After talking to the Creax people while visiting New Product Development Strategies in Vienna, I received trial credentials to their Creax Analytics Patent tool. It's a neat systems that extracts data from about 16 million patent documents, and arranges it into knowledge about where patents are filed, by whom, on what topic, and who are other companies filing patents in the same area. While I like the innovative way it mines, rearranges and presents data, without knowing really where the 16 million patent database came from it is not too reliable. Running an analysis with the keyword "Nokia" brought back some old telecom related data that doesn't correlate with the new inventions done on social networks, multimedia technologies, device hardware and perfomance enhancements, not to mention novel materials and manufacturing, nanotechnology or energy solution filings.

And that's the real issue. It takes a long time before patent filings become visible and usable, 18 months in most cases. I was explained that using a so called PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) system, patent applications enter the national phase only 30 months from their priority date. In other words now in June 2009 companies are filing national applications that have priority date in December 2006. It quite obvious and understandable that any commercial tools, such as Creax, cannot process data that is very currrent. It's a good thing Creax has many other great tools that do not rely solely on patents.

I don't know if this is a real problem for anyone except industrial spies. However, I admit that I enjoy reading about new inventions that will "change the world", in a similar manner other people read yellow papers. It's pure curiosity. I was already advised here not to take everything that New Scientist writes very seriously. I follow the advise, but do continue reading.

So, you will understand my joy when reading about Finland and USA entering something called a Patent Prosecution Highway, PPH. "The Patent Prosecution Highway will allow applicants to obtain patents faster and more efficiently. It also will permit each office to exploit the work previously done by the other office and reduce duplication. In turn, the initiative will reduce examination workload and improve patent quality." Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant whose application filed with either the National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland, or the United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO, contains at least one allowable claim may request that the other office fast track the examination of the corresponding application.
 
Finland had a PPH in place already with Japan. Having this system now work with USA, can only mean juicy gossip times for us techno-science junkies.


source: National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland