JP5001671B2 - Claim dependency relationship diagram generation device, claim dependency relationship diagram generation method, claim detection device, claim detection method, claim dependency relationship change device, claim dependency relationship change method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a claim dependency diagram generating device for generating a claim dependency diagram, a claim detecting device for detecting a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim,
The present invention relates to a claim dependency changing device for changing a claim dependency.

In recent years, intellectual property rights have attracted attention. For this reason, opportunities for reading documents such as patent specifications are increasing. However, since patent specifications are described in a unique format different from ordinary documents, there is a problem that they cannot be easily read. Therefore, a method for illustrating information included in a patent specification or the like has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
International Publication No. 2004/038628 Pamphlet (Pages 5-17)

  However, in Patent Document 1, when a claim tree is displayed, a plurality of figures corresponding to the claim may be displayed (for example, FIG. 5), and the claim (hereinafter referred to as “claim”) may be displayed. There was a problem that it was not possible to easily grasp the dependency relationship. In addition, in order to display a claim tree that does not cause such a problem (for example, FIG. 6 and the like), there is a problem that a very complicated process must be performed.

  In addition, in the United States and the like, it is prohibited to describe a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim in a claim, but the prohibition is made by a user reading the claim. There is a problem that specifying the claimed claims imposes cumbersome work on the user. In addition, rewriting a claim dependent on a multiple term with a claim that is not so has a problem that a more complicated work is imposed on the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily grasp the dependency of the claims and to create a claim dependency that can be generated with less complicated processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a claim dependency diagram generation device or the like that can generate a diagram.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a claim detection device or the like that can detect a claim dependent on multiple claims subordinate to a claim dependent on multiple claims.

  Another object is to provide a claim dependency changing device that can change the dependency of claims.

  In order to achieve all or part of the above object, a claim dependency diagram generating apparatus according to the present invention includes a claim data storage unit that stores claim data that is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims, The claim data is read from the claim data storage unit, and the dependency information acquisition unit that acquires dependency information that is information indicating the dependency of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data, and the dependency information acquisition unit Dependency relationship information storage unit for storing dependency relationship information, and claim dependency relationship diagram generation for generating a claim dependency diagram that is a diagram showing a dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data, using the dependency relationship information And an output unit that outputs the claim dependency diagram generated by the claim dependency diagram generation unit. The figure generation unit is a figure corresponding to each claim included in the claim data, and a number one before the number of the claim corresponding to the claim figure. Claim graphic corresponding to the claim graphic corresponding to the claim claim, and claim corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information to be dependent. A claim corresponding to a claim in which a vertical connection line generating means for generating a vertical connection line, which is a line extending downward from the claim graphic, and a dependent claim are indicated by the dependency relationship information on the right side of the claim graphic. A position where the horizontal connection line extending from the figure on the left side is extended to the vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the dependent claim dependent on the claim and the vertical connection line and the horizontal connection line intersect with each other To To anda intersection figure generating means for generating an intersection shape is a figure showing that it is intended.

  With such a configuration, a claim dependency diagram showing a claim dependency relationship can be generated. In this claim dependency diagram, since one claim is represented by one claim figure, there is an advantage that the claim dependency relationship can be easily grasped. Furthermore, the claim dependency relationship diagram can be generated by a process that is not complicated as compared with the case of Patent Document 1 described above.

Further, in the claim dependency relationship diagram generating apparatus according to the present invention, the claim graphic generating means is configured to use the claim graphic corresponding to the claim number one prior to the number of the corresponding claim. Also, the claim graphic may be generated so as to be on the lower side.
With such a configuration, it is possible to simplify the arrangement of the claim graphic, and it is possible to generate the claim dependency diagram by an easier process.

In the claim dependency relationship diagram generating apparatus according to the present invention, the intersection graphic may be a filled circular graphic.
By using such an intersection graphic, it is possible to generate a claim dependency diagram that can be easily grasped by more people.

  The apparatus for generating a claim dependency diagram according to the present invention further includes a detection unit that detects a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim using the dependency relationship information. The figure generation unit detects a claim figure corresponding to the multiple dependent claim dependent on the multiple dependent claim detected by the detection unit, and the multiple dependent claim dependent on the multiple dependent claim. A claim dependency diagram that can be distinguished from a claim graphic corresponding to a non-claimed claim may be generated.

  With such a configuration, it becomes possible to identify a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim in a claim dependency diagram, and a user is dependent on a claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform complicated operations for reading and detecting the claim data, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  In order to achieve all or part of the above object, a claim detection apparatus according to the present invention includes a claim data storage unit that stores claim data that is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims, and the claims. A dependency information acquisition unit that reads out the claim data from the data storage unit and acquires dependency relationship information that is information indicating dependency relationships of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data, and the dependency relationship acquired by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit A dependency information storage unit for storing information; a detection unit for detecting a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim using the dependency relationship information; and a multiple term detected by the detection unit And an output unit that outputs dependent claim information that is information related to a multiple dependent claim that is dependent on the dependent claim.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to detect a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. It is not necessary to perform a complicated operation of reading and detecting, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  Moreover, in the claim detection apparatus according to the present invention, the detection unit is dependent on two or more claims, and the claim is dependent on the claim A. When a claim (referred to as claim B) is dependent on a claim other than claim A, it is detected that claim B is a multiple dependent claim dependent on a multiple dependent claim. May be.

  Further, the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus reads a claim data from a claim data storage unit storing claim data which is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims, and reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit. A dependency relationship information acquisition unit that acquires dependency relationship information that is information indicating dependency relationships of a plurality of claims indicated by; a dependency relationship information storage unit that stores dependency relationship information acquired by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit; Using the dependency relation information, the claim data is changed so that a detection unit that detects at least a claim dependent on a multiple claim and a claim dependent on a multiple claim detected by the detection unit become a claim dependent on a singular claim. And a dependent change unit.

  With such a configuration, a claim dependent on a multiple term included in claim data can be changed to a claim dependent on a single term. For example, a patent claim may be filed in a country that prohibits claiming a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on multiple claim, such as the United States. It can be changed to a suitable one.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the dependency changing unit changes the claim data so that all the claims dependent on the multiple terms detected by the detecting unit become claims dependent on the singular. Also good.
With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a claim dependent on multiple items from existing in the changed claim data.

Further, in the claim dependency changing apparatus according to the present invention, the detection unit detects a claim dependent on a multiple claim subordinate to a claim dependent on a multiple claim, and the dependency change unit is detected by the detection unit. The claim data may be changed so that a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim becomes a claim dependent on a single claim.
With such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate at least a multiple dependent claim dependent on a multiple dependent claim.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the detection unit detects a claim dependent on a multiple claim subordinate to a claim dependent on a multiple claim, and the dependency change unit includes: The claim data may be changed so that a multiple dependent claim dependent on the detected multiple dependent claim becomes a single dependent claim.
With such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate at least a multiple dependent claim dependent on a multiple dependent claim.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the dependency changing unit includes a claim dependent on a singular claim in which a claim dependent on a multiple term for changing the dependency is dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. You may change the said claim data so that it may become.
With such a configuration, the claim data after the change can have the same combination of claims as the combination of the claims before the change.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the dependency changing unit is a singular dependent claim in which a multiple dependent claim for changing the dependent relationship is dependent on any of the dependent claims of the claim. The claim data may be changed so that
With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation in which, for example, the number of claims increases explosively in the changed claim data. For example, when the number of claims increases and the application fee increases, the application fee can be reduced.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the dependency changing unit is configured such that a dependent claim whose multiple dependency is changed depends on a dependent claim with the smallest number among the dependent claims of the claim. The claim data may be changed so as to be a singular dependent claim.
With such a configuration, for example, when an important claim is described earlier, the dependency of the claim can be changed so as to depend on the more important claim.

Further, in the claim dependency changing device according to the present invention, the dependency changing unit adds the change information, which is information indicating that the dependency is changed, to the position of the claim where the dependency is changed. May be changed.
With such a configuration, when checking the claim data after changing the dependency relationship of the claim data, it is possible to easily know which claim dependency has been changed, and the convenience of the user is improved. .

  According to the claim dependency diagram generation apparatus and the like according to the present invention, it is possible to generate a claim dependency diagram that can easily grasp the dependency relationship of the claims by an uncomplicated process. Further, according to the claim detection apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to detect a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. In addition, according to the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus and the like according to the present invention, a claim dependent on multiple items can be changed to a claim which is not so.

  Hereinafter, a claim dependency diagram generating device, a claim detecting device, and a claim dependency changing device according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repetitive description may be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
A claim dependency diagram generation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a claim dependency diagram generation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, a claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a claim data storage unit 11, a dependency relationship information acquiring unit 12, a dependency relationship information accumulating unit 13, a claim dependency relationship diagram generating unit 14, And an output unit 15.

  In the complaint data storage unit 11, complaint data is stored. Here, the claim data is data indicating the scope of claims. The claims preferably have a plurality of claims. The complaint data may be, for example, a text file, or a file of a unique format such as word processing software. The claim data storage unit 11 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.). The process in which the claim data is stored in the claim data storage unit 11 does not matter. For example, the claim data may be stored in the claim data storage unit 11 via a recording medium, and the claim data transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the claim data storage unit 11. Alternatively, the claim data input via the input device may be stored in the claim data storage unit 11.

  The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit 11, and acquires dependency relationship information that is information indicating dependency relationships of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data. This dependency relationship information indicates to which claim a certain claim depends. The dependency relationship information may be information indicating how the claims are dependent. The dependency relationship information may be, for example, information for associating information specifying a dependent term with information specifying a dependent term, or may be other information. Here, the dependent claims are claims dependent on other claims, and may hereinafter be referred to as parent claims. A dependent claim is a claim dependent on another claim, and may be hereinafter referred to as a child claim. The information specifying the claim may be, for example, the number of the claim. Specifically, the information specifying the claim of “Claim 3” may be the number “3” of the claim. The data format of the dependency relationship information does not matter. The dependency relationship information may be, for example, DBMS table data, two-dimensional array data, or CSV format data. A specific method by which the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 acquires dependency relationship information will be described later.

  The dependency relationship information accumulating unit 13 accumulates the dependency relationship information acquired by the dependency relationship information acquiring unit 12 in a predetermined recording medium. This recording medium is, for example, a semiconductor memory, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like, and may be included in the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 or may exist outside the dependency relationship information storage unit 13. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the dependency information storage unit 13 has the recording medium. Further, this recording medium may or may not temporarily store dependency relationship information.

  The claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 generates a claim dependency relationship diagram using the dependency relationship information accumulated by the dependency relationship information accumulation unit 13. Here, the claim dependency diagram is a diagram showing the dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data. By looking at the claim dependency diagram displayed on the monitor and the claim dependency diagram printed on paper or the like, the dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data can be understood. The claim dependency diagram generated by the claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 may be vector data, raster data, or any data format. Here, in the present embodiment, “vector data” is data that is not raster data and is used to create data for raster data. When the claim dependency diagram is vector data, the claim dependency diagram can indicate both the data before rasterization and the data after rasterization. However, when data before rasterization is shown, it may be referred to as “claim dependency diagram data”.

  The claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 includes a claim graphic generation unit 21, a vertical connection line generation unit 22, an intersection graphic generation unit 23, and a claim dependency relationship storage unit 24. In the following description, the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the like mean the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the like when the claim dependency diagram is displayed.

  The claim graphic generating means 21 generates a claim graphic in the claim dependency diagram. The claim graphic is a graphic corresponding to each claim included in the claim data. The claim graphic is preferably a graphic showing information that can identify each claim, for example, a claim number. The claimed figure may be constituted by vector data, may be constituted by raster data, or may be constituted by a character code. The claim graphic generating means 21 has the same height as the claim graphic corresponding to the claim with the number one prior to the number of the claim corresponding to the claim graphic. Or, it is generated so as to be downward. Therefore, in the claim dependency diagram, the claim graphics are displayed from top to bottom in ascending order of claim numbers. It should be noted that generating the claim graphic is not particularly limited as long as it is a process for finally specifying the position of the claim graphic in the claim dependency diagram. Therefore, generating the claim graphic may include, for example, a process for generating the claim graphic itself, or may be a process for determining the position of the claim graphic stored in a recording medium (not shown). . Further, in the present embodiment, the claim graphic generating means 21 is arranged so that the claim graphic is lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim number one prior to the corresponding claim number. The case where a claim figure is produced | generated is demonstrated.

  The vertical connection line generation means 22 generates a vertical connection line on the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim. A vertical connection line is a line that extends downward from a claim graphic corresponding to a claim that is indicated by dependent information as a dependent claim. The vertical connection line may include a line that does not extend in the vertical direction, that is, a horizontal line, as long as the vertical connection line includes a line extending in the vertical direction (may be inclined). This vertical connection line may be constituted by vector data, may be constituted by raster data, or may be constituted by a character code. The generation of the vertical connection line is not particularly limited as long as it is a process for finally specifying the position of the vertical connection line in the claim dependency diagram. Therefore, generating the vertical connection line may include, for example, a process of generating the vertical connection line itself, or may be a process of determining the position of the vertical connection line stored in a recording medium (not shown). .

  The intersection graphic generation means 23 generates a horizontal connection line on the left side from the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated as dependent by the dependency relationship information. Here, the horizontal connection line is a line extending with respect to the vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the dependent subject dependent on the claim indicated by the dependency relation information as the dependent claim. This horizontal connection line may be constituted by vector data, may be constituted by raster data, or may be constituted by a character code. The intersection graphic generation means 23 generates a horizontal connection line and generates an intersection graphic at a position where the vertical connection line extending from the dependent term and the horizontal connection line extending from the dependent term intersect. Here, the intersection graphic is a graphic indicating an intersection. The existence of this intersection graphic makes clear the dependency of the claims. That is, even if a horizontal connecting line extending from one claim intersects with a vertical connecting line extending from another claim, if there is no intersection figure at the intersecting position, the two claims are dependent. You can see that it is not. This intersection graphic may be constituted by vector data, may be constituted by raster data, or may be constituted by a character code. The generation of the horizontal connection line is not particularly limited as long as it is a process for finally specifying the position of the horizontal connection line in the claim dependency diagram. Therefore, generating the horizontal connection line may include, for example, a process of generating the horizontal connection line itself, or may be a process of determining the position of the horizontal connection line stored in a recording medium (not shown). . The generation of the intersection graphic may be any process that finally specifies the position of the intersection graphic in the claim dependency relationship diagram, and the process is not limited. Therefore, generating the intersection graphic may include, for example, a process of generating the intersection graphic itself, or may be a process of determining the position of the intersection graphic stored in a recording medium (not shown). The intersection graphic may be, for example, a filled circular graphic, a filled square graphic, a filled triangular graphic, or other graphic. .

  The claim dependency diagram storage means 24 stores a claim dependency diagram. This claim dependency diagram is generated by the claim graphic generation means 21, the vertical connection line generation means 22, and the intersection graphic generation means 23. The claim dependency diagram storage means 24 can be realized by a predetermined recording medium (for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc.).

  The claim data storage unit 11 and the claim dependency relationship storage unit 24 may be realized by the same recording medium or may be realized by separate recording media. In the former case, the area in which the claim data is stored is the claim data storage unit 11, and the area in which the claim dependency diagram is stored is the claim dependency diagram storage unit 24.

  The output unit 15 outputs the claim dependency diagram generated by the claim dependency diagram generation unit 14. Here, the output may be, for example, display on a display device (for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display), transmission via a communication line to a predetermined device, printing by a printer, or output to a recording medium. It may be accumulated. The output unit 15 may or may not include an output device (for example, a display device or a printer). The output unit 15 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives these devices.

  Next, the operation of the claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described using a flowchart. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1.

  (Step S101) The claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 determines whether it is time to generate a claim dependency diagram. This timing may be every predetermined period, may be triggered by a predetermined event (for example, an instruction to generate a claim dependency diagram is received), or other timing It may be. If it is time to generate a claim dependency diagram, the process proceeds to step S102. If not, the process of step S101 is repeated until it is time to generate a claim dependency diagram. This determination may be performed by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, the claim dependency relationship diagram generation unit 14, and the like, or may be performed by a control unit (not illustrated) included in the claim dependency relationship generation device 1.

  (Step S102) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 acquires dependency relationship information using the claim data. Then, the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 stores the dependency relationship information in a predetermined recording medium. Details of the process of acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S103) The claim dependency diagram generator 14 generates a claim dependency diagram. Details of the process for generating the claim dependency diagram will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S104) The output unit 15 outputs the claim dependency diagram generated by the claim dependency diagram generator 14. Then, the process returns to step S101.
In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process is terminated by powering off or a process termination interrupt.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of the process (step S102) of acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information in the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S201) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 sets the counter i to 1.
(Step S202) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 reads the data of claim i from the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11.

  (Step S203) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines whether the claim i is a dependent claim. When the claim i cites another claim, that is, when there is a description that cites another claim in the claim i, the subordinate relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines that the claim i is a subordinate claim. Judge that there is. If it is a dependent item, the process proceeds to step S204. If not, the process proceeds to step S207.

  (Step S204) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 specifies the dependent claims of claim i, that is, the claims cited in claim i. Here, a specific method for specifying a dependent term will be described.

[When there is one dependent term]
In general, in the data of claim i, the dependent claim is referred to as “claim N” (N is an arbitrary integer greater than or equal to 1), so the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 uses the number “ N ”is specified as the number of the claim corresponding to the dependent claim.

[When there are two dependents]
In general, in the data of claim i, the dependent claims are “claim M or claim N”, “claim M or N”, “claim M, N” (M and N are any integers greater than or equal to 1). Therefore, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 identifies the claim M and the numbers “M” and “N” of the claim N as the claim numbers corresponding to the dependent claims.

[When there are more than two dependents]
In general, in the data of claim i, the dependent claims are “Claim M to N”, “Claim M to N”, “Claim M to N”, “Claim M to N”, “ "Claim M to Claim N", "Claim M to N", "Claim M, ..., Claim N", "Claim M, ..., N", etc. (M and N are any integers greater than or equal to 1) ), The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 uses the numbers from the claim M to the claim N, “M”,..., “N” as the claim numbers corresponding to the dependent claims. Identify.

  The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 holds the above-mentioned “claim M to claim N”, “claim M or claim N”, etc. as a pattern, and uses the pattern matching technique to determine the dependent claim. In the case of three or more, if there are two dependent terms, the dependent terms may be specified in the order in which there is one dependent term. This dependent claim is specified by, for example, storing a claim number corresponding to the dependent claim on a recording medium (not shown) or setting a flag in association with the claim number corresponding to the dependent claim. It is done by things.

  (Step S205) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 generates dependency relationship information related to the dependency relationship between claim i and the dependent claim of claim i. This dependency relationship information may be, for example, information associating the claim i as a child claim and the dependent claim of the claim i as a parent claim.

(Step S206) The dependency relationship information storage unit 13 stores the dependency relationship information generated by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 in step S205 in a predetermined recording medium. If the dependency relationship information is already stored in the recording medium, the dependency relationship information generated in step S205 is added.
(Step S207) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 increments the counter i by one.

  (Step S208) The dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines whether or not the claim i exists in the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11. If it exists, the process returns to step S202. If it does not exist, the series of processes for acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information ends, and the process proceeds to step S103.

  The flow chart of FIG. 3 describes the case where the processing proceeds in order from claim 1. However, since claim 1 cannot be a dependent claim, the processing proceeds from claim 2. Also good.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of the process (step S103) for generating the claim dependency diagram in the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S301) The claim graphic generating means 21 sets a counter i to 1.

  (Step S302) The claim graphic generation means 21 reads the dependency relationship information related to claim i from the dependency relationship information storage unit 13. Here, the dependency relationship information related to claim i is dependency relationship information indicating a dependency relationship in which claim i becomes a dependent claim or a dependent claim. When claim i is an independent claim, there is no dependency relationship information related to claim i. In that case, the claim graphic generating means 21 reads null dependency information.

  (Step S303) The claim graphic generation means 21 determines whether claim i is dependent on another claim, using the dependency relationship information read in step S302. Specifically, the claim graphic generation means 21 determines that the claim i is subordinate to another claim when the subordinate relationship in which the claim i becomes a subordinate claim is indicated by the subordinate relationship information. If the claim i is dependent on another claim, the process proceeds to step S304. Otherwise, that is, if the claim i is an independent claim, the process proceeds to step S306.

  (Step S304) The claim graphic generating means 21 is lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim (i-1) and on the right side of the vertical connection line extending from the dependent claim on which the claim i is dependent. Then, a claim graphic corresponding to claim i is generated. The claim graphic is generated by specifying the claim graphic image displayed in the claim dependency diagram and the position at which the claim graphic image is displayed, and including the claim graphic including the claim graphic. Generating a relationship diagram. As described above, the image of the claim graphic may be an image stored in advance in a recording medium (not shown).

  (Step S305) The intersection graphic generation means 23 generates a horizontal connection line and an intersection graphic for the claim graphic corresponding to claim i. The details of the process of generating the horizontal connection line and the intersection graphic will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S306) The claim graphic generating means 21 generates a claim graphic corresponding to claim i on the left side below the claim graphic corresponding to claim (i-1).

  (Step S307) The claim graphic generation means 21 determines whether another claim is dependent on the claim i using the dependency relationship information read in step S302. Specifically, the claim graphic generation unit 21 determines that another claim is subordinate to the claim i when the subordinate relationship in which the claim i becomes the dependent claim is indicated by the subordinate relationship information. . If another claim is dependent on claim i, the process proceeds to step S308. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S309.

(Step S308) The vertical connection line generation means 22 generates a vertical connection line on the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to claim i so as to extend downward from the claim graphic. The end point of the vertical connection line, that is, the end point on the opposite side of the claim graphic may be, for example, the lowest position in the claim dependency diagram, or the position corresponding to the dependent claim of claim i. Good. Note that the generation of a vertical connection line means that the image of the vertical connection line displayed in the claim dependency diagram and the position where the image of the vertical connection line is displayed are specified, and the claim dependency including the vertical connection line is specified. Generating a relationship diagram. If the thickness or the like of the vertical connecting line is determined in advance, only the display position may be determined.
(Step S309) The claim graphic generating means 21 increments the counter i by one.

  (Step S310) The claim graphic generation means 21 determines whether or not the claim i exists in the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11. If it exists, the process returns to step S302. If it does not exist, the series of processes for generating the claim dependency diagram ends, and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the case where the claim graphic generation unit 21 performs management of the counter i and determination using the dependency relationship information has been described. However, other components may perform these processes. These processes may be distributed by two or more components, or a dedicated control means (not shown) for performing these processes may be provided.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, it has been described that the claim graphic generation means 21 generates the claim dependency diagram so that the claim graphic corresponding to the independent claim is leftmost in step S306. Also good. For example, the claim graphic generation means 21 may generate a claim dependency diagram so that the corresponding claim graphic is on the right side as the claim number is increased.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the case where the vertical connection line corresponding to a certain claim graphic is generated in one process in step S308 has been described. However, when generating the horizontal connection line, the vertical connection line is shortened. If the two do not intersect, the process of extending the vertical connection line may be performed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the process (step S305) for generating the horizontal connection line and the intersection graphic in the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S401) The intersection graphic generation means 23 sets the counter j to 1.

  (Step S <b> 402) The intersection graphic generation means 23, to the vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the j-th dependent claim among the dependent claims that are dependent on the claim i, It is determined whether or not a horizontal connection line extends from the claim graphic corresponding to claim i. If it is extended, the process proceeds to step S404. If it is not extended, the process proceeds to step S403. For example, in the case where the horizontal connection line has already extended from the claim graphic corresponding to claim i, the coordinates of the end points of the vertical connection line and the coordinates of the end points of the horizontal connection line are determined. You may acquire and judge by whether an intersection exists in a connection line of both. When the intersection exists, the determination result is “Yes”. It should be noted that if the horizontal connecting line does not extend from the claim graphic corresponding to claim i, the determination result is of course “No”.

  (Step S403) The intersection graphic generation means 23 generates a horizontal connection line from the claim graphic corresponding to the claim i to the vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the j-th dependent claim. Note that generating a horizontal connection line means that the image of the horizontal connection line displayed in the claim dependency relationship diagram and the position where the image of the horizontal connection line is displayed are specified, and the claim dependency including the horizontal connection line is specified. Generating a relationship diagram. If the thickness or the like of the horizontal connection line is determined in advance, it is only necessary to determine the display position.

(Step S <b> 404) The intersection graphic generation means 23 determines the intersection point between the horizontal connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to claim i and the vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the j-th dependent claim. Generate a figure. To generate an intersection graphic, specify an image of the intersection graphic displayed in the claim dependency diagram and a position where the image of the intersection graphic is displayed, and generate a claim dependency diagram including the intersection graphic It is to be. As described above, the image of the intersection graphic may be an image stored in advance in a recording medium (not shown).
(Step S405) The intersection graphic generation means 23 increments the counter j by 1.

  (Step S406) The intersection graphic generation means 23 determines whether or not the j-th dependent term exists. If it exists, the process returns to step S402. If it does not exist, the series of processes for generating the horizontal connection line and the intersection graphic is completed, and the process proceeds to step S307.

  Next, the operation of the claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, the claim dependency diagram generation apparatus 1 is a PC (Personal Computer), and the output unit 15 displays the claim dependency diagram on a display connected to the PC.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11 in this specific example. As shown in FIG. 6, the claim data indicates the text of six claims.

  It is assumed that the user operates the claim dependency diagram generation apparatus 1 and inputs an instruction to start generating the claim dependency diagram. Then, the instruction is accepted, and the claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 determines that it is time to generate the claim dependency relationship diagram (step S101). Then, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 execute a process of acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information (step S102).

  The process of acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information will be specifically described. First, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 reads the data of claim 1 from the complaint data storage unit 11 (steps S201 and S202). Here, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 reads, as data of claim 1, from the text next to [claim 1] to the text before [claim 2].

  Next, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines whether claim 1 is a dependency item (step S203). Since the read-out data of claim 1 does not include a description that cites another claim, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines that claim 1 is not a dependent claim but an independent claim, The process proceeds to the process related to claim 2 (steps S207 and S208).

  In the same manner as described above, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 reads the data of claim 2 from the claim data of FIG. 6 (step S202), and determines whether claim 2 is a dependent claim (step S203). Since the read data of claim 2 includes a description that cites another claim, that is, a description of “claim 1”, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 determines that claim 2 is dependent on claim 2. It is judged that. Then, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 specifies the claim by acquiring the number “1” of the “claim 1” and temporarily storing it on a recording medium (not shown) (step S204). Thereafter, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 sets the dependency relationship information having the temporarily stored claim number “1” as a parent claim and the currently-focused “claim 2” number “2” as a child claim. It is generated (step S205) and passed to the dependency relationship information storage unit 13. The dependency relationship information storage unit 13 stores the generated dependency relationship information in a predetermined recording medium (step S206). The first record of the dependency relationship information shown in FIG. 7 is accumulated in this way. Next, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 proceeds to the processing related to claim 3 (steps S207 and S208).

  As described above, by repeating the process of acquiring the dependency relationship information and the process of accumulating, the dependency relationship information is finally as shown in FIG. Then, the claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 executes a process of generating a claim dependency relationship diagram (step S103).

  A process for generating the claim dependency diagram will be specifically described. First, the claim graphic generation means 21 reads the dependency relationship information related to claim 1 from the dependency relationship information shown in FIG. 7 held in the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 (steps S301 and S302). In FIG. 7, since the records in which claim 1 is included in the parent claim or the child claim are the first, third, and fifth records, the claim graphic generation means 21 reads these records.

  Next, the claim graphic generating means 21 determines whether claim 1 is subordinate to another claim (step S303). This determination may be made based on whether claim 1 is included in the child claims of the read dependency relationship information. In this case, since claim 1 is not included in the child claims of the read dependency relationship information, the claim graphic generation means 21 determines that claim 1 is an independent claim, and claims dependency diagram A claim graphic corresponding to claim 1 is generated so as to be the leftmost (step S306).

  Here, the generation of the claim graphic will be described. The claim figure corresponding to claim 1 is a figure described as "claim 1" and surrounded by a square frame, as shown in the claim dependency diagram of FIG. The claim graphic generating means 21 generates the claim graphic and determines the position where the claim graphic is displayed.

  Note that the position in the claim dependency diagram is specified by the coordinates (x, y) with the x axis set to the right and the y axis set to the bottom with the upper left of the claim dependency diagram as the origin. To do. Further, the position of the claim graphic is represented by the center position of the right side of the claim graphic. In addition, the x-axis value of the claim graphic corresponding to the independent term is “45”. The x-axis value of the claim graphic displayed Nth from the left is assumed to be “45 × N”. Further, it is assumed that the y-axis value of the claim graphic corresponding to claim N is “14 × N + 11”. The length of the claim graphic in the x-axis direction is “35”, and the length in the y-axis direction is “14”.

  Then, the claim graphic generating means 21 generates a claim graphic corresponding to claim 1, and associates the claim graphic with position information (45, 25) which is information indicating the coordinates of the claim graphic. And stored in the claim dependency diagram storage means 24. The first record in FIG. 9 is the data of the claim dependency diagram generated as described above. In FIG. 9, graphic information and position information are associated with each other. For example, in the first record of the claim dependency diagram, the claim graphic “Claim1.gif” corresponding to claim 1 is associated with the position of the graphic in the claim dependency diagram. As a result, when the claim dependency diagram corresponding to the first record in FIG. 9 is displayed, the claim graphic 101 is displayed as shown in FIG.

  Next, the claim graphic generation means 21 determines whether another claim is dependent on the claim 1 (step S307). This determination may be made based on whether claim 1 is included in the parent claim of the dependency relationship information read in step S302. In this case, since claim 1 is included in the parent claim of the read dependency relationship information, the claim graphic generation means 21 determines that another claim is dependent on claim 1, and claim 1 Among the claims subordinate to, obtain the highest number of the claim. Here, as described above, since the first, third, and fifth records in FIG. 7 are read out, the largest number of the claims subordinate to claim 1 is “5”.

  Here, when the largest number of the claim subordinate to claim i is “N”, the vertical connection line generating means 22 “5” from the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to claim i in the x-axis direction. The vertical connection line is extended by “,” and then the vertical connection line is extended in the y-axis direction until the y-axis value becomes “14 × N + 11”.

  In this case, the vertical connection line generation means 22 receives the largest number “5” of the claim subordinate to claim 1 from the claim graphic generation means 21, and receives the right of the claim graphic corresponding to claim 1. It extends from (x, y) = (45, 25) to (x, y) = (50, 25), and from (x, y) = (50, 25) to (x, y) = (50 , 81) is generated. Specifically, the vertical connection line generation unit 22 generates the vertical connection line corresponding to claim 1 by storing the second record of FIG. 9 in the claim dependency diagram storage unit 24 (step S308). . In the second record of FIG. 9, the graphic information “Line” indicates that the corresponding graphic is a line. The corresponding position information indicates the positions of the end points of the vertical connection lines and the via points. When the claim dependency diagram corresponding to the first and second records in FIG. 9 is displayed, the claim graphic 101 and the vertical connection line 201 are displayed as shown in FIG.

  Next, the claim graphic generation means 21 reads the dependency relationship information related to claim 2 from the dependency relationship information shown in FIG. 7 (steps S309, S310, S302). In FIG. 7, since the records in which claim 2 is included in the parent claim or the child claim are the first, second and sixth records, the claim graphic generation means 21 reads out these records.

  Next, the claim graphic generation means 21 determines that claim 2 is subordinate to another claim since claim 2 is included in the child claims of the read dependency relationship information (step S303). . The claim graphic generation means 21 generates a claim graphic corresponding to claim 2 on the right side of the vertical connection line of claim 1 on which claim 2 is dependent, that is, at the second position from the left. . Specifically, the claim graphic generating means 21 generates a claim graphic “Claim2.gif” corresponding to claim 2, and associates the claim graphic with the position information (90, 39) to claim dependency relationship. It accumulates in the figure storage means 24 (step S304). The third record in FIG. 9 is the data of the claim dependency diagram generated as described above.

  Next, the intersection graphic generation means 23 generates a horizontal connection line extending from the claim graphic 102 corresponding to claim 2 and an intersection graphic (step S305). Specifically, the intersection graphic generation means 23 receives, from the claim graphic generation means 21, the dependency relationship information in which the claim 2 is included in the child claim, that is, the first record in FIG. Whether or not the horizontal connection line extends from the claim graphic 102 corresponding to claim 2 to the vertical connection line 201 extending from the claim graphic 101 corresponding to claim 1 which is a dependent claim of claim 2. Judgment is made (steps S401 and S402). In this case, since the horizontal connection line does not extend from the claim graphic 102 corresponding to claim 2, the intersection graphic generation means 23 determines that the horizontal connection line does not extend, and corresponds to claim 2. A horizontal connection line is generated from the claim graphic 102 to the vertical connection line 201 (step S403). Specifically, the fourth record of FIG. 9 is stored in the claim dependency diagram storage means 24 so as to be a horizontal connection line from the claim graphic 102 to the vertical connection line 201.

  Next, the intersection graphic generation means 23 generates an intersection graphic at the position of the intersection between the generated horizontal connection line and the vertical connection line 201 extending from the claim graphic 101 corresponding to claim 1 (step S404). ). Specifically, the intersection graphic generation means 23 generates an intersection graphic “Node1.gif” which is a filled circular graphic, and the intersection graphic corresponds to position information (50, 39) indicating the position of the intersection. In addition, it is stored in the claim dependency diagram storage means 24. The fifth record in FIG. 9 is accumulated in this way. When the claim dependency diagram corresponding to the first to fifth records in FIG. 9 is displayed, it is as shown in FIG.

  Since claim 2 is dependent on claim 1 only, the process of generating the horizontal connection line and the intersection graphic is finished (steps S405 and S406), and the vertical connection line generation means 22 performs the vertical connection in the same manner as described above. A connection line is generated (steps S307 and S308). The sixth record in FIG. 9 is accumulated in this way.

  In this way, it is assumed that the process of generating the claim dependency diagram has been completed up to claim 6. Then, the output unit 15 reads out the claim dependency relationship diagram stored in the claim dependency relationship storage means 24 and displays it on the display (step S104). FIG. 12 shows the claim dependency relationship diagram thus displayed. is there. In FIG. 12, claim graphics 101 to 106 corresponding to each claim, vertical connection lines 201 to 204, horizontal connection lines 301 to 304, and intersection graphics 401 to 408 are displayed. By viewing this display, the user can easily grasp the dependency relationship of the claims visually. For example, a horizontal connection line 303 extending from the claim graphic 104 corresponding to claim 4 intersects with a vertical connection line 202 extending from the claim graphic 102 corresponding to claim 2, but at the intersection. It can be seen that claim 4 is not dependent on claim 2 because there is no figure. Further, the claim graphic 106 corresponding to claim 6 is displayed on the leftmost side, and the vertical connection line does not extend from the claim graphic 106, so that the claim 6 is an independent claim, and other claims. It is easy to see that is not dependent.

  The vertical connection line in this specific example is an example, and the vertical connection line may be a line that does not have a horizontal portion and extends immediately downward from the right side of the claim graphic.

  In addition, in this specific example, the claim dependency diagrams such as FIGS. 8 and 10 show the outline of the display based on the data of the claim dependency diagram shown in FIG. Is not accurate.

  Further, in this specific example, the case where the claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 generates a claim dependency diagram of vector data has been described. However, as described above, the claim dependency diagram generation unit 14 determines the claim dependency of raster data. A relationship diagram may be generated. In that case, the process of specifying the image of the claim graphic and the display position thereof adds the image of the claim graphic to the corresponding display position in the claim dependency diagram as raster data. .

  Further, in this specific example, the case where each figure is generated in the order of the claim figure, the horizontal connection line, the intersection figure, and the vertical connection line has been described for a certain claim. However, the order in which those figures are generated does not matter.

  As described above, the claim dependency diagram generating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment generates a claim dependency diagram indicating a claim dependency from the claim data, thereby visually recognizing the claim without reading the claim data. Dependencies can be known. In this claim dependency diagram, since only one claim graphic corresponding to a claim is displayed for each claim, the claim dependency relationship can be easily grasped. Further, the claim dependency relationship diagram can be generated without executing complicated processing.

(Embodiment 2)
A claim detection apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The claim detection apparatus according to this embodiment is capable of detecting a claim dependent on a multiple claim subordinate to a claim dependent on a multiple claim.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the claim detection device 3 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 13, the claim detection device 3 according to the present embodiment includes a claim data storage unit 11, a dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, a dependency relationship information storage unit 13, a detection unit 31, and an output unit 32. . The configuration and operation of the complaint data storage unit 11, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The detecting unit 31 uses the dependency relationship information accumulated by the dependency relationship information accumulating unit 13 to detect a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. Here, the claim dependent on multiple claims is a claim dependent on two or more claims, and may be called a multi-claim. A multiple dependent claim dependent on a multiple dependent claim is a claim having a multiple dependent claim as at least one of the dependent claims. According to the dependency relationship information, the detection unit 31 has one claim (referred to as claim A) dependent on two or more claims, and a claim dependent on claim A (referred to as claim B). When dependent on other claims, it is detected that claim B is a multiple claim dependent on multiple claims.

  The output unit 32 outputs dependent claim information. Here, the dependent claim information is information relating to a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim detected by the detection unit 31. The dependent claim information indicates which claim is a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim. The dependent claim information may be, for example, information indicating the number of a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim, or may be information indicating the number of a non-multi-claim dependent claim. The output unit 32 may use the detection result itself of the detection unit 31 as dependent claim information, or may configure the dependent claim information based on the detection result of the detection unit 31. Here, the output may be, for example, display on a display device (for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display), transmission via a communication line to a predetermined device, printing by a printer, or audio output by a speaker. However, it may be stored in a recording medium. The output unit 32 may or may not include an output device (for example, a display device or a printer). The output unit 32 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives these devices.

  Next, operation | movement of the claim detection apparatus 3 by this Embodiment is demonstrated using a flowchart. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the claim detection apparatus 3. Note that the processing in step S102 of the flowchart of FIG. 14 is the same as that of the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S501) The claim detection device 3 determines whether or not it is time to detect a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim. This timing may be every predetermined period, or may be triggered by a predetermined event (for example, receiving an instruction to detect a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim) Other timings may be used. If it is time to detect multi-claims subordinate to multi-claims, the process proceeds to step S102; otherwise, the process of step S501 is repeated until it is time to detect multi-claims subordinate to multi-claims. . This determination may be performed by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, the detection unit 31, or the like, or may be performed by a control unit (not illustrated) included in the claim detection device 3.

  (Step S502) The detection unit 31 detects a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim. The details of the process for detecting a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S503) The output unit 32 outputs dependent claim information. Then, the process returns to step S501.
In the flowchart of FIG. 14, the process is terminated by powering off or a process termination interrupt.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of a process (step S502) for detecting a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim in the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S601) The detection unit 31 sets a counter i to 3.

  (Step S602) The detection unit 31 refers to the dependency relationship information accumulated by the dependency relationship information accumulation unit 13, and determines whether the claim i is a multi-claim. If the dependency relationship information indicates that claim i is dependent on two or more claims, the detection unit 31 determines that claim i is a multi-claim. If it is a multi-claim, the process proceeds to step S603, and if not, the process proceeds to step S606. The reason why the counter i is set to 3 instead of 1 in step S601 is that claims 1 and 2 are not likely to be multi-claims.

  (Step S603) The detector 31 temporarily stores the number “i” of claim i in a first memory (not shown). In this first memory, the number of the claim of the multi-claim is temporarily stored.

  (Step S604) The detection unit 31 determines whether or not there is a multi-claim in the dependent claim that is the claim to which the claim i is dependent. The detecting unit 31 acquires the numbers of two or more dependent claims that the claim i is dependent on by the dependency relationship information, and determines whether any of those numbers is temporarily stored in the first memory. . If it is temporarily stored, it is determined that there is a multi-claim in the dependent claim of claim i, and the process proceeds to step S605. Otherwise, there is a multi-claim in the dependent claim of claim i. It judges that it does not carry out, and progresses to step S606.

(Step S605) The detector 31 temporarily stores the number “i” of claim i in a second memory (not shown). In this second memory, the number of the claim of the multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim is temporarily stored.
(Step S606) The detection unit 31 increments the counter i by 1.

  (Step S607) The detection unit 31 refers to the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11, and determines whether the claim i exists. If the claim i exists, the process returns to step S602; otherwise, the series of processes for detecting a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim ends, and the process proceeds to step S503.

  Next, the operation of the claim detection device 3 according to the present embodiment will be described using a specific example. Also in this specific example, as in the specific example of the first embodiment, the claim detection device 3 is a PC, and the output unit 32 displays the dependent claim information on a display connected to the PC. .

  It is assumed that the user operates the claim detection device 3 and inputs an instruction to start processing for detecting a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim. Then, the instruction is accepted, and the claim detection device 3 determines that it is time to detect a multi-claim that is subordinate to the multi-claim (step S501). Then, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 execute a process of acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information (step S102). It is assumed that the process for generating the dependency relationship information is the same as the specific example of the first embodiment. That is, it is assumed that the claim data storage unit 11 stores the claim data shown in FIG. 6, and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 holds the dependency relationship information shown in FIG.

  Next, the detection unit 31 executes a process for detecting a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim (step S502). Specifically, first, the detection unit 31 determines whether or not two or more records whose claim 3 is included in the child claim exists in the dependency relationship information of FIG. 7 (steps S601 and S602). In FIG. 7, since it does not exist, the detection unit 31 determines that claim 3 is not a multi-claim, and proceeds to the process of claim 4 (steps S606 and S607).

  Since two records in which claim 4 is included in a child claim exist in the dependency relationship information of FIG. 7, the detection unit 31 determines that claim 4 is a multi-claim (step S602). Then, the number “4” of claim 4 is temporarily stored in a first memory (not shown). The claim number of the first memory temporarily stored in this way is indicated by the first record in FIG.

  Next, the detection unit 31 acquires the number of the claim on which the claim 4 is dependent from the dependent claim information of FIG. In this case, the claim numbers “1” and “3” are acquired. Then, the detection unit 31 determines whether any of the numbers “1” and “3” in the claims is temporarily stored in the first memory. In this case, since it is not temporarily stored, the detection unit 31 determines that there is no multi-claim in the dependent claim of claim 4 (step S604), and proceeds to the processing of claim 5 (steps S606 and S607). ).

  Similarly to the case of claim 4, the detecting unit 31 determines that claim 5 is multi-claim (step S602), and temporarily stores the number “5” of claim 5 in a first memory (not shown). The claim number of the first memory temporarily stored in this way is indicated by the second record in FIG.

  Next, the detection unit 31 acquires the number of the claim on which the claim 5 is dependent from the dependent claim information of FIG. In this case, the claims number “1”, “2”, “3”, “4” are acquired. Then, the detection unit 31 determines whether or not any of the numbers “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” in the claims is temporarily stored in the first memory. In this case, since “4” is temporarily stored, the detection unit 31 determines that there is a multi-claim in the dependent claim of claim 5 (step S604), and sets the number “5” of claim 5 Temporarily stored in a second memory (not shown) (step S605). FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the claim numbers of the second memory temporarily stored as described above. Thereafter, the detection unit 31 proceeds to the process of claim 6 (steps S606 and S607).

  Since claim 6 is an independent claim, the detection unit 31 determines that claim 6 is not a multi-claim (step S602), and the process of detecting a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim ends (step S606). S607).

  After that, the output unit 32 reads the multi-claim number “5” subordinate to the multi-claim from the second memory (not shown), forms dependent claim information indicating the number, and displays it on the display (step S503). FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of dependent claim information displayed on the display as described above. By this display, the user can know that claim 5 is a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim. Note that the dependent claim information shown in FIG. 18 is an example, and if the user can know which claim is a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim, the content of the dependent claim information is It doesn't matter.

  As described above, the claim detection apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment acquires dependency information from the claim data, detects a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim based on the dependency information, and determines the dependent claim information. , The user can easily know which claims are multi-claims subordinate to the multi-claims. For example, some countries, such as the United States, prohibit multiple claims subordinate to multiple claims from being stated in the claims. It is not necessary to perform complicated operations such as reading and determining the presence or absence of multi-claims subordinate to the multi-claim, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the claim detection apparatus 3 for detecting a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim has been described. However, the detection of the multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim is illustrated in the claim dependency relationship diagram described in the first embodiment. The generation device may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the claim dependency diagram generation device 4 includes a claim data storage unit 11, a dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, a dependency relationship information storage unit 13, an output unit 15, and a detection unit 31. And a claim dependency diagram generation unit 41. Configurations and operations other than the claim dependency diagram generation unit 41 are the same as those described in the first and second embodiments, and a description thereof is omitted. As in the first embodiment, the claim dependency relationship diagram generation unit 41 includes claim graphic generation means 21, vertical connection line generation means 22, intersection graphic generation means 23, and claim dependency relationship storage means 24. At the same time, a claim dependency diagram that distinguishes a claim graphic corresponding to a multi-claim dependent on the multi-claim detected by the detection unit 31 from a claim graphic corresponding to a non-multi-claim dependent claim is generated. It shall be.

  Here, a method for making a claim graphic corresponding to a multi-claim dependent on a multi-claim different from a claim graphic corresponding to a non-claim is described. For example, when claim 5 is a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim, a claim graphic corresponding to claim 5 may be highlighted. As the highlighting, for example, the claim graphic 105 corresponding to claim 5 is set to a double frame as shown in FIG. 20, the claim graphic 105 is set to another color, and the claim graphic 105 blinks. It may be displayed. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, a claim graphic 105 corresponding to claim 5 is appended with a balloon or the like indicating that claim 5 is a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim. The figure 105 may be distinguishable from other claim figures. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, by making the horizontal connection line corresponding to claim graphic 105 corresponding to claim 5 a thick line, the claim graphic 105 can be distinguished from other claim graphics. May be. As described above, there is no limitation on a method for making a claim graphic corresponding to a multi-claim dependent on a multi-claim different from a claim graphic corresponding to a non-claim.

  In the first embodiment, the claim graphic generation means 21 charges the claim graphic so that the claim graphic is lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim number one prior to the corresponding claim number. As described above, the case of generating a term graphic has been described. As described above, the claim graphic generating means 21 is configured such that the claim graphic corresponds to the claim graphic, and one claim graphic corresponds to the claim graphic. You may produce | generate so that it may become the same height as the claim figure corresponding to the claim of the number before one number. However, when a certain claim A is dependent only on the preceding claim (A-1), the claim figure generating means 21 claims the claim figure corresponding to the claim A (A-). The claim figure is generated so as to have the same height as the claim figure corresponding to 1), and in other cases, the claim figure corresponds to the claim with the number one prior to the number of the corresponding claim. It is preferable to generate the claim graphic so as to be lower than the graphic. The claim dependency diagram generated in this way is as shown in FIG. 23, for example.

  In each of the above embodiments, the vertical (vertical) direction and the horizontal direction used in the description of the creation of the claim dependency diagram may be any other two orthogonal directions in the claim dependency diagram. . For example, “above” described in each of the above embodiments becomes “left” in the new claim dependency diagram, and “below” described in each of the above embodiments becomes “right” in the new claim dependency diagram, “Right” described in each of the above embodiments is “up” in the new claim dependency diagram, and “left” described in each of the above embodiments is “down” in the new claim dependency diagram. Good.

(Embodiment 3)
A claim dependency changing apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The claim dependency changing device according to the present embodiment can change, for example, a claim dependent on multiple claims into a claim that is not so by changing the dependency of claims in the claim data.

  FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the claim dependency changing apparatus 5 according to this embodiment. 24, the claim dependency changing device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a claim data storage unit 11, a dependency relationship information acquiring unit 12, a dependency relationship information accumulating unit 13, a detecting unit 51, and a dependency changing unit 52. And a claim data output unit 53. Note that the configuration and operation of the claim data storage unit 11, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted. The acquisition of the dependency relationship information by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 and the storage of the dependency relationship information by the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 may be different processes performed by different components, for example. A batch process performed by a single component may be used. That is, in the latter case, the dependency relationship information may be stored in a predetermined recording medium at the time when the dependency relationship information is acquired. The recording medium may or may not store information temporarily.

  The detection unit 51 uses the dependency relationship information accumulated by the dependency relationship information accumulation unit 13 to detect at least a claim dependent on multiple terms. That is, when one claim (claim A) is subordinate to two or more claims based on the dependency relationship information, the detecting unit 51 detects the claim A as a multi-subordinate claim. Good. In this case, the detection unit 51 can detect the claim in the same manner as the multi-claim detection method described for the detection unit 31 of the second embodiment.

  Further, the detection unit 51 may detect a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. In this case, the detection unit 51 can detect the claim in the same manner as the detection unit 31 described in the second embodiment.

  In addition, the detection unit 51 may detect a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim. In this case, the detection unit 51 claims that one claim (referred to as claim A) depends on two or more claims based on the dependency relationship information, and a claim dependent on claim A (referred to as claim B). Is dependent on a claim other than claim A, the claim A may be detected as a multiple dependent claim dependent on the multiple dependent claim.

  The dependency changing unit 52 changes the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11 so that at least one of the multiple dependent claims detected by the detecting unit 51 becomes a singular dependent claim. Here, the claim for which the dependency changing unit 52 changes the dependency relationship may be all the multiple dependent claims detected by the detecting unit 51, or the multiple dependent dependents detected by the detecting unit 51. It may be a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim, a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim detected by the detecting unit 51, or other multiple claim dependent The following claims may also be possible. That is, the dependency changing unit 52 may change the claim data so that all the multiple dependent claims detected by the detecting unit 51 become singular dependent claims. Further, the dependency changing unit 52 may change the claim data so that the claim dependent on the multiple claim dependent on the claim dependent on the multiple claim detected by the detection unit 51 becomes the claim dependent on the singular. The dependent change unit 52 may change the claim data so that the multiple dependent claim that is dependent on the multiple dependent claim detected by the detecting unit 51 becomes a single dependent claim.

  Further, the dependency changing unit 52 may change the claim data so that a claim dependent on a multiple term whose dependency relationship is changed becomes a claim dependent on a single term dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. Good.

  In addition, the dependency changing unit 52 changes the claim data so that a claim dependent on a multiple term whose dependency is changed becomes a claim dependent on a single term dependent on one of the dependent claims of the claim. Also good. In this case, the dependency changing unit 52 includes a claim dependent on a single term dependent on a dependent claim having the smallest number among the dependent claims of the claim. You may change claim data so that it may become.

  When changing the dependency relationship in the claim data, the dependency changing unit 52 determines, for example, the dependency expression of multiple claims in the claim (for example, “Claim 1 or 2”, “Claims 1 to 4”, etc. (Representation) is changed to a singular dependent dependency expression (for example, “claim 1” etc.), or when the number of claims increases, the claim expression is copied as necessary. Processing is performed, and when the number of claims increases, processing for renumbering the claim numbers is performed. A specific method for changing the claim data will be described later.

  Further, the dependency changing unit 52 may change the claim data so as to add change information, which is information indicating that the dependency relationship is changed, to the position of the claim where the dependency relationship is changed. Here, the change information may be a specific symbol or mark such as a circle or a star, or may be a comment character string such as “(changed)”, and the dependency relationship has been changed. Other information may be used as long as it is information that can distinguish a claim from a claim whose dependency is not changed. Further, the position at which the change information is added may be, for example, the beginning, end, or between the claims. For example, change information may be added after a claim tag (eg, [Claim 5]).

  The complaint data output unit 53 outputs the complaint data stored in the complaint data storage unit 11. Here, the output may be, for example, display on a display device (for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display), transmission via a communication line to a predetermined device, printing by a printer, or audio output by a speaker. However, it may be stored in a recording medium. The claim data output unit 53 may output the claim data before the dependency change unit 52 changes the dependency relationship, or the claim data whose dependency relationship has been changed after the dependency change unit 52 changes the dependency relationship. May be output. The complaint data output unit 53 may or may not include a device (for example, a display device or a printer) that performs output. The claim data output unit 53 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives these devices.

  Next, the operation of the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus 5 according to this embodiment will be described using a flowchart. FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the claim dependency changing apparatus 5. Note that the processing in step S102 is the same as the flowchart in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  (Step S701) The claim dependency changing device 5 determines whether it is time to change the claim dependency. This timing may be every predetermined period, or may be triggered by a predetermined event (for example, receiving an instruction to change the dependency of a claim). It may be. If it is time to change the claim dependency relationship, the process proceeds to step S102. If not, the process of step S701 is repeated until it is time to change the claim dependency relationship. This determination may be performed by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12, the dependency change unit 52, or the like, or may be performed by a control unit (not shown) included in the claim dependency relationship change device 5.

  (Step S <b> 702) The detection unit 51 and the dependency change unit 52 perform detection of a claim dependent on multiple terms and processing for canceling the dependency relationship on multiple terms. Details of this processing will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S703) The claim data output unit 53 outputs the claim data after the dependency relationship is changed. Then, the process returns to step S701.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 25, although it is determined in step S701 that it is the timing for changing the dependency relationship of the claim, the acquisition and storage processing of dependency relationship information in step S102 is executed. This is an example, and for example, acquisition and accumulation processing of dependency information related to a plurality of claims stored in advance in the claim data storage unit 11 may be executed.

Further, in the flowchart of FIG. 25, the case where the claim data is output after the dependency relation of the claims is changed is shown. However, as described above, the timing of outputting the claim data is arbitrary, and the flowchart of FIG. It is not limited.
Also, in the flowchart of FIG. 25, the processing is ended by powering off or interruption for aborting the processing.

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing details of detection of a claim dependent on multiple terms in the flowchart of FIG. 25 and processing for canceling the dependency relationship on multiple terms (step S702).

  (Step S801) The dependency changing unit 52 sets the counter i to 1, and sets the counter j to 1.

  (Step S802) The detection unit 51 determines whether or not the claim i whose dependency relationship has not been changed by the dependency changing unit 52 (that is, the original) is a multiple-dependent claim. If the claim i is a multiple dependent claim, the process proceeds to step S803. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S804.

  (Step S803) The dependency changing unit 52 changes the claim data so that the multinomial dependency relationship of claim i is resolved. Details of this process will be described later using another flowchart.

  (Step S804) The dependency changing unit 52 sets the claim number of the claim to be changed (here, claim i) to the value of the counter j. The dependent change unit 52 adds the old claim number that is the number of the claim before the change (here, the value of the counter i) and the new claim number that is the number of the claim after the change (here, the value of the counter j). It is assumed that old and new claim correspondence information, which is information associated with a claim number, is stored in a storage medium (not shown).

  (Step S805) The dependency changing unit 52 acquires a new claim number corresponding to the dependent claim of the claim to be changed (the claim whose old claim number is i and whose new claim number is j). More specifically, the dependent change unit 52 acquires the dependent claim number of the claim to be changed, and sets the new claim number associated with the old claim number that is the dependent claim number as the old and new claim correspondence information. Get by referring to. The new claim number becomes the new claim number corresponding to the dependent claim of the claim to be changed.

  (Step S806) The dependency changing unit 52 updates the number of the dependent claim in the claim to be changed to the number acquired in step S805.

  When the claim to be changed is an independent claim, there is no dependent claim. In that case, the dependent change unit 52 does not have to perform the processes of steps S805 and S806.

  (Step S807) The dependency changing unit 52 increments the counter i and the counter j by 1, respectively.

  (Step S808) The dependency changing unit 52 determines whether there is a claim i whose claim number or dependency has not been changed by the dependency changing unit 52. For example, the dependency changing unit 52 may make this determination with reference to the claim data, or may make this determination with reference to the dependency relationship information. If there is a claim that has not been changed, the process returns to step S802. If there is no claim that has not been changed, the process returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  In addition, as described in the above description of the flowchart of FIG. 26, the case where the dependency relation of the claim is changed using the old and new claim correspondence information has been described, but this is an example, and the old and new claim correspondence information is not used. It goes without saying that the dependency of claims may be changed.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 26, the case where the claims included in the claim data are sequentially changed has been described. However, this is an example. For example, all the claims included in the claim data are changed. It is also possible to create information indicating the claim number and the dependent-subject number after the change, and collectively create the claim data after the change using the information.

  Next, a description will be given of a plurality of processes for changing the claim data so as to eliminate the multi-dependent dependency. First, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 27, explanation will be given on the case where the claim data is changed so that all the multiple dependent claims become the singular dependent claims respectively dependent on the dependent claims of the claims. To do. Further, by using the flowchart of FIG. 28, a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim becomes a claim dependent on a single term dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. A case where data is changed will be described. In addition, by using the flowchart of FIG. 29, all the claims dependent on multiple terms become claims dependent on the singular term dependent on the dependent number having the smallest number among the dependent claims of the claim. A case where the complaint data is changed will be described.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing details of the process (step S803) for changing the claim data so that the multi-subordinate dependency relationship in the flowchart of FIG. 26 is resolved. In the flowchart of FIG. 27, as described above, the claim data is changed so that all the multiple dependent claims become single claim dependent claims respectively dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. explain.

  (Step S901) The dependency changing unit 52 sets the counter a to 1.

  (Step S902) The dependent change unit 52 sets the counter b to 1.

  (Step S903) The dependency changing unit 52 acquires the new claim number of the a-th dependent claim of the claim to be changed (here, claim i). More specifically, the dependency changing unit 52 acquires the a-th dependent item number in the claim to be changed (this acquisition can be performed using, for example, dependency relationship information), and the dependent item A new claim number associated with an old claim number, which is a number, is acquired by referring to the old and new claim correspondence information. In this case, when there are two or more new claim numbers corresponding to the a-th dependent item number in the new and old claim correspondence information, the dependency changing unit 52 acquires the two or more new claim numbers. The one or more new claim numbers become the new claim number corresponding to the a-th dependent claim of the claim to be changed. It should be noted that the dependent claims included in the claim to be changed are the first, second,...

  (Step S904) The dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of the claim to be changed to the value of the counter j. Also in this case, as described in step S804 described above, the dependent change unit 52 associates the number of the claim before the change with the number of the claim after the change, and stores it in the old and new claim correspondence information. It shall be.

  (Step S905) The dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependency representation of the claim to be changed using the b-th new claim number among the new claim numbers acquired in step S903. Here, the subordinate expression is a subordinate relation expression, that is, an expression specifying a dependent claim. For example, “claim 1 or 2”, “any one of claims 1 to 5”, “ Claim 5 ”and the like. For example, in the description of a claim, a search is performed using the keywords “claim” and “description”. From the first keyword “claim” to the character preceding the keyword “description” that appears after the keyword May be specified as a dependent expression. The subordinate changing unit 52 updates the subordinate expression of the claim to be changed by replacing the area of the specified subordinate expression with, for example, “claim b”. Although the dependent expression is strictly information of a character string indicating the dependent expression, it is simply referred to as a dependent expression. Further, when the dependent change unit 52 uses, for example, the keywords “claim” and “description”, these keywords are stored in a recording medium (not shown), and the dependent change unit 52 The keyword is read out and used.

  (Step S906) The dependent change unit 52 adds change information to the claims to be changed. As described above, the change information may be, for example, a symbol or mark such as a circle or star, or may be a character string such as (changed). The position where change information is added may be at the beginning, end, or between the claims. For example, the dependent change unit 52 may add change information after a title at the beginning of a claim (for example, a tag of [claim j]).

  (Step S907) The dependent change unit 52 increments the counter b by 1.

  (Step S908) The dependency changing unit 52 determines whether or not the b-th one exists in the new claim number acquired in Step S903. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S909; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S911.

  (Step S909) In the claim data, the dependent change unit 52 copies the claim to be changed, which has been processed so far, and pastes it to the next position of the claim. In the subsequent processing, the attached claim becomes the changed claim.

  (Step S910) The dependent change unit 52 increments the counter j by 1. Then, the process returns to step S904.

  (Step S911) The dependent change unit 52 increments the counter a by 1.

  (Step S912) The dependency changing section 52 determines whether or not the a-th dependent claim exists in the claim i before the change. In addition, in order to be able to make this determination appropriately, in the claim data storage unit 11, a plurality of claims before the change are left in addition to a plurality of claims in which the dependency changing unit 52 changes the dependency relationship. Alternatively, this determination may be made using dependency relationship information indicating the dependency relationship of the claims before the change. If the a-th dependent term exists, the process proceeds to step S913, and if not, the process returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S913) The dependent change unit 52 copies the claim to be changed that has been processed so far in the claim data, and pastes the claim to the next position of the claim. In the subsequent processing, the attached claim becomes the changed claim.

  (Step S914) The dependency changing unit 52 increments the counter j by 1. Then, the process returns to step S902.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 27, when a new claim is created, the claim is copied as it is, the claim number of the copied claim is changed, and the dependent expression is updated. However, this is only an example, and other processes may be performed. For example, it is assumed that information indicating a character string in a claim is divided into head information that is information before the dependent expression, dependent information, and sentence tail information that is information after the dependent expression. When creating a new claim, the head information and the tail information of the claim are copied, and the claim number is changed and the position of the subordinate expression is changed in the copied head information and tail information. A new claim may be created by inserting a new subordinate expression into.

  FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing details of the process for changing the claim data (step S803) so that the multi-part dependency relationship is canceled in the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 28, as described above, a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim becomes a claim dependent on a single term dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. A case where the complaint data is changed will be described.

  (Step S1001) The detection unit 51 determines whether there is a claim dependent on multiple terms in the dependent claims of claim i. If it exists, the process proceeds to step S1002, and if not, the process proceeds to step S1003.

  (Step S1002) The dependency changing unit 52 changes the claim data so that the claim i becomes a claim dependent on a singular term dependent on each dependent claim of the claim i. For example, the processing may be performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. A detailed description of this process is omitted. And it returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S1003) The dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of the claim to be changed (here, claim i) to the value of the counter j. Also in this case, as described in step S804 described above, the dependent change unit 52 associates the number of the claim before the change with the number of the claim after the change, and stores it in the old and new claim correspondence information. It shall be.

  (Step S1004) The dependency changing unit 52 obtains a new claim number corresponding to the dependent claim of the claim to be changed (the claim whose old claim number is i and whose new claim number is j). More specifically, the dependent change unit 52 acquires the dependent claim number of the claim to be changed, and sets the new claim number associated with the old claim number that is the dependent claim number as the old and new claim correspondence information. Get by referring to. The new claim number becomes the new claim number corresponding to the dependent claim of the claim to be changed. Since the claim to be changed includes two or more dependent number, a new claim number is obtained for each.

  (Step S1005) The dependency changing unit 52 updates the number of the dependent claim in the claim to be changed to the corresponding new claim number acquired in step S1004. And it returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  Even when the claim data is changed so that a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim becomes a claim dependent on a single claim dependent on each dependent claim of the claim. The processing can be performed in the same manner as the flowchart of FIG. In that case, in step S1001 of the flowchart of FIG. 28, the detecting unit 51 determines whether there is a claim dependent on multiple claims in the claim dependent on claim i. This determination can be made, for example, by using the dependency relationship information to identify a claim dependent on claim i and determining whether the identified claim is a multiple dependent claim by using, for example, the method described above. It can be done by judging. If there is a multiple-dependent claim in a claim dependent on claim i, the process proceeds to step S1002, and if not (including a case where no dependent claim exists in claim i), The process proceeds to step S1003. Processing other than step S1001 is the same as that described in the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing details of the process (step S803) of changing the claim data so that the multi-part dependency relationship is canceled in the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 29, as described above, all the claims dependent on the multiple terms become the claims dependent on the singular term dependent on the dependent number having the lowest number among the dependent claims of the claim. Next, the case where the claim data is changed will be described.

  (Step S1101) The dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of the claim to be changed (here, claim i) to the value of the counter j. Also in this case, as described in step S804 described above, the dependent change unit 52 associates the number of the claim before the change with the number of the claim after the change, and stores it in the old and new claim correspondence information. It shall be.

  (Step S1102) The dependency changing unit 52 acquires a new claim number corresponding to the dependent claim with the smallest number among the two or more dependent claims of the claim to be changed. More specifically, the dependent change unit 52 acquires the dependent claim number of the claim to be changed, and among the dependent dependent numbers, the new dependent number corresponding to the old claim number of the smallest dependent claim number is obtained. The claim number is obtained by referring to the old and new claim correspondence information.

  (Step S1103) The dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependent expression of the claim to be changed using the new claim number acquired in step S1102. For example, the subordinate expression can be updated in the same manner as described for step S905. Due to the update of the dependent expression, the claim to be changed is changed from the multiple dependent claim to the singular dependent claim.

  (Step S1104) The dependent change unit 52 adds change information to the claims to be changed. For example, the change information can be added in the same manner as described for step S906. And it returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  Needless to say, the process of changing a claim dependent on a multiple term to a claim dependent on a single term (the process of step S803) is not limited to the flowcharts of FIGS. The multiple dependent claim may be changed to a singular dependent claim by other processing.

  Also, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 27 to 29, the case where processing is performed using the old and new claim correspondence information has been described, but as described above, each processing may be performed without using the old and new claim correspondence information.

  Next, the operation of the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus 5 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. Also in this specific example, similarly to the specific example in the first embodiment, the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus 5 is a PC, and the claim data output unit 53 outputs the claim data to a display connected to the PC. Shall.

  In this specific example, the claim data stored in the claim data storage unit 11 is assumed to be as shown in FIG. Note that the processing for acquiring and storing the dependency relationship information from the claim data is the same as the specific example of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. In other words, the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 stores the dependency relationship information shown in FIG.

  First, it is assumed that the user operates the claim dependency changing device 5 and inputs an instruction to start processing for changing the claim dependency. Then, the instruction is accepted, and the claim dependency changing device 5 determines that it is time to change the claim dependency (step S701). Then, the dependency relationship information acquisition unit 12 and the dependency relationship information storage unit 13 execute a process of acquiring and storing dependency relationship information in the same manner as in the specific example of the first embodiment (step S102).

  Thereafter, the detecting unit 51 and the dependency changing unit 52 detect a claim dependent on the multiple term and perform processing for changing the claim dependent on the multiple term to a claim dependent on the single term (step S702).

  The process will be specifically described. First, the detection unit 51 refers to the dependency relationship information shown in FIG. 7 accumulated by the dependency relationship information accumulation unit 13, and determines whether or not claim 1 is a multiple dependent claim (steps S801 and S802). . In this case, since claim 1 is an independent claim, and “1” does not exist in the child claims of the dependency relationship information, the detection unit 51 determines that claim 1 is not a multiple-dependent claim. to decide.

  Then, the dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of claim 1 to the value “1” of the counter j (step S804). In this case, the claim number is not substantially changed. Further, the subordinate changing unit 52 associates the old claim number “1” with the new claim number “1” and accumulates them in the new and old claim correspondence information stored in a recording medium (not shown). The first record of the old and new claim correspondence information shown in FIG. 30 is accumulated in this way.

  Since claim 1 is an independent claim and there is no dependent claim, acquisition of a new claim number of the dependent claim (step S805) and update of the dependent claim number (step S806) are performed. Not done.

  Next, the detection unit 51 and the dependent change unit 52 start processing related to claim 2 (steps S807 and S808). In this case, since there is only one “2” in the subordinate claim of the dependency relationship information, the detection unit 51 determines that claim 2 is not a claim dependent on multiple items (step S802). Since claim 2 is not a claim dependent on multiple terms, dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of claim 2 to 2 (step S804). In this case as well, the substantial claim number is not changed. Further, the dependent change unit 52 associates the old claim number “2” with the new claim number “2”, and accumulates the second record of the new and old claim correspondence information shown in FIG.

  Since claim 2 is dependent on claim 1, the dependency changing unit 52 acquires the new claim number of claim 1. In this case, referring to the old and new claim correspondence information shown in FIG. 30, the new claim number corresponding to the old claim number “1” is “1”. A new claim number “1” of the term is acquired (step S805). Then, the dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependent item number of claim 2 to “1” (step S806). Even in this case, the subordinate number is not substantially changed.

  Next, the detection unit 51 and the dependent change unit 52 start processing related to claim 3 (steps S807 and S808). Since claim 3 is not a claim dependent on multiple claims, the dependency changing unit 52 sets the claim number (step S804), adds a record to the old and new claim correspondence information, as in the case of claim 2. Processing for obtaining a new claim number of the dependent claim (step S805) and updating the dependent claim number (step S806) is performed. In this case, the substantial change of claim 3 is not performed.

  Next, the detection unit 51 and the dependent change unit 52 start processing related to claim 4 (steps S807 and S808). In this case, since there are two or more “4” s in the child claims of the dependency relationship information, the detection unit 51 determines that claim 4 is a multiple-dependent claim (step S802). Therefore, the dependency changing unit 52 changes the claim data so that the multinomial dependency relationship is resolved (step S803). The detailed processing will be described in the case where the processing in the flowchart of FIG. 27 is performed.

  First, the dependency changing unit 52 specifies claim 1 which is the first dependent claim of claim 4 using the dependency relationship information. Then, the new claim number “1” of the claim 1 is acquired using the old and new claim correspondence information (steps S901 to S903). Then, the dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of claim 4 to “4” (step S904). Also in this case, the claim number does not change substantially. Further, the dependent change unit 52 associates the old claim number “4” with the new claim number “4” and accumulates them in the old and new claim correspondence information. The fourth record of the old and new claim correspondence information shown in FIG. 30 is accumulated in this way.

  Thereafter, the dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependency expression using the acquired new claim number “1” (step S905). Specifically, the dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependency expression “Claim 1 or Claim 3” of Claim 4 to “Claim 1”. The dependent change unit 52 adds the change information “(changed)” to the right side of [claim 4] which is the title of the claim (step S906). Since there is only one new claim number corresponding to claim 1 which is the first dependent claim of claim 4, the dependency changing unit 52 performs processing for the next dependent claim (steps S908 and S911). , S912). That is, the changed claim 4 is copied from [claim 4] to the last phrase and pasted after the claim 4 (steps S913, S914). Then, the copied claim is processed.

  Specifically, the dependency changing unit 52 specifies claim 3 which is the second dependent claim of claim 4 using the dependency relationship information. And the new claim number “3” of the claim 3 is acquired using the old and new claim correspondence information (steps S901 to S903). Then, the dependent change unit 52 sets the claim number of the copied claim to “5” (step S904). In this case, the claim number changes from 4 to 5. Further, the dependent change unit 52 associates the old claim number “4” indicated by the value of the counter i with the new claim number “5” indicated by the value of the counter j, and accumulates them in the new and old claim correspondence information. The fifth record of the old and new claim correspondence information shown in FIG. 30 is accumulated in this way.

  Thereafter, the dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependency expression using the acquired new claim number “3” (step S905). Specifically, the dependency changing unit 52 updates the dependency expression “claim 1” of claim 4 to “claim 3”. The dependent change unit 52 adds the change information “(changed)” to the right side of the claim title [Claim 5] (step S906). Since there is only one new claim number corresponding to claim 3 which is the second dependent claim of claim 4 before the change, and there is no dependent claim other than claims 1 and 3, the original claim number. The process for changing the item 4 is terminated, and the dependent change unit 52 starts the process for the next claim 5 (steps S907, S908, S911, S912, S807, S808). In this case, since there are two or more “5” s in the child claims of the dependency relationship information, the detection unit 51 determines that claim 5 is a multiple-dependent claim (step S802).

  Also in this case, the dependency changing unit 52 performs the process of developing the dependency relationship of the multiple dependents in the same manner as in the case of claim 4 (flowchart in FIG. 27). In claim 5, since there are two new claim numbers corresponding to claim 4 which is the fourth dependent claim, claim 5 is expanded into five new claims. Become.

  Next, since claim 6 is not a claim dependent on multiple claims, it is processed in the same manner as claim 1 and the like. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing the changed claim data. As shown in the claim data of FIG. 31, in the changed claim data, all claims are independent claims or claims dependent on a single term.

  Thereafter, the claim data output unit 53 displays the changed claim data on a display (not shown). By displaying the claim data as such, the user can know the content of the changed complaint. In particular, claims whose dependency has changed have changed information indicating that changes have been made, so the user can see which claims have been changed and which claims have not been changed. Can be easily determined.

  In this specific example, the case where the claim dependent on the multiple term is changed to the claim dependent on the singular term by the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 27 has been described. However, the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 28 and FIG. The dependency of claims may be changed by For example, when the dependency relation of the claim is changed by the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 28, only the claim 5 is changed in the same manner as the above specific example among the claims of the claim data shown in FIG. It will be. Therefore, the changed claim data is as shown in FIG. Further, for example, when the claim dependency relationship is changed by the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 29, among the claims of the claim data shown in FIG. 6, the claim 4 is dependent only on the claim 1. And claim 5 is modified to be dependent only on claim 1. Therefore, the changed claim data is as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the claim dependency relationship changing apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment, the claim dependency relationship can be automatically changed. For example, in an application in the United States, it is not allowed to list a multiple dependent claim that is dependent on a multiple dependent claim, and there is a single multiple dependent claim. Will be required to pay an additional fee at the time of filing. Therefore, by using the claim dependency changing device 5 according to the present embodiment, the claim data can be obtained from a claim that does not have a multiple dependent claim that depends on a multiple dependent claim or a multiple dependent claim. It can be changed to something that does not exist.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of methods for changing the dependency relationship have been described. However, these are merely examples, and it goes without saying that other methods may be used. For example, the subordinate change unit 52 determines that a subordinate claim that changes a subordinate relationship is a subordinate claim (ie, a subordinate claim of a different independent form among the dependent claims of the claim). Claims that are directly or indirectly dependent on a claim) shall be claims of the same independent form so that they become dependent claims that are dependent on each dependent claim. Dependent claims that are subordinate claims (ie, claims that are directly or indirectly dependent on the same independent form of claims) are singular dependent on the lowest numbered dependent claim You may change claim data so that it may become the following claim.

  Moreover, although the case where only the claim data is changed has been described in the present embodiment, the dependency relationship information may be changed together with the claim data. When the dependency information is also changed, the change of the claim data and the change of the dependency information may be performed in parallel, or the claim data is changed first and the dependency is changed from the changed claim data. The dependency relationship information may be changed by acquiring the information again.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, a claim dependent on a multiple dependent claim (referred to as claim A) may be a claim directly dependent on a multiple dependent claim. It may be a claim indirectly dependent on a claim dependent on a term. In the former case, a dependent claim described in claim A includes a claim dependent on multiple claims. On the other hand, in the latter case, the dependent claim described in claim A does not include a claim dependent on multiple claims, and is reached by tracing the dependency relationship from claim A to the higher order. Any claim that can do so may be a multiple dependent claim.

  In each of the above embodiments, each processing or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or distributed processing by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. May be realized.

  In each of the above embodiments, 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. Note that the software that implements the claim dependency relationship diagram generation apparatus according to the above embodiment is the following program. That is, the program reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit in which the claim data, which is the data indicating the scope of the claims having a plurality of claims, is stored in the computer, and the plurality of claims indicated by the claim data. Using the dependency relationship information acquisition step for acquiring dependency relationship information that is information indicating the dependency relationship, the dependency relationship information storage step for storing the dependency relationship information acquired in the dependency relationship information acquisition step, and the dependency relationship information, A detection step for detecting a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim, and a dependent claim which is information on a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim detected in the detection step And an output step for outputting the term information.

  Moreover, the software which implement | achieves the claim detection apparatus in the said embodiment is the following programs. That is, the program reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit in which the claim data, which is the data indicating the scope of the claims having a plurality of claims, is stored in the computer, and the plurality of claims indicated by the claim data. Using the dependency relationship information acquisition step for acquiring dependency relationship information that is information indicating the dependency relationship, the dependency relationship information storage step for storing the dependency relationship information acquired in the dependency relationship information acquisition step, and the dependency relationship information, A claim dependency diagram generating step for generating a claim dependency diagram which is a diagram showing a dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data, and an output for outputting the claim dependency diagram generated in the claim dependency diagram generating step And the claim dependency diagram generation step includes the clay A claim figure that is a figure corresponding to each claim included in the data, and one claim figure corresponds to a claim with a number one prior to the number of the claim corresponding to the claim figure. A claim graphic generation step for generating the graphic so as to be the same height as or lower than the item graphic, and the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim, A vertical connection line generation step for generating a vertical connection line that is a line extending downward from the claim graphic; and a claim graphic corresponding to a claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim, on the left side from the claim graphic Generating a horizontal connection line extending from a vertical connection line extending from a claim graphic corresponding to a dependent claim dependent on a term, and being an intersection at a position where the vertical connection line and the horizontal connection line intersect Indication Comprising the intersection figure generating step of generating an intersection shape is graphics, is intended.

  Moreover, the software which implement | achieves the claim dependency relationship change apparatus in the said embodiment is the following programs. That is, the program reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit in which the claim data, which is the data indicating the scope of the claims having a plurality of claims, is stored in the computer, and the plurality of claims indicated by the claim data. Using the dependency relationship information acquisition step for acquiring dependency relationship information that is information indicating the dependency relationship, the dependency relationship information storage step for storing the dependency relationship information acquired in the dependency relationship information acquisition step, and the dependency relationship information, A detecting step for detecting at least a claim dependent on a multiple term; and a dependent changing step for changing the claim data so that the claim dependent on the multiple term detected in the detecting step becomes a claim dependent on a singular term. It is for making it happen.

  In the above program, the output step for outputting information does not include at least processing performed only by hardware, for example, processing performed by a modem or an interface card in the output step.

  Further, this program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, and a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like) is read out. May be executed by

  Further, the computer that executes this program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the external appearance of a computer that executes the above program and realizes the claim dependency diagram generating device, the claim detecting device, or the claim dependency changing device according to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed on the computer hardware.

  34, a computer system 1100 includes a computer 1101 including a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) drive 1105, an FD (Flexible Disk) drive 1106, a keyboard 1102, a mouse 1103, and a monitor 1104.

  FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating a computer system. 35, in addition to the CD-ROM drive 1105 and the FD drive 1106, a computer 1101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1111 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1112 for storing a program such as a bootup program, Random access memory (RAM) 1113 connected to the CPU 1111 for temporarily storing application program instructions and providing a temporary storage space, a hard disk 1114 for storing application programs, system programs, and data, a CPU 1111 and a ROM 1112 Etc. to each other. The computer 1101 may include a network card (not shown) that provides connection to the LAN.

  A program that causes the computer system 1100 to execute the functions of the claim dependency diagram generation device, claim detection device, or claim dependency change device according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 121 or the FD 122 and is stored in the CD-ROM. It may be inserted into the drive 1105 or the FD drive 1106 and transferred to the hard disk 1114. 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 121, the FD 122, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS), a third party program, or the like that causes the computer 1101 to execute the functions of the claim dependency diagram generation device, the claim detection device, or the claim dependency change device according to the above embodiment. May be. 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.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, 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, according to the claim dependency diagram generating device and the like according to the present invention, a claim dependency diagram can be generated, and according to the claim detecting device and the like, a multi-claim subordinate to the multi-claim can be detected. Further, according to the claim dependency changing device or the like, the claim dependency can be changed, which is effective in a system for analyzing the scope of claims.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the claim dependency relationship figure production | generation apparatus by Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency diagram production | generation apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency diagram production | generation apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency diagram production | generation apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency diagram production | generation apparatus by the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim data in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the dependency relationship information in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the data of the claim dependency relationship figure in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in the embodiment A block diagram showing a configuration of a claim detection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim detection apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim detection apparatus by the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the data memorize | stored in the 1st memory in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the data memorize | stored in the 2nd memory in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the dependent claim information in the embodiment The block diagram which shows the structure of the claim dependency diagram production | generation apparatus by other forms The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in another form The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in another form The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in another form The figure which shows an example of the claim dependency relationship figure in another form The figure which shows the structure of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by Embodiment 3 of this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by the embodiment The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the claim dependency relationship change apparatus by the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the old and new claim correspondence information in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim data after the change in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim data after the change in the embodiment The figure which shows an example of the claim data after the change in the embodiment The schematic diagram which shows an example of the external appearance of the computer system in each said embodiment The figure which shows an example of a structure of the computer system in each said embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1, 4 Claim dependency diagram generation device 3 Claim detection device 5 Claim dependency relationship change device 11 Claim data storage unit 12 Dependency relationship information acquisition unit 13 Dependency relationship information storage unit 14 Claim dependency relationship diagram generation unit 15 Output unit 21 Graphic generation means 22 Vertical connection line generation means 23 Intersection graphic generation means 24 Claim dependency diagram storage means 31, 51 Detection unit 32 Output unit 41 Claim dependency diagram generation unit 52 Dependency change unit 53 Claim data output unit

Claims (6)

A claim data storage unit that stores claim data that is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims;
A dependency information acquisition unit that reads out the claim data from the claim data storage unit and acquires dependency information that is information indicating a dependency of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data;
A dependency relationship information storage unit that stores the dependency relationship information acquired by the dependency relationship information acquisition unit;
A claim dependency diagram generation unit that generates a claim dependency diagram that is a diagram showing a dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data, using the dependency relationship information;
An output unit that outputs the claim dependency diagram generated by the claim dependency diagram generation unit;
The claim dependency diagram generation unit
Wherein Ri graphic der corresponding to the claims contained in the claim data, the claim graphic Ru graphic der indicating the number of claims, one claim figures, the number of claims corresponding to the claim figures Claim graphic generation means for generating the graphic so as to be at the same height as or lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim of the number one before
A vertical connection line generating means for generating a vertical connection line that is a line extending downward from the claim graphic on the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim;
A horizontal line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information to be a dependent claim, and to a vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the dependent dependent of the claim. Claim dependency relation diagram, comprising: an intersection graphic generation means for generating a connection line and generating an intersection graphic that is a graphic indicating an intersection at a position where the vertical connection line and the horizontal connection line intersect Generator. The claim graphic generation means generates the claim graphic so that the claim graphic is lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim number one prior to the number of the corresponding claim. The claim dependency diagram generation apparatus according to claim 1. The claim dependency relationship diagram generation device according to claim 1, wherein the intersection graphic is a filled circular graphic. A detector for detecting a claim dependent on a multiple claim subordinate to a claim dependent on a multiple claim using the dependency relation information;
The claim dependency diagram generation unit detects a claim figure corresponding to a claim dependent on a multiple claim dependent on a claim dependent on a multiple claim detected by the detection unit, on a multiple claim dependent on the claim dependent on the multiple claim. 4. The claim dependency relationship diagram generation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the claim dependency relationship diagram generation device generates a claim dependency relationship diagram that is distinguishable from a claim graphic corresponding to a claim that is not a dependent claim. Claim data storage unit for storing claim data, which is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims, a dependency relationship information acquisition unit, a dependency relationship information storage unit, a claim graphic generation means, a vertical connection line A claim dependency diagram generating method for processing using a claim dependency diagram generating unit having an generating unit and an intersection graphic generating unit, and an output unit,
The dependency relationship information acquisition unit reads the claim data from the claim data storage unit, and acquires dependency relationship information that is information indicating dependency relationships of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data; and
The dependency relationship information storage unit stores the dependency relationship information acquired in the dependency relationship information acquisition step;
A claim dependency diagram generating step for generating a claim dependency diagram that is a diagram showing a dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data using the dependency relationship information;
The output unit includes an output step of outputting the claim dependency diagram generated in the claim dependency diagram generation step;
The claim dependency diagram generation step includes:
Wherein the claim figure generating means, said Ri graphic der corresponding to the claims contained in the claim data, the claim graphic Ru graphic der indicating the number of claims, one claim figures, the claim A claim graphic generation step for generating the same so as to be at the same height as or lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim number one prior to the number of the claim corresponding to the graphic;
The vertical connection line generation means generates a vertical connection line that is a line extending downward from the claim graphic on the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim. Generating a vertical connection line,
The intersection graphic generation means extends to the left from a claim graphic corresponding to a claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim, and from a claim graphic corresponding to a dependent dependent dependent on the claim. An intersection graphic generation step of generating a horizontal connection line extending with respect to the connection line and generating an intersection graphic that is a graphic indicating an intersection at a position where the vertical connection line and the horizontal connection line intersect; A claim dependency diagram generation method comprising: On the computer,
Dependency relationship that is information indicating dependency relationships of a plurality of claims indicated by the claim data by reading the claim data from a claim data storage unit that stores claim data that is data indicating a claim having a plurality of claims A dependency information acquisition step for acquiring information;
A dependency information storage step for storing dependency information acquired in the dependency information acquisition step;
A claim dependency diagram generation step for generating a claim dependency diagram which is a diagram showing a dependency relationship of each claim included in the claim data, using the dependency information;
An output step of outputting the claim dependency diagram generated in the claim dependency diagram generation step;
The claim dependency diagram generation step includes:
Wherein Ri graphic der corresponding to the claims contained in the claim data, the claim graphic Ru graphic der indicating the number of claims, one claim figures, the number of claims corresponding to the claim figures A claim graphic generation step for generating the same so as to be at the same height as or lower than the claim graphic corresponding to the claim of the number before one;
A vertical connecting line generating step for generating a vertical connecting line that is a line extending downward from the claim graphic on the right side of the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information as a dependent claim;
A horizontal line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the claim indicated by the dependency relationship information to be a dependent claim, and to a vertical connection line extending from the claim graphic corresponding to the dependent dependent of the claim. An intersection graphic generation step of generating a connection line and generating an intersection graphic that is a graphic indicating an intersection at a position where the vertical connection line and the horizontal connection line intersect.

Images