award in 2012 for outstanding contribution to patent information. He has served on the Board of PIUG Inc., the International Society for Patent Information as Director-at-Large (2002-2006) and Vice-Chair (2014-2018).

Quirky Patent Coloring Books and What They Can Teach You About Historical Patent Searching

Paulina Borrego, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

Patent searching is never easy, and sometimes raised to an extreme level of complexity when it involves delving into older patents. The history of patent documents parallels the history of publishing practices, from print materials, to micro formats, to information stored on cd's, and now to searchable databases that allow for making connections and visual representations of patent data. All this sounds wonderful until you actually begin working with older patents and realize that legacy search systems have not been updated and ways of tracking down older patents are limited. It is here that super sleuth skills are needed. With over ten million U.S. patents, it is a "needle in a haystack" story.

Come hear about my foray into making quirky patent coloring books for outreach (https://works.bepress.com/paulina_borrego/) and what I learned about historical patent searching. Historical patent resources will be reviewed with some tips on searching and ideas for keeping things organized as you follow the trail of patents.

Older patents have a lot to teach, but first they need to be found!

Biography

Paulina Borrego is a Science & Engineering Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Soon after becoming a librarian in 2007 she took on the role of the Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Librarian in 2009. She is trained by the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) to educate patrons about patents and trademarks, the application process, and how to conduct an effective and thorough search. She works in the UMass Amherst Science & Engineering Library which is open to the public and her services are free of charge. One of her passions is making quirky patent coloring books which can be downloaded: https://works.bepress.com/paulina_borrego/.

Strategies to Guide Non IP Professionals on Identification of Patent Search Requirements in the Commercialization Process for Optimal Results

Sharon Benjamin and Charlie Silver, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc

Abstract

Are your inventors or members of the product development team conducting patent searches and not finding the information they really need? Is their targeted search missing key references? Would they benefit from a better understanding of the different types of searches required in the commercialization process and steps that need to be taken to find relevant art? If you've answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, here is your opportunity to learn how to educate your non IP professionals with quick reference guides that not only differentiates the types of searches, but provides instruction how to effectively execute them and recognize when expert IP searching or attorney involvement is required. Participants will learn how to provide basic tools and techniques to inform non IP professionals how to match their search requirements to the stages in the commercialization process and identify which information provides the most valuable insights when exported into a report format. The presentation will highlight free and fee based resources, various strategies used to identify the appropriate fields or combinations of fields to search, refining classifications and ways to broaden the search including non-patent literature to yield optimal results.

Biographies

Sharon Benjamin is a Registered Patent Agent with the USPTO. She has supported a variety of intellectual property initiatives at 3M, Medtronic, and W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.

Charlie Silver has a background in library science. He has been with W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. for 25+ years in a variety of functions. These functions have formed and shaped his skills in the area of information management and intellectual property.

Searching Has Never Been Easier - New Espacenet Has Arrived

Roland Feinäugle, European Patent Office

Abstract

After consulting many stakeholders - including the members of PIUG - the EPO launched the beta version of new Espacenet at the EPO's annual conference in Brussels (Belgium) in November 2018. Since then, new Espacenet has undergone further updates and now offers its users a smarter way of free patent searching.

New Espacenet offers an improved user experience, making searching smoother and allowing you, for example, to browse the results and analyse the details at the same time. It comes with improved result list handling, including faster browsing of drawings. The new filtering function provides a clearer overview of the data, while the new dynamic advanced search allows you to build customised and flexible search queries. Last but not least, new Espacenet has been developed in a responsive design to be used across various devices and platforms.

In this presentation we will provide an overview of the latest release of new Espacenet, focusing on the new functions and improvements compared with the previous version of Espacenet.

Biography

Roland Feinäugle manages the department for awareness, marketing and business use of patent information at the European Patent Office. The unit is responsible for representing the users in the application management of the EPO's patent information products and services as well for the marketing and promotion activities relating to these patent information products and services.

Roland Feinäugle holds a doctoral degree in physics in the area of space sensor technologies and a post-graduate degree in law. He worked more than three years at the European Space Agency's astronaut training centre before he joined the EPO in 2002. Roland Feinäugle headed the unit for patent information training and was responsible for training programmes including digital learning technologies before taking over his current position as head of Awareness, marketing and business use of patent information in 2016.

New WIPO Platforms and Resources

Andrew Czajkowski, World Intellectual Property Organization

Abstract

A completely redeveloped Patent Register Portal aims to guide users more effectively to find information on online patent registers and gazettes and to legal-status-related information from over 200 jurisdictions and patent information collections, in particular to identify what information can be retrieved online and how to access it. The new Portal incorporates the possibility of searching information using maps and tables which can be filtered for specific search requirements, as well as offering country files with related national data information.

Early next year WIPO will launch a new platform based on the Intellogist website to improve availability and accessibility of information regarding available patent database services. The new WIPO Intellogist platform will continue to include reports and comparisons of patent databases, information on patent search and analysis, as well as introduce new features and functionalities.

At the end of January 2019, WIPO will also publish a new series of publications called WIPO Technology Trends with the first publication focusing on Artificial Intelligence-related technologies. The basis of the publication is patent analysis of the specific subject-matter of the publication complemented by expert contributions commenting on trends and issues emerging from the analysis.

Biography

Andrew Czajkowski graduated in nuclear engineering from Queen Mary College, University of London, in 1987. He subsequently joined the European Patent Office (EPO) where he held various posts: as a prior art search examiner in The Hague for 6 years; a substantive examiner in Munich for 5 years; the EPO's Liaison Officer responsible for patent information cooperation activities at the Italian Patent and Trademark Office in Rome for 4 years; returning to Munich to work in technical cooperation with Central and Eastern European Countries; managing the European Union's IPR Project for the Western Balkans; and coordinating the EPO's Trilateral Cooperation activities.

Since October 2007 he works for the World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Infrastructure Sector. He is currently the Head of the Innovation and Technology Support Section responsible for promoting and facilitating access to technology databases, in particular patent and scientific & technical journal databases, as well as building local capacity through training and the establishment of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs).

Asia and Beyond: Deciphering Patent Information from Around the World – and How the EPO Can Support You

Jutta Haußer, European Patent Office

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, when Japan became a major player in patent information, the EPO started to support patent information users with the decoding of patent information from that country, from downloading a document, doing subject matter searcher or understanding the current legal situation of a certain document.

In the 20 years since then patent information from more and more countries/ authorities has become a sine qua non, so that this "one-man-show" has developed into a dedicated team knowing different languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. , who are there to support you as much as possible in your questions on the different patent systems and how to access, understand and analyse patent information including legal status information from those countries.

In my talk I will show you the different options the EPO's team is providing you with:

• a dedicated webpage with general information on different patent systems
• search guides, which explain step by step how to access legal status information
• an update section with RSS feed
• free of charge virtual classrooms
• a yearly conference with experts from different national offices

Biography

Jutta Haußer studied Japanese and Chinese at the University of Munich (Germany) and holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies. She joined the European Patent Office in early 2007. As a member of the EPO's Asian patent information services, she is responsible for Japanese patent information. She is giving regularly training and presentations at different PI related events and conferences, and also represents the EPO and its patent information related services.

Panel Discussion: PIUG Collaboration with EPO and WIPO on Facilitating Access to Worldwide Patent Information

Moderator: Cynthia Gallagher, Pfizer

Panelists: Andrew Czajkowski, World Intellectual Property Organization; Jutta Haußer, European Patent Office; and Wongel Tefera, PIUG, Zoetis

Abstract

An overview of the Patent Register Data Project conducted by the PIUG Partnerships and Patent Offices (PPO) Committee in collaboration with the major patent offices (EPO, WIPO) will be presented.

The panel will include delegates from partner organizations who will discuss their available resources and new platforms on finding patent register data. It is also expected that delegates will share their long-term goals and upcoming tools/programs to provide accurate and timely patent register data. Conference attendees are encouraged to provide feedback and ask questions during the panel discussion.

Biographies

Andrew Czajkowski graduated in nuclear engineering from Queen Mary College, University of London, in 1987. He subsequently joined the European Patent Office (EPO) where he held various posts: as a prior art search examiner in The Hague for 6 years; a substantive examiner in Munich for 5 years; the EPO's Liaison Officer responsible for patent information cooperation activities at the Italian Patent and Trademark Office in Rome for 4 years; returning to Munich to work in technical cooperation with Central and Eastern European Countries; managing the European Union's IPR Project for the Western Balkans; and coordinating the EPO's Trilateral Cooperation activities.

Since October 2007 he works for the World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Infrastructure Sector. He is currently the Head of the Innovation and Technology Support Section responsible for promoting and facilitating access to technology databases, in particular patent and scientific & technical journal databases, as well as building local capacity through training and the establishment of Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs).

Cynthia Gallagher has been part of Patent Searching & Information (formerly known as GLIST) in the Intellectual Property department at Pfizer since 2005. When she started at Pfizer, she provided search support for chemistry related patent search requests and now provides search support for biotechnology related patent search requests. She started her career as an information Scientist as a chemistry searcher at Merck in 2004. She has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Vermont, an cM.A. in Biology from Lehman College, CUNY and a B.A. in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross.

Jutta Haußer studied Japanese and Chinese at the University of Munich (Germany) and holds a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies. She joined the European Patent Office in early 2007. As a member of the EPO's Asian patent information services, she is responsible for Japanese patent information. She is giving regularly training and presentations at different PI related events and conferences, and also represents the EPO and its patent information related services.

Wongel Tefera is a senior Biotechnology Patent Information Scientist in the IP Department at Zoetis Inc. Wongel joined Zoetis when it was formed via a spin-off from Pfizer in 2013. Prior to Zoetis, Wongel worked at Pfizer and its legacy companies as a patent searcher as well as in research labs for over 15 years. In her current role Wongel, performs patent searches, assists in patent term extension filings, and competitor analysis. Wongel is a registered US patent agent. As a member of PIUG for more than 15 years, Wongel volunteers in Member Relation Committee and Patent Register collaborations subcommittee.

Using AI and Machine Learning for Patent Landscape

Joseph Polimeni, IBM

Abstract

Confining patent landscape work to search terms or classification codes is often not an optimal way to characterize a patent portfolio. Using AI and machine learning, a method has been developed for supervised training for patent classification. Using this improved classification, patents from different portfolios may be compared on an equal basis. Examples will be shown using software patents for products in the electronic gaming space and other spaces. IBM's Watson technology will be used as an example for generating these portfolios.

Biography

Joseph Polimeni is a program manager in IBM's patent strategy group where he applies data science to patent data to evaluate patent value and formulate strategies. Over the past eleven years, he has applied his engineering, management, and legal training at IBM's Intellectual Property organization where he specialized in patent licensing, patent value assessment and patent analytics. More recently, he has been applying artificial intelligence and analytics for determining patent value. He has held various engineering and management positions over his 35 year career at IBM where he led software teams for the development of semiconductor, software operating systems, software applications, and software patents.

He earned his J.D. (Summa cum laude) in 2011 from Nova Southeastern University, an M.S. in Computer Engineering in 1995 from Florida Atlantic University, M.S. in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1983, and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering (Summa cum laude) in 1982 from New Jersey Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Florida Bar and he is a registered patent attorney.

Challenges of Integrating Patent Information Resources

John Willmore, BizInt Solutions

Abstract

A comprehensive patent search will invariably draw on multiple resources, but integrating those results into a single report brings a number of challenges. We will look at issues encountered when bringing results from different sources together, such as structural differences, content differences, and differences in family definitions.

Biography

John Willmore is co-founder of BizInt Solutions Inc., and manages the development of all aspects of the BizInt Smart Charts product line. John has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rice University and over 20 years of experience developing software to work with patent and IP sequence data. Outside of work, John plays ice hockey and enjoys training and competing with his longhaired dachshunds.

Anatomy of Patent Landscapes

Kartar Arora, CPA Global

Abstract

Patent landscapes are one example of the analysis and presentation of a large amount of patent data which is often undertaken to meet specific needs such as competitive analysis, state-of-the-art, "white space", etc. In this presentation we discuss key steps for creating patent landscapes to meet specific needs including client engagement, selection of appropriate data and guidelines for some key points to consider in the presentation of patent data. This will be done using specific examples and commercial tools available for analysis and presentation of patent data. This presentation session will include analysis of patents in the area of treatments for opioid addiction.

Biography

Kartar Arora started his professional career as a research scientist and continued that path for several years working on R&D work for a number of major chemical companies in the US. However, he was very intrigued with patents and got involved in management of Intellectual Property in order to satisfy his curiosities. He got involved in prosecution of patents on his research work and later became responsible for the management of IP at Johnson Polymer and then at BASF. During this time, he also passed the Patent Bar and registered as a Patent Agent with the USPTO. Kartar joined PIUG in 2000 as patent information and searching took more importance in his professional career. He joined Landon IP (now part of CPA Global) in 2012 where he is now responsible for management and execution of patent searches in the areas of Chemistry and Materials. Kartar has been an active volunteer for PIUG, starting as web page editor and continuing as Annual Conference Exhibits Committee chair and Annual Conference Program Committee Co-Chair.

The Dragon Rises: The Growing Importance of Chinese Patent Data

Janice Stevenson, IF CLAIMS Patent Services

Abstract

China has emerged as an intellectual property powerhouse. Last year they were the only country who continued to increase their share of patent grants from the USPTO. Learn how IFI has improved the quality of our Chinese data and what this means for users.

Biography

Janice Stevenson applies her vast client support experience to providing IFI clients the foundation they need to bring their applications to full fruition. She draws on past experience as a trainer, sales manager, and developer focused on intellectual property and patent applications.

Assembling White Spaces in Patent Landscapes Using Anti-cliques in Co-classification Graphs

Jesse Frumkin, USPTO

Abstract

White spaces in patent landscapes help future inventors to identify classifications of inventions that remain undeveloped. For many inventors, combinations of classifications are an equally important white space resource. Therefore, we assembled a large anti-clique of patent classifications that have never been combined into a smaller subset of classifications for a single patent. Hence, inventors can combine any classification within the anti-clique with any other member-or all other members-to contemplate an invention that is a potentially novel combination. We present the anti-cliques for the entire patent corpus to the public as resource for inventors. We further present examples of focused landscape studies, including analysis of the USPTO Cancer Moonshot Dataset, with an emphasis on inventions for matching patients to clinical trials.

Biography

Dr. Jesse Frumkin, Ph.D., MLA, MS is a multidisciplinary data scientist who has served the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's Enterprise Advanced Analytics Branch, Chief Economist Office, and Database Art Unit. At USPTO, Dr. Frumkin uses natural language processing for econometric analysis of patent claims and publishes patent landscape studies including the USPTO Cancer Moonshot dataset. Before joining the USPTO, he was a computational biologist at Keck Graduate Institute publishing on chromosome instability, biological modeling of the cell cycle, and the evolution of biochemical reactions. In addition to a Ph.D. in Computational and Systems Biology from KGI, he has a Masters in Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters in Mathematics from Claremont Graduate University, and a Biology degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His recent interests include applying social network analysis to co-inventor networks and co-classification networks.

Patent Information Professional 4.0: Certified and Ready for the Future

Susanne Hantos, Davies Collison Cave

Abstract

Industry 4.0 is upon us and our working lives are about to enter a new realm of possibilities. Big data, blockchain, machine learning and AI will all play a role in transforming patent information needs. Will we be ready? Certification of patent information professionals is not about building walls, it's about building bridges to a better you-the Patent Information Professional 4.0. Becoming a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP) is so much more than just passing an exam or being grandfathered. It's about being part of a global community that invests in its betterment by sharing in standards of practice and ethical values in getting the job done. Come and hear about the training roadmap being planned and have your say.

Biography

Susanne Hantos is a Senior Associate and the Manager of the Patent Intelligence Services division of Davies Collison Cave, an Asia-Pacific intellectual property law firm. Susanne is a registered Australian and New Zealand patent attorney and a Canadian patent agent who specializes in searching and analysing patent and other technical information in order to provide intellectual property advice. Susanne has been an active volunteer of the PIUG since 2008 including as the Chair of the Certification Working Group (2008-2011) and as the Co-Chair of the 2014 Annual Conference Program Committee. Susanne also served on the PIUG Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014 as the PIUG Chair. In 2014, she was appointed as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of World Patent Information and since 2016 she has been a member of the editorial advisory board for the journal. Susanne also volunteered as a co-ordinator of the international certification initiative for Qualified Patent Information Professionals (QPIP). In 2018, she became the Vice Chair of the Supervisory Council of the International Standards Board for Qualified Patent Information Professionals (ISBQPIP).

Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property

Ron Kaminecki

Abstract

Various technologies to increase search success have been proposed and demonstrated throughout the years, and currently investigators are deep into artificial intelligence for the future of in-depth searching. Indeed, advances in pattern recognition have also made inroads into the searching of designs, making their debut into non-text based systems. This presentation will look at how best to use what is available now and how it may affect search results and also, patent searchers.

Biography

Ron Kaminecki has been involved with information databases at IIT Research Institute and has continued his work at different information companies including Dialog, Knight Ridder Information, Thomson Reuters, ProQuest and Questel. He currently teaches patent searching at the University of New Hampshire Law School and DePaul Law School, both online and in-person. He is a patent attorney with a B.S. in Chemistry, an MS in Computer Science and a JD with a Certificate in Patent Law, and is also an inventor, a co-author of a NISO standard on command-based search systems, and has worked as an expert witness.