JP2013225206A - Retrieval expression validity determination device, retrieval expression validity determination method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retrieval expression validity determination device, method, and program by which whether or not the content of a patent retrieval expression is appropriate is known even when there is no advanced knowledge to an investigation object when the patent retrieval expression is created.SOLUTION: When a patent retrieval expression is created, whether or not the patent retrieval expression is appropriate is determined by a retrieval expression validity determination device 1 equipped with: a rule storage part capable of storing one or more retrieval expression rules which are rules for determining that the content of the patent retrieval expression is inappropriate; an acceptance part which accepts the patent retrieval expression; a determination part which applies the patent retrieval expression to the respective one or more retrieval expression rules, determines a retrieval expression rule matched to the patent retrieval expression, and acquires a determination result which is information regarding one or more matched retrieval expression rules; and an output part which outputs the determination result acquired by the determination part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a retrieval formula validity judgment device and the like for judging the validity of a retrieval formula.

  In a conventional patent search, an apparatus for searching a patent publication using a patent search formula has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-250090

  However, in a conventional patent search device or the like, when creating a patent search formula at the time of a patent search, an appropriate search cannot be performed without a high level of knowledge about the search target. In particular, it is difficult for beginners to use a patent search formula, and it has been impossible to perform an appropriate search by mistake in its usage.

The search expression validity determination device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a rule storage unit that can store one or more search expression rules that are rules for determining that the content of a patent search expression is inappropriate, and a patent search An accepting unit that accepts an expression, a patent search expression is applied to one or more search expression rules, a search expression rule that matches the patent search expression is determined, and a determination result that is information about the one or more search expression rules that match The search expression validity determination device includes a determination unit to be acquired and an output unit that outputs a determination result acquired by the determination unit.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the content of the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, when the search formula is not appropriate, the patent search formula can be corrected as appropriate, and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, in the search expression validity determination device of the second invention, in contrast to the first invention, the search expression rule is a rule including the purpose of patent search and the type of patent document. Also accepts the purpose of the search, the judgment unit acquires the type of patent document from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, and applies the type of patent document and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit to the search formula rule The search expression validity determination device determines a search expression rule that matches the patent search expression and acquires a determination result that is information on one or more matching search expression rules.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the combination of the purpose of patent search and the type of patent document to be searched included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, a combination of an inappropriate patent search purpose and a patent document type can be corrected, and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, in the third aspect of the present invention, the search expression validity determination device is a rule in which the search expression rule includes a period to be searched, and the patent search expression includes a period to be searched. The determination unit acquires the search target period from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, applies the search target period to the search formula rule, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and matches 1 This is a search expression validity determination device that acquires a determination result that is information on the above search expression rules.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the search target period included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, an inappropriate search target period can be corrected, and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, the search expression validity judgment device according to the fourth aspect of the invention is based on the third invention, wherein the search expression rule is a rule including a patent classification and a period to be searched, and the patent search expression is a patent classification And the search target period, the determination unit acquires the patent classification and the search target period from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, applies the patent classification and the search target period to the search formula rule, A search expression validity determination device that determines a search expression rule that matches a patent search expression and acquires a determination result that is information on one or more matching search expression rules.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the combination of the patent classification included in the patent search formula and the search target period is appropriate. As a result, for example, when the period before the issue date of the patent classification is designated as the period to be searched, it can be corrected and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the search expression validity judgment device is a rule that includes a search expression rule including a purpose of a patent search and a period to be searched. The search unit also accepts the purpose of the search, the determination unit obtains the search target period from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, and applies the search target period and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit to the search formula rule. A search formula validity determination device that determines a search formula rule that matches a patent search formula and acquires a determination result that is information relating to one or more matching search formula rules.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the combination of the purpose of the patent search and the search target period included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, when a search target period longer than necessary is specified for the purpose of patent search, it can be corrected and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, in the search expression validity determination device of the sixth invention, the search expression rule is a rule including a search field, the patent search expression includes a search field, and the determination unit The search field is acquired from the patent search expression received by the reception unit, the search field is applied to the search expression rule, the search expression rule that matches the patent search expression is determined, and information on one or more search expression rules that match It is a search expression validity determination device that acquires a certain determination result.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the search field included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, an inappropriate search field can be corrected and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, the search expression validity judgment device according to the seventh aspect of the invention relates to the sixth invention, wherein the search expression rule is a rule including the purpose of a patent search and a search field. Also accepts the purpose, the judgment unit acquires the search field from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, applies the search field and the purpose of the patent search accepted by the reception unit to the search formula rule, and matches the patent search formula This is a search expression validity determination device that determines a search expression rule to be acquired and obtains a determination result that is information on one or more matching search expression rules.
With this configuration, the user can know whether the combination of the purpose of the patent search and the search field included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, when a search field inappropriate for the purpose of patent search is specified, it can be corrected and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, the search expression validity determination device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the first aspect of the invention, wherein the search expression rule is a rule including a patent classification and a term, and the determination section is a patent received by the reception section. Obtains patent classification and terms from the search formula, applies the patent classification and terms to the search formula rules, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and information on one or more matching search formula rules It is a search expression validity determination device that acquires a certain determination result.
With this configuration, the user can know whether or not the combination of the patent classification and the term included in the patent search formula is appropriate. As a result, for example, when the field indicated by the patent classification and the field narrowed down by terms overlap, the patent classification can be corrected and an appropriate search can be performed.

Further, in the ninth aspect of the present invention, the search expression validity determination device is a rule that includes one or more terms that have a low ability to narrow down patent documents. Obtain one or more terms from the patent search expression received by the reception unit, apply one or more terms to the search expression rule, determine whether or not each one or more terms have a narrowing ability, and narrow down This is a retrieval formula validity determination device that acquires a determination result including one or more terms that are determined to have low ability.
With this configuration, the user can know whether the ability to narrow down terms included in the patent search formula is high or low. As a result, for example, it can be corrected when the term narrowing ability is low, and an appropriate search can be performed.

In addition, in the search expression validity determination device according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, for any one of the first to ninth inventions, the rule storage unit shows a method for improving a patent search expression in association with the search expression rule. The improvement method information can be stored, the output unit acquires the improvement method information corresponding to the search formula rule determined by the determination unit, and the process corresponding to the improvement method information is converted into the patent search formula received by the reception unit. It is a search expression validity determination device that performs, and acquires and outputs an improved patent search expression.
With this configuration, the user can know the result of improving inappropriate contents included in the patent search formula. As a result, an appropriate search can be performed.

  According to the search expression validity determination device and the like according to the present invention, the user can know whether or not the patent search expression is appropriate.

Conceptual diagram of a system including a search expression validity determination device according to Embodiment 1 Block diagram of a retrieval formula validity judgment device in the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the search type | formula validity judgment apparatus in the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the judgment part in the embodiment The figure which shows the example of the search type | formula rule in the embodiment The figure which shows the example of the patent classification period information in the embodiment The figure which shows the example of the incorrect combination information of the term patent classification | category in the embodiment The figure which shows the example of term information with low narrowing-down capability in the embodiment The figure which shows the example of a screen which inputs the information which the reception part in the embodiment receives The figure which shows the example of a screen which displayed the information which the output part in the same embodiment output The figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the computer system in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of a structure of the computer system in the embodiment

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a retrieval formula validity determination device and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a search expression validity determination apparatus 1 that determines the validity of a patent search expression and outputs the determination result.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a system including a retrieval formula validity determination device 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a retrieval formula validity determination device 1 and one or more user terminals 2 are connected via a network 100. The network 100 is a wired or wireless communication line, such as the Internet, an intranet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a public telephone line, or the like. The user terminal 2 may be any terminal that can be connected to the network 100. For example, the user terminal 2 may be a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, a smartphone, or a PDA.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the search expression validity determination apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The search formula validity determination device 1 includes a rule storage unit 101, a reception unit 102, a search formula storage unit 103, a determination unit 104, and an output unit 105.

  The rule storage unit 101 can store one or more search formula rules that are rules for determining that the content of the patent search formula is inappropriate. The search expression rule is usually a rule indicating that the content of the patent search expression is inappropriate, but may be a rule indicating that the content of the patent search expression is appropriate. The patent search formula is information used to specify patent documents stored in a database or the like, including elements such as terms and patent classifications. The patent search expression may further include a logical operator that relates two or more elements or negates the element, and one or more logical operators and one or two or more elements are made into one block. You may include the block delimiter element which is the information for handling. The patent search formula may include the type of patent document to be searched, may include the period of search target, and may include a search field. The data structure, data format, definition method, etc. of the patent search formula are not limited.

  The element may be a term, a patent classification, or a block element described later. The patent classification may be anything that classifies patent documents and can be used when searching. For example, the patent classification may be one of codes such as IPC, FI, F-term, US class, ECLA, or a part of the code. The part of the code may be, for example, a section, a class, a subclass, or a main group in the case of IPC. Further, a part of the code may be, for example, a theme code or a theme code and a viewpoint as long as it is F-term.

  The logical operator may be, for example, an AND operator, an OR operator, or a NOT operator. The AND operator and the OR operator are logical operators that relate two or more elements. For example, the AND operator is an operator for obtaining a product set of two elements. The OR operator is an operator for obtaining a union of two elements. For example, the NOT operator is an operator that negates an element. For example, the NOT operator is an operator for obtaining a set that does not include a set of specific elements.

  The block delimiter element may be, for example, parentheses or a text box on a graphical user interface. An area delimited by block delimiter elements is defined as a block element. For example, “(term A OR term B) AND (term B) AND (term C)” in parentheses is a block element, and “(” and “)” are block delimiters. is there.

  A patent document is information relating to an application document such as a patent filed with the JPO. The types of patent documents include published patent gazette, patent gazette, utility model published gazette, utility model registered gazette, published patent gazette, published utility model gazette, republished patent gazette, republished utility model gazette, and the like. The language and data format of patent documents are not limited.

  The period to be searched is a period including the date given to the patent document to be searched in the patent search formula. For example, the search target period is “1992.1.1.1-2012.3.1”. The due date given to the patent document designated in the period to be searched may be the filing date, the publication date, the registration date, or the like.

  The search field is an object for searching for terms in the patent search formula. For example, “Summary”, “Claims”, “Summary + Claims”, or “Full text”.

  The search formula rule is a rule indicating that an element that can be included in the patent search formula, the purpose of patent search, a search field, a search target period, or the above combination is inappropriate. For example, the search formula rule may be a rule that includes the purpose of patent search and the type of patent document, may be a rule that includes a search target period, or a rule that includes a patent classification and a search target period. It may be a rule including the purpose of the patent search and the search target period, may be a rule including the search field, or may be a rule including the purpose of the patent search and the search field. It may be a rule that includes patent classification and terms, or may be a rule that includes one or more terms that have a low ability to narrow down patent documents. Also good. The purpose of patent search is the purpose of patent search. The purpose of the patent search is, for example, “prior art search”, “infringement prevention search”, “invalidation data search”, and the like. Prior art search refers to investigating whether or not prior art exists before filing a patent application. Infringement prevention research refers to investigating whether or not other companies' patents have been infringed before products or services are put on the market. The invalidation data search means a search to invalidate registered patents of other companies. A term with a low ability to narrow down is a term that appears in many patent documents and is difficult to limit patent documents. A term with a low ability to narrow down may be a term that appears in a certain number or more of patent documents in all fields, or a term that appears in a certain number or more of patent documents only in a specific field. . In addition, the term having a low narrowing ability may be, for example, a term that appears in more patent documents than the threshold, or a term having an IDF value smaller than the threshold. The threshold value may be a predetermined value, and the number of patent documents in which terms having the lowest narrowing ability appear is multiplied by a number smaller than 1 (for example, 0.9 or 0.8). It may be a value or the like, or may be a value obtained by multiplying the IDF value of a term having the lowest narrowing ability by a number larger than 1 (for example, 1.1 or 1.2). Further, the rule storage unit 101 may store improvement method information indicating an improvement method of the patent search formula in association with the search formula rule. The improvement method information is information for improving the search target, the search target period, or the search field to appropriate information. For example, for the rule indicating that the purpose of the patent search is “infringement prevention search” and the period of the search target included in the patent search formula does not specify a period before 20 years, Is designated as a period from today to 20 years ago. The improvement method information may be a function name, a method name, a program for performing improvement itself, or the like. The improvement method information may be expressed using a dedicated language in the same manner as the retrieval formula rule. Note that the improvement method information may be stored in association with priorities. The priority order of improvement method information may be used, for example, to specify the order of improvement method information to be applied in order to apply two or more improvement method information at the same time so that no contradiction occurs in the improvement results. It may be used to apply only the improvement method information having the highest priority. Specifically, when applying the improvement method information that improves the search target period from today 20 years ago to today and the improvement method information that improves the search target period from the issuance date of a specific patent classification If both are applied, the effect of one improvement method information applied earlier in the order cannot be obtained. Therefore, the order of applying the improvement method information may be specified using information such as priority.

  Hereinafter, with respect to the search formula rules that can be stored in the rule storage unit 101, (1) a search formula rule that includes the purpose of patent search and the type of patent document, (2) a search formula rule that includes the period of search target, Search formula rule including patent classification and search target period, (4) Search formula rule including patent search purpose and search target period, (5) Search formula rule including search field, (6) Patent search Search formula rule including purpose and search field, (7) Search formula rule including patent classification and term, (8) Search formula rule including one or more terms with low ability to narrow patent documents explain.

(1) Search Formula Rule Including Patent Search Purpose and Patent Document Type The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a patent search purpose and a patent document type. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that prescribes that the combination of the purpose of patent search and the type of patent document to be searched is inappropriate. Specifically, the search formula rule includes a case where the purpose of the patent search is “infringement prevention search” and the type of patent documents to be searched includes open patent documents such as “public patent publication”. A search rule or the like may be defined that is inappropriate in the case of the In this specific example, the purpose of “infringement prevention investigation” is to investigate the possibility of infringement, and therefore it is inappropriate to include open patent documents in the search target. Also, the rule storage unit 101 stores the retrieval formula rule of this specific example and improvement method information for changing the patent document to be retrieved into a registered patent document such as “Registered Patent Gazette” in association with each other. Also good.

(2) Search Formula Rule Including Search Target Period The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a search target period. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that prescribes that the search target period is inappropriate. As the search formula rule, specifically, a search formula rule or the like that is inappropriate when a period including a future date is specified as a search target period may be defined. In this specific example, even if a future date is specified for the period to be searched, there is no patent document that matches the patent search formula, so it is inappropriate.

(3) Search Formula Rule Containing Patent Classification and Search Target Period The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a patent classification and a search target period. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that prescribes that the combination of the patent classification and the search target period is inappropriate. Specifically, the search formula rule is inappropriate when the search target period is specified only before or after the issuance date of the patent classification included in the patent search formula. Etc. may be defined. In this specific example, even before the issuance date of the patent classification or after the abolition date, there is no patent document that matches the patent search formula, so it is inappropriate. Further, the rule storage unit 101 confirms the search formula rule of this specific example and the transition information of the patent classification determined to be inappropriate, and before or after the transition so as to correspond to the search target period. The improvement method information for adding a patent classification in the same field may be stored in association with each other.

(4) Search Formula Rule Including Patent Search Purpose and Search Target Period The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a patent search purpose and a search target period. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that prescribes that the combination of the purpose of the patent search and the search target period is inappropriate. The search formula rule was specifically specified to include patent documents in which the purpose of the patent search was “infringement prevention search” and the search period was the expiration of the patent right. A search rule or the like that is inappropriate in some cases may be defined. The patent document whose patent term has expired is, for example, a patent document that has passed 20 years after the application. In this specific example, since the purpose of “infringement prevention investigation” is to investigate the possibility of infringement, it is not possible to designate patent documents whose patent rights have expired as the period to be searched. Appropriate. Further, the rule storage unit 101 stores the search formula rule of this specific example and the improvement method information for changing the search target period to “application date: 20 years ago to today” in association with each other. good.

(5) Search Formula Rule Including Search Field The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a search field. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that specifies that the search field is inappropriate. As the search formula rule, specifically, a search formula rule or the like that is inappropriate when the search field is only “name of invention” may be defined. In this specific example, the “invention name” alone is considered inappropriate because a search is missed. Further, the rule storage unit 101 may store the search formula rule of this specific example and improvement method information for changing the search field to “summary + claim” in association with each other.

(6) Search Formula Rule Including Patent Search Purpose and Search Field The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a patent search purpose and a search field. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that specifies that the combination of the purpose of the patent search and the search field is inappropriate. Specifically, the search formula rule is inappropriate when the purpose of the patent search is “invalidated material search” and “summary” is specified in the search field. Etc. may be defined. In this specific example, since it is necessary to investigate as many materials as possible in the “invalidated material survey”, it is inappropriate to not search for “full text”. Further, the rule storage unit 101 may store the search formula rule of this specific example and improvement method information for changing the search field to “full text” in association with each other.

(7) Search Formula Rule Containing Patent Classification and Term The rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule including a patent classification and a term. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that specifies that the combination of patent classification and term is inappropriate. Specifically, the search expression rule is that the patent classification is “IPC: G06F17 / 30”, the term “database” is included in the term, and the patent classification and the term are associated with the AND operator. A search formula rule or the like may be defined as inappropriate when the user is present. In this example, “IPC: G06F17 / 30” is a patent classification representing “information retrieval and database structure therefor”, whereas “IPC: G06F17 / 30” is a term that symbolizes the field “IPC: G06F17 / 30”. Narrowing by “database” is considered inappropriate because the fields to narrow down overlap. In such a case, the search formula rule is, for example, a set of a set of classification and one or more terms (for example, “G06F17 / 30 | database, database, DB”).

(8) Search Formula Rule Containing One or More Terms with Low Patent Document Narrowing Ability The rule storage unit 101 stores a search formula rule containing one or more terms with low patent document narrowing ability. Also good. The search formula rule is, for example, a rule that specifies that the search formula rule is inappropriate included in the patent search formula. Specifically, the search formula rule may be defined as a search formula rule that is inappropriate when “apparatus” is included in the patent search formula. In this specific example, “apparatus” is a term described in many patent documents, and it is inappropriate because it has a narrowing ability. In such a case, for example, the retrieval formula rule may be a set of terms “device, method,...” Or a set of classification and one or more terms (for example, “G06F | information, data,...”). ). Further, the rule storage unit 101 may store a search formula rule of this specific example and improvement method information for deleting a term having a low narrowing ability in association with each other.

  The search rule stored in the rule storage unit 101 may include rule additional information that is a rule to be referred to when the rule is applied. The rule additional information may be, for example, information on issuance and abolition of patent classification, information on an inappropriate combination of a term and a patent classification, or information on a term with a low narrowing ability. Also good. The information related to the issuance and abolition of the patent classification is information in which the patent classification is associated with the issuance date and the abolition date of the patent classification. The information on an inappropriate combination of a term and a patent classification may be, for example, information that associates a specific patent classification with a term that has a low filtering ability in the field of the patent classification. The information may be associated with terms that symbolize patent classification. The information related to the term having a low narrowing ability is information on a term determined to have a low narrowing ability in all fields. When rule additional information is stored in the rule storage unit 101, the determination unit 104 may set a search formula rule with reference to the rule additional information.

  As described above, the search rule definition method does not matter. That is, the search expression rule may be expressed using a dedicated language (hereinafter referred to as rule language) for expressing the search expression rule, or may be expressed using a general-purpose language. Further, it may be a result of learning using a known machine learning device (for example, Support Vector Machine or Bayesian estimation) or may be described in a natural language. The rule language is a language that can express a patent search expression or the like using variables, functions, or the like. For example, the rule language determines whether a term can be stored in a variable, a function that can branch processing according to the value of a variable or constant, a function that operates on a character string, and whether a term has low filtering ability. It may be a language provided with functions and the like. The rule storage unit 101 may store only one type of search formula rule, or may store two or more types of search formula rules.

  Further, the rule storage unit 101 may store the determination result message in a state associated with the search formula rule. The determination result message is a message that presents the determination reason to the user. For example, the determination result message is “It is appropriate to search all of the public gazettes in the invalidation material survey”. The determination result message may include information on the result determined by the determination unit 104 using a variable or the like.

  Here, storage is a concept including long-term storage using a non-volatile recording medium and temporary storage using a volatile recording medium. The rule storage unit 101 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium. The same applies to other storage units described later. The process of storing the search rule in the rule storage unit 101 does not matter. For example, the search formula rule may be stored in the rule storage unit 101 via a recording medium, and the search formula rule transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the rule storage unit 101. Alternatively, the search formula rule input via the input device may be stored in the rule storage unit 101.

  The accepting unit 102 accepts a patent search formula. The receiving unit 102 may also receive the purpose of patent search. Acceptance refers to accepting information input from an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, receiving information transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line, and reading from a recording medium such as an optical disk, magnetic disk, or semiconductor memory. It is a concept that includes accepting information that has been issued. The receiving unit 102 normally receives the patent search formula and the purpose of the patent search transmitted from the user terminal 2 via the network 100, but may receive the input from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel. The receiving unit 102 stores the received patent search formula and the purpose of patent search in the search formula storage unit 103. The receiving unit 102 normally stores the received patent search formula as it is in the search formula storage unit 103, but may store the patent search formula separately for each element such as a term and a patent classification, and the patent search formula may be stored in a tree structure (Expression (Tree etc.) may be converted and stored. The receiving unit 102 may also receive a patent search expression that is changed according to the determination result. The patent search formula changed according to the determination result may be a patent search formula in which the output unit 105 improves the patent search formula. After the output unit 105 outputs the determination result, the user uses the determination result. The patent search formula may be improved.

  The search formula storage unit 103 stores the patent search formula received by the receiving unit 102 and the purpose of the patent search. The search expression storage unit 103 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium.

  The determination unit 104 applies the patent search formula to one or two or more search formula rules, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and determines that the information is related to one or more search formula rules that match. Get the result. For example, the determination unit 104 acquires the type of patent document from the patent search expression received by the reception unit 102, applies the type of patent document and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit 102 to the search expression rule, A search formula rule that matches the patent search formula may be determined, and a determination result that is information on one or more search formula rules that match may be acquired. The method for acquiring the type of patent document is acquired based on information that is a clue regarding the type of patent document, such as “type of patent document:” in the search formula. The clue may be a tag or a character string including symbols such as “→” and “:”. Further, the determination unit 104 acquires a search target period from the patent search formula received by the receiving unit 102, applies the search target period to the search formula rule, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, You may acquire the judgment result which is the information regarding the one or more search formula rules which correspond. As a method for acquiring the search target period, for example, the search target period is acquired based on information that is a clue regarding the period of the patent document, such as “patent document period:” in the search formula. Further, the determination unit 104 acquires the patent classification and the search target period from the patent search formula received by the receiving unit 102, applies the patent classification and the search target period to the search formula rule, and matches the patent search formula. The search expression rule to be determined may be determined, and a determination result that is information regarding one or more matching search expression rules may be acquired. As a method for acquiring the patent classification, for example, the patent classification is acquired based on information that is a clue to the patent classification such as “IPC:” or “FI:” in the search formula. Further, the determination unit 104 acquires a search target period from the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102, applies the search target period and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit 102 to the search formula rule, A search formula rule that matches the search formula may be determined, and a determination result that is information about one or more search formula rules that match may be acquired. Further, the determination unit 104 acquires a search field from the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102, applies the search field to the search formula rule, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and matches one or more A determination result that is information related to the search formula rule may be acquired. As a method for acquiring the search field, for example, information to be searched for terms such as “summary:” and “summary + claim:” in the search expression is acquired. In addition, the determination unit 104 acquires a search field from the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102, applies the search field and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit 102 to the search formula rule, and matches the patent search formula. The search expression rule to be determined may be determined, and a determination result that is information regarding one or more matching search expression rules may be acquired. In addition, the determination unit 104 acquires the patent classification and the term from the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102, applies the patent classification and the term to the search formula rule, and sets a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula. A determination result that is information related to one or more search formula rules that are determined may be acquired. For example, the term is acquired based on information that is a clue to patent classification such as “summary:” and “summary + claim:” in the search formula. In addition, the determination unit 104 acquires one or more terms from the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102, applies each of the one or more terms to the search formula rule, and whether each of the one or more terms has a narrowing ability. It may be determined whether or not, and a determination result including one or more terms determined to have a low narrowing ability may be acquired.

  Applying to a search formula rule is, for example, determining whether the patent search formula and the purpose of the patent search match the search formula rule. In addition, the search formula rules to be applied may be all search formula rules stored in the rule storage unit 101, or may be some search formula rules. In addition, when applying to a search formula rule, when rule additional information corresponding to the search formula rule is stored in the rule storage unit 101, the rule additional information may be referred to and applied.

  The judgment result may be information indicating that there is a matched search formula rule, may be a matched search formula rule, or may be a patent search formula that matches the search formula rule. It may be a patent search formula that has not existed, a determination result message associated with a search formula rule, or a combination thereof. When the determination result message is acquired and the determination result message in the rule storage unit 101 includes a variable or a process, the determination unit 104 may acquire the determination result so that the reason for determining that the determination result message is inappropriate may be understood. good. Specifically, the determination unit 104 determines that the future date is not specified when “2100.01.01 to 2200.01.01”, which is a future date, is specified in the search target period included in the patent search formula. If the determination result message “{[Period]} is a period including the future date is specified” is associated with the appropriate search expression rule, “2100.01. "01-2200.01.01 is specified" or the like. In this specific example, the period to be searched is substituted into the {[Period]} portion. The determination unit 104 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the determination unit 104 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The output unit 105 outputs the determination result acquired by the determination unit 104. The output unit 105 may output all patent search formulas that are determined to have problems, or may output only at least a part of the patent search formulas having a problem. When only a part is output, the information to be output may be determined using information such as the priority of the search formula rule. When it is determined that the accepted patent search formula is appropriate, the output unit 105 does not need to output anything, or a process of passing the patent search formula to another module (for example, a patent search module). You may do it.

  Further, the output unit 105 acquires improvement method information corresponding to the search formula rule determined by the determination unit 104, and performs processing corresponding to the improvement method information on the patent search formula received by the reception unit 102. Patent retrieval formulas obtained may be obtained and output. The output unit 105 may output only the improved patent search formula, or may output the improved patent search formula and the improved search formula together. In addition, when the output unit 105 acquires two or more improvement method information, the output unit 105 may apply and improve all the improvement method information, or may apply and improve at least a part of the improvement method information. good. Further, the output unit 105 may select one or more improvement method information at random when applying at least a part of the improvement method information, or may select using the priority of the improvement method information. . Further, when using the priority order of the improvement method information, the output unit 105 may apply one item having a high priority order or may apply the top N cases having a high priority order. Alternatively, the improvement method information may be applied in the reverse order. N is a natural number of 1 or 2 or more. Further, when the determination unit 104 does not match the search formula rule, the output unit 105 does not need to output anything and may output that the search formula is appropriate.

  Here, output means display on a display, projection using a projector, printing with a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage on a recording medium, other processing device or other program, etc. It is a concept including delivery of processing results. The output unit 105 normally transmits the determination result to the user terminal 2 through the network 100. The output unit 105 can be implemented by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the retrieval formula validity determination device 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  (Step S <b> 201) The receiving unit 102 determines whether the patent search formula and the purpose of the patent search are received from the user terminal 2. If a patent search formula is accepted, the process proceeds to step S202. If not received, step S201 is repeatedly executed.

  (Step S <b> 202) The receiving unit 102 temporarily stores the received patent search formula and the purpose of patent search in the search formula storage unit 103.

  (Step S203) The determination unit 104 applies all the search formula rules stored in the rule storage unit 101 to the patent search formula stored in step S202 and the purpose of the patent search, and determines whether or not they match. to decide. Details of the determination by the determination unit 104 will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S204) The output unit 105 determines whether or not the improvement method information is stored in a determination result storage unit (not shown) in step S203. If the improvement method information is stored, the process proceeds to step S205. If the improvement method information is not stored, the process proceeds to step S206.

  (Step S205) The output unit 105 applies the improvement method information stored in the determination result storage unit (not shown) in step S203. Note that the improvement method information to be applied may be a part or all of the improvement method information stored in step S203.

  (Step S206) The output unit 105 outputs the determination result of step S203 and the improvement result of step S205, and ends. If TRUE is stored in the determination result storage unit, a message indicating that the search formula is appropriate is output.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the search formula rule determination (step S203) of FIG. Hereinafter, the search rule determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

  (Step S301) The determination unit 104 stores NULL in a determination result storage unit (not shown).

  (Step S302) The determination unit 104 substitutes 1 for a counter m.

  (Step S <b> 303) The determination unit 104 determines whether or not the mth search expression rule exists in the rule storage unit 101. When the m-th search formula rule exists, the process proceeds to step S304, and when it does not exist, the process proceeds to step S310.

  (Step S304) The determination unit 104 determines whether the patent search formula stored in the reception unit 102 in step S202 and the purpose of the patent search match the mth search formula rule.

  (Step S305) The determination unit 104 proceeds to step S307 if the m-th search formula rule is matched in step S304, and proceeds to step S309 if not matched.

  (Step S306) The determination unit 104 adds the matched patent search formula and search formula rule to a determination result storage unit (not shown).

  (Step S307) The determination unit 104 determines whether or not improvement method information is associated with the mth search formula rule. If the improvement method information is associated with the m-th search formula rule, the process proceeds to step S308, and if not, the process proceeds to step S309.

  (Step S308) The determination unit 104 adds the improvement method information associated with the mth search formula rule to a determination result storage unit (not shown).

  (Step S309) The determination unit 104 increments the counter m by 1, and returns to step S303.

  (Step S310) The determination unit 104 determines whether a determination result storage unit (not shown) is NULL. If it is NULL, the process proceeds to step S311. If it is not NULL, the process returns to the upper process.

  (Step S311) The determination unit 104 stores TRUE in a determination result storage unit (not shown).

  Hereinafter, a specific operation of the search expression validity determination device 1 in the present embodiment will be described. In this specific example, it is assumed that the retrieval formula rule is as shown in FIG. The table in FIG. 5 includes a large number of records having rule IDs, search formula rules, improvement method information, and determination result messages. The search formula rule, the improvement method information, and the determination result message of this specific example are expressed using a rule language. The rule language in this specific example can express the contents of the patent search formula using variables. In addition, the rule language in this specific example expresses a variable that stores one or more values in square brackets (“[” and “]”). For example, when “Code” is described, it represents a variable in which all patent classifications included in the patent search formula are stored. For example, in this specific example, it is assumed that a search expression rule is expressed using the following variables in addition to [Code]. [Purpose] represents a variable in which the purpose of patent search is stored. [SearchTarget] represents a variable in which a patent document to be searched is stored. [SDate] represents a variable in which the start point of the period to be searched is stored. [EDate] represents a variable in which the end point of the period to be searched is stored. [Term] represents a variable in which all terms included in the search expression are stored. [TextSearchField] represents a variable in which a term search field is stored. In addition, the rule language in this specific example is capable of general four arithmetic operations, comparison operations, and logical operations, and each is commonly used with a symbol such as “−”, “==”, and “AND”. It shall be expressed. For example, if “[Purpose] == invalid material search”, it can be determined whether the purpose of the patent search is an invalidation data search. Further, the rule language in this specific example can be assigned to a variable, and “←” represents the substitution. For example, when “[SearchTarget] ← all” is described, the patent documents to be searched can be targeted for all patent documents. In addition, the rule language in this specific example indicates a process of determining whether or not “element” is included in [arbitrary variable] by describing “[arbitrary variable] .Include (element)”. It shall be. For example, when “[TextSearchField] .Include (full text)” is described, it is possible to determine whether or not a term specifying the full text is included in the search field. In addition, the rule language in this specific example is described as “isCodeExist ([Code], [SDate], [EDate])”, thereby determining whether the period in which the patent classification exists overlaps with the period to be searched. It is assumed that the processing to be performed is represented. In this specific example, in order to perform the process, the issue date and the abolition for a specific patent classification are acquired from the patent classification period information of FIG. In addition, the rule language in this specific example is described as “BadCombination_AND ([Term], [Code])”, thereby determining whether the term associated with the AND operator and the patent classification are an inappropriate combination. . In this specific example, in order to perform the processing, an incorrect combination of a term and a patent classification is acquired from a wrong combination information of a term patent classification in FIG. Further, the rule language in this specific example is described as “PopularTerm ([Term])”, and represents a process for determining whether a term included in the search formula is a term with a low narrowing ability. In this specific example, in order to perform the process, a term having a low narrowing ability is acquired from the term information having a low narrowing ability shown in FIG. In addition, the rule language in this specific example is described as “processing.Match”, and represents processing for acquiring information that matches the processing result. For example, when “BadCombination ([Term], [Code]). Match” is described, a combination of a term determined to be inappropriate and a patent classification is acquired. “Processing. UnMatch” represents processing for acquiring information that did not match as a result of processing. In addition, the rule language in this specific example is described as “Today.AddYear (−20)”, and represents the process of acquiring the current 20 years ago. In addition, the rule language in this specific example represents a process of outputting as a character string by enclosing a value in curly braces “{” “}”. For example, if “{PopularTerm ([Term]). Match} is a term with a low refining ability” is described, “Information” is acquired by “PopularTerm ([Term]). Match”, “ "Information" is a term that has a low filtering ability. Is output. For example, “Rule ID: 1” is a case where the purpose of the patent search is “invalidation document search” and the types of patent documents to be searched are “Patent Publication”, “Public Utility Model”, and “Publication Patent” ”,“ Published utility model ”,“ republished patent ”, and“ republished utility model ”are search rule rules that are inappropriate. “Rule ID: 1” has improvement method information for changing the patent document to be searched to “patent publication gazette, published utility model, published patent, published utility model, republished patent, republished utility model”. "Rule ID: 2" is a search formula rule that is inappropriate when the search target period is specified before the issue date of the patent classification included in the patent search formula or only after the abolition date. . “Rule ID: 2” has a determination result message including a patent classification determined to be inappropriate. Also, “Rule ID: 3” is when the purpose of the patent search is “infringement prevention search” and the search target period is specified to include patent documents whose lifetime of the patent has expired This is a search rule that is inappropriate for the search. “Rule ID: 3” has improvement method information for setting the start point of the search target period 20 years ago from today. “Rule ID: 4” is a search rule that is inappropriate when the purpose of the patent search is “infringement prevention search” and “full text” is not specified in the search field. is there. “Rule ID: 4” has improvement method information for designating “full text” in the search field. “Rule ID: 5” is a search rule that determines that the combination of the patent classification and the term is inappropriate when the combination of the patent classification and the term is included in the incorrect combination information of the term patent classification of FIG. “Rule ID: 5” includes a determination result message including a patent classification and a term determined to be inappropriate. “Rule ID: 6” is a search formula rule that determines that a term included in the patent search formula is inappropriate when it is included in the term information with a low narrowing ability in FIG. “Rule ID: 6” has a determination result message including a term determined to have a low narrowing ability.

  In this specific example, it is assumed that the patent classification period information is as shown in FIG. The table of FIG. 6 has a large number of records having a patent classification, and an issue date and abolition date of the patent classification. For example, “IPC: A63C9 / 00” is issued to “2006.01” and is abolished to “2012.01”. In addition, “IPC: G06F17 / 30” was issued to “2006.01” and continues even now. In this specific example, the patent classification period information is referred to when determining “rule ID: 2”.

  In this specific example, it is assumed that the incorrect combination information of the term patent classification is as shown in FIG. The table of FIG. 7 includes a large number of records having patent classifications and terms that are inappropriate combinations with the patent classifications. For example, the combination of “IPC: G06F17 / 30” and “database” is inappropriate. In this specific example, incorrect combination information of the term patent classification is referred to when determining “rule ID: 5”.

  In this specific example, it is assumed that the term information having a low narrowing ability is as shown in FIG. The table of FIG. 8 has a large number of records having terms with low narrowing ability that appear frequently in all fields. For example, “information”. In this specific example, the term information having a low narrowing ability is referred to when “rule ID: 6” is determined.

  Assume that the user of the user terminal 2 operates a pointing device, a keyboard, etc., inputs a patent search expression as shown in FIG. 9, and then presses an “execute” button. Then, the patent search formula “patent document: patent (public) search period: 1983.1.1-2012.3.31 summary + claim: database AND summary + claim: device AND IPC: G06F17 / 30” And the purpose of patent investigation “infringement prevention investigation” is transmitted from the user terminal 2 to the retrieval formula validity judgment device 1. The transmitted patent search formula and the like are received by the receiving unit 102 of the search formula validity determination device 1 and stored in the search formula storage unit 103 (steps S201 and S202).

  When the determination unit 104 detects that a new patent search formula or the like is stored in the search formula storage unit 103, the determination unit 104 determines whether or not the rule of the rule storage unit 101 matches the patent search formula or the like (step S203). ). Hereinafter, details of such processing will be described.

  When the patent search formula or the like is stored, the determination unit 104 stores NULL in a determination result storage unit (not shown) (step S301), and sequentially acquires the search formula rules from the rule storage unit 101 (step S302). Then, the determination unit 104 determines whether the received patent search formula or the like matches the search formula rule one by one (steps S303 and S304).

  The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 1”, which is the first rule. Since the purpose of the patent search specified in this embodiment is “infringement prevention search”, it does not match the search formula rule (step S305). The determination unit 104 applies the next rule (step S309). The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 2”, which is the second rule. The patent classification specified in the present embodiment is “IPC: G06F17 / 30”, and even if the patent classification period information is referred to, it is still within the period, so it does not match the search formula rule. The determination unit 104 further applies the following rule. The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 3”, which is the third rule. The purpose of the patent search specified in this embodiment is “infringement prevention search”, and the search target period also includes patent documents more than 20 years ago. . Then, the determination unit 104 does not need to search the patent result of “rule ID: 3” and “judgment result message: patent infringement prevention search more than 20 years ago in the determination result storage unit (not shown).” Are added (step S306). Since “rule ID: 3” is associated with improvement method information, the improvement method information is added to a determination result storage unit (not shown) (steps S307 and S308). Hereinafter, in the case where the search formula rule is matched and the improvement method information is associated, it is added in the same manner. The determination unit 104 further applies the following rule. The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 4”, which is the fourth rule. The purpose of the patent search specified in this embodiment is “infringement prevention search”, and the search field does not include “full text”, and therefore matches the search formula rule. Then, the determination unit 104 adds “rule ID: 4” and “determination result message: it is appropriate to perform the infringement prevention investigation on the entire sentence” in a determination result storage unit (not shown). The determination unit 104 further applies the following rule. The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 5”, which is the fifth rule. “IPC: G06F17 / 30” and “database” specified in the present embodiment match the search formula rule. Then, the judgment unit 104 processes the judgment result storage unit (not shown) including “rule ID: 5” and the judgment result “judgment result message:“ G06F17 / 30, database ”is an inappropriate combination. "Is added. The determination unit 104 determines “rule ID: 6”, which is the sixth rule. The “device” specified in the present embodiment matches the search formula rule. Then, the determination unit 104 performs processing so that the determination result storage unit (not shown) includes “rule ID: 6” and the determination result “determination result message:“ “device” ”is a term with a low narrowing ability. "Is added. Similarly, all search formula rules stored in the rule storage unit 101 are determined.

  When the output unit 105 detects that the improvement method information is stored in the determination result storage unit (not shown), the output unit 105 acquires the improvement method information and applies it to the patent search formula or the like (steps S204 and S205). In this specific example, when “[SDate] ← Today.AddYear (−20)” is stored, the part of “search target period: 1983.1.1 to 2012.3.31” in the search formula is “ 1992.3.31-2012.3.31 ". When “TextSearchField ← full text” is stored, the part of “summary + claim: database AND summary + claim: device” in the search formula is improved to “full text: database AND full text: device”.

  When the output unit 105 detects that the “rule ID” is stored in the determination result storage unit (not shown), the output unit 105 outputs a determination result message associated with the “rule ID”. In a specific example, “Judgment result message: There is no need to search patent publications whose filing date is more than 20 years ago for infringement prevention searches.” "And" G06F17 / 30, Database "are inappropriate combinations. "" And "Device" are terms with low refining ability. Is output. The output unit 105 transmits to the user terminal 2 via the network 100 (step S206). When the user terminal 2 receives the determination result transmitted by the output unit 105, the user terminal 2 performs the display shown in FIG. The user selects a search formula again by looking at the display of FIG.

  As described above, according to the retrieval formula validity determination device 1 of the present embodiment, when creating a patent retrieval formula, an inappropriate patent retrieval formula can be checked, so that the problem of the patent retrieval formula can be known. For example, the combination of the purpose of the patent search included in the patent search formula and the type of patent document can be checked. In addition, the search target period included in the patent search formula can be checked. In addition, the combination of the patent classification included in the patent search formula and the search target period can be checked. Further, it is possible to check the combination of the purpose of the patent search included in the patent search formula and the period to be searched. In addition, the search field included in the patent search formula can be checked. In addition, the combination of the purpose of the patent search and the search field included in the patent search formula can be checked. The combination of patent classification and term included in the patent search formula can be checked. It is possible to check whether or not a term that has a low ability to narrow down patent documents included in the patent search formula is included. In addition, since the improvement method is applied, it becomes easy to create a patent search formula using an appropriate patent classification.

  The search formula validity determination device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a patent search formula generation device that accepts a keyword, outputs one or more related words corresponding to the keyword, and proposes a patent search formula corresponding to the keyword, The accepting unit 102 may accept the proposed patent search formula. The patent search expression generation device includes a related term information storage unit that stores one or more related term information having a term and a related term that is a term related to the term, and a keyword receiving unit that receives one or more keywords. From the related term information, a related term that is associated with a term that matches each of the keywords and does not include a character string that matches the keyword is selected as a keyword candidate used in a patent search formula. A candidate keyword acquisition unit acquired as a candidate keyword, a candidate keyword display unit that displays the candidate keyword acquired by the candidate keyword acquisition unit, and one or more of the candidate keywords acquired by the candidate keyword acquisition unit in a patent search formula A designation instruction receiving unit that accepts a designation instruction that is an instruction to designate a search keyword that is a keyword to be used; Patent document search expression generation unit that generates a patent search expression including candidate keywords designated by the designation instruction, patent search expression output unit that outputs the patent search expression, and technical document information that is information indicating a technical document One or more terms included in the document and one or more patent classification code information, which is information on a code indicating the classification of the patent for the technical document information, are stored in association with each technical document information. A patent classification code information search unit that searches for patent classification code information associated with a term that matches the search key from the term storage unit using the candidate keyword specified by the specification instruction as a search key, and the patent A patent classification code information selection unit that selects patent classification code information from the patent classification code information searched by the classification code information search unit using the number of appearances, and Huh search expression generating unit generates a patent search expression further including patent classification code information the patent classification code information selection section selects, it may be one. For details of the patent search expression generation device, see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-53516.

  In the present embodiment, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or by distributed processing by a plurality of devices. May be. In the present embodiment, it is needless to say that two or more communication means (such as the receiving unit 102) existing in one apparatus may be physically realized by one medium.

  In the present embodiment, the server / client system has been described. However, the present invention may be a server device in a server / client system or a stand-alone device. In the case of a stand-alone device, the receiving unit 102 may receive information input from an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel. The output unit 105 may perform output for display on a display, projection using a projector, printing with a printer, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

  Moreover, the software which implement | achieves the search expression validity judgment apparatus in each said embodiment is the following programs. That is, this program accepts a patent search expression from a computer that can access a rule storage unit that can store one or more search expression rules that are rules for determining that the content of the patent search expression is inappropriate. A receiving unit that applies a patent search formula to one or more search formula rules, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and acquires a determination result that is information relating to the one or more search formula rules that match. This is a program for causing the determination unit to function as an output unit that outputs the determination result.

  In the program, the functions realized by the program do not include functions that can be realized only by hardware. For example, functions that can be realized only by hardware such as a modem and an interface card in an acquisition unit that acquires information, an output unit that outputs information, and the like are not included in the functions realized by the program.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a computer that executes the program and implements the present invention according to the embodiment. The embodiment described above can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed on the computer hardware.

  In FIG. 11, a computer system 1100 includes a computer 1101 including a CD-ROM drive 1105 and an FD drive 1106, a keyboard 1102, a mouse 1103, and a monitor 1104.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the computer system 1100. In FIG. 12, in addition to the CD-ROM drive 1105 and the FD drive 1106, a computer 1101 is connected to an MPU 1111, a ROM 1112 for storing a program such as a bootup program, and an MPU 1111. And a RAM 1113 that provides a temporary storage space, a hard disk 1114 that stores application programs, system programs, and data, an MPU 1111, a bus 1115 that interconnects the ROM 1112, and the like. The computer 1101 may include a network card (not shown) that provides connection to the LAN.

  A program for causing the computer system 1100 to execute the functions of the present invention according to the above embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 1121 or the FD 1122, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 1105 or the FD drive 1106, and transferred to the hard disk 1114. May be. Instead, the program may be transmitted to the computer 1101 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 1114. The program is loaded into the RAM 1113 when executed. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 1121, the FD 1122, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer 1101 to execute the functions of the present invention according to the above-described embodiment. The program may include only a part of an instruction that calls an appropriate function (module) in a controlled manner and obtains a desired result. How the computer system 1100 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the search expression validity determination device and the like according to the present invention have the effect of being able to determine whether a patent search expression is appropriate, and are useful as, for example, a patent search system.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Retrieval expression validity judgment apparatus 101 Rule storage part 102 Reception part 103 Retrieval expression storage part 104 Judgment part 105 Output part

Claims (12)

A rule storage unit that can store one or more search formula rules that are rules for determining that the content of the patent search formula is inappropriate;
A reception unit that accepts a patent search formula;
Judgment of applying the patent search formula to the one or more search formula rules, determining a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and obtaining a judgment result that is information relating to the one or more search formula rules that match. And
A retrieval formula validity determination device comprising: an output unit that outputs a determination result acquired by the determination unit. The search rule is
Rules that include the purpose of the patent search and the type of document,
The reception unit
Accept the purpose of patent search,
The determination unit
The type of the patent document is acquired from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, and the type of the patent document and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit are applied to the search formula rule. The search expression validity determination device according to claim 1, wherein a matching search expression rule is determined, and a determination result that is information relating to the one or more matching search expression rules is acquired. The search rule is
A rule that includes the time period to be searched,
The patent search formula is:
Including the search period,
The determination unit
The search target period is acquired from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, the search target period is applied to the search formula rule, a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula is determined, and the matching 1 The search expression validity determination device according to claim 1, wherein a determination result that is information relating to the search expression rule is acquired. The search rule is
A rule that includes a patent classification and a search period,
The patent search formula is
Including patent classification and period of search,
The determination unit
A patent formula and a search target period are acquired from the patent search formula received by the receiving unit, the patent classification and the search target period are applied to the search formula rule, and a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula The retrieval formula validity judgment device according to claim 3, wherein the judgment result is information relating to the one or more matching retrieval formula rules. The search rule is
A rule that includes the purpose of the patent search and the time period for the search,
The reception unit
Accept the purpose of patent search,
The determination unit
The search target period is acquired from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, the search target period and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit are applied to the search formula rule, and the patent search formula is matched. The search expression validity determination device according to claim 3, wherein a search expression rule to be determined is determined, and a determination result that is information relating to the one or more matching search expression rules is acquired. The search rule is
A rule that includes a search field,
The patent search formula is
Including a search field,
The determination unit
A search field is acquired from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, the search field is applied to the search formula rule, a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula is determined, and the one or more search formulas that match The retrieval formula validity judgment device according to claim 1, wherein a judgment result that is information about a rule is acquired. The search rule is
A rule that includes the purpose of a patent search and a search field,
The reception unit
Accept the purpose of patent search,
The determination unit
A search field that acquires a search field from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, applies the search field and the purpose of the patent search received by the reception unit to the search formula rule, and matches the patent search formula The retrieval formula validity judgment device according to claim 6, wherein the judgment result is information relating to the one or more matching retrieval formula rules. The search rule is
Rules that include patent classifications and terms,
The determination unit
Obtaining patent classification and terms from the patent search formula received by the reception unit, applying the patent classification and terms to the search formula rule, determining a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, The retrieval formula validity judgment device according to claim 1, wherein a judgment result that is information on one or more matching retrieval formula rules is acquired. The search rule is
A rule that includes one or more terms that have a low ability to narrow patent documents,
The determination unit
One or more terms are acquired from the patent search formula accepted by the accepting unit, and each of the one or more terms is applied to the search formula rule to determine whether or not each of the one or more terms has a narrowing ability. The retrieval formula validity judgment device according to claim 1, wherein a judgment result including one or more terms judged to have a low narrowing ability is acquired. The rule storage unit
It is possible to store improvement method information indicating a method for improving a patent search formula in association with the search formula rule,
The output unit is
The improvement method information corresponding to the search formula rule determined by the determination unit is acquired, the process corresponding to the improvement method information is performed on the patent search formula received by the reception unit, and the improved patent search formula is acquired. The search expression validity determination device according to claim 1, wherein the search expression validity determination device outputs the search expression. Processed using a rule storage unit that can store one or more search formula rules that are rules for determining that the content of the patent search formula is inappropriate, a reception unit, a determination unit, and an output unit Search method validity judgment method,
The accepting unit accepting a patent search formula;
The determination unit applies the patent search formula to each of the one or more search formula rules, determines a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and determines that the information is related to the one or more search formula rules that match. A decision step to obtain the results;
A retrieval formula validity judgment method comprising: an output step in which the output unit outputs a judgment result acquired in the judgment step. A computer that can access a rule storage unit that can store one or more search formula rules that are rules for determining that the content of the patent search formula is inappropriate.
A reception unit that accepts patent search formulas,
Judgment of applying the patent search formula to the one or more search formula rules, determining a search formula rule that matches the patent search formula, and obtaining a judgment result that is information relating to the one or more search formula rules that match. Part,
The program for functioning as an output part which outputs the judgment result which the said judgment part acquired.

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