Patent Application Authoring Tool

This is an XML-based patent authoring tool designed to enable business users to easily create standards-compliant XML documents in Microsoft Word without requiring any prior knowledge of XML. Currently this feature-rich application provides the following capabilities:

- Powerful XML document authoring features. The software runs as a standalone program that uses the familiar Microsoft Word's interface to make XML-specific tools available by means of toolbars.
- Standards-compliant patent application templates. The application would not allow users to perform 'illegal' actions, and all the irrelevant MS Word features are blocked;
- Full Unicode-based support for multiple application languages (English, German and French);
- Microsoft Equation Editor- to MathML two-way data converting capabilities;
- Advanced image and OLE-objects clipboard-based import functionality;

Tools & technologies used: COM, VBA, Delphi, XML, Hooks, OLE, MS Word.

Patent Management System

The system is intended for electronic submission of patent applications. It comprises several programs, each tailored for use in a specific intellectual property procedure.

The system provides a complete electronic communication environment between a patent office and the applicants, their representatives and the national patent offices. Security is ensured by the use of Secure Sockets Layer (FTP or HTTP), secure mail, as well as software & hardware (smart cards) certificates. The software provides multilingual support and applications can be submitted in 7 different languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian).

The product is distributed both as a single user version (using Sybase SQL Anyware) and a multi-user client/server version (using Interbase, DB2, Oracle).

Tools & technologies used: Java, Delphi, XML, ODBC, SQL (Oracle, Interbase).

Patent Examiner Productivity Tool Prototyping

This is a prototype of a tool intended to measure a patent examiners' productivity. The involvement of SaM Solutions included consulting services concerning the user interface, the general system architecture, technology research, designing some software prototypes and other support activities aimed at preparing the system functionality requirements. The tool itself intended to replace two current legacy systems in order to renew the technological base (migration from COBOL/IDMS to Java/DB2).

Along with prototype interface development, the project included writing a number of analytical and review papers to assist in decision-making on technological aspects of project implementation.

Tools & technologies used: Java, CORBA for Java and C++, COBOL/IDMS, DB2 UDB Databases.