JP7635985B2 - System and method for providing recommended application date, and system and method for providing predicted application publication date - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system and method for providing a recommended application date, and a system and method for providing a predicted application publication date.

Patent Document 1 discloses a design information display device that displays design information related to designs that are industrial property. The design information display device searches for design information from a database that stores design information, and displays the searched design information on a display unit. Furthermore, the design information device searches the database for design information related to design information selected by a user from the design information displayed on the display unit, and displays the searched design information on the display unit. Design information related to the selected design information is, for example, information about a design similar to the selected design.

JP 2015-64836 A

However, since a design is a representation of the external shape of an article, if a design application is made public by being published in the Design Gazette, the applicant's future design trends may become known to others, and there is a risk that others may create designs that are a misappropriation of that design.

The objective of this invention is to reduce the risk of a design application being published before the product to which the design relates is publicly disclosed while ensuring an earlier filing date.

One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a system for providing a recommended filing date for a design that is to be published after the product publication of the design, the system comprising:
a memory unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of a design application in each country is recorded;
a control unit that calculates the recommended filing date for at least one design;
Equipped with
The control unit is
An input receiving unit for acquiring a planned product release date of the design and a planned country of application of the design;
a time required specification unit that specifies the time required in the country where the application is to be filed from the main database;
a recommended filing date calculation unit that calculates a recommended filing date for the design in the country where the application is planned based on the planned product release date of the design and the required number of days;
has.

One aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object is a method for providing a recommended filing date for a design to be published after a product publication of the design, using a storage unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of the design in each country is recorded, a processor, and a non-transitory recording means for recording computer readable instructions executed by the processor, the method including:
Obtain the planned product release date of the design and the planned country of application for the design;
Identifying the number of days required in the country where the application is to be filed from the main database;
A recommended filing date for the design in the country where the application is planned is calculated based on the planned product release date of the design and the required number of days.

One aspect of the present invention to achieve the above object is a system for providing predicted publication dates for applications, comprising:
a memory unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of a design application in each country is recorded;
A control unit that calculates a predicted publication date of at least one design application;
It is equipped with
The control unit is
an input receiving unit for acquiring a first filing country where the design was first filed, a filing date of the first filing country, a second filing country where the design will be filed after the filing of the first filing country, and a planned filing date of the second filing country;
a required number of days specification unit that specifies the required number of days in each of the first filing country and the second planned filing country from the main database;
a predicted publication date calculation unit for calculating a predicted publication date of the first application country and a predicted publication date of the second application country based on the application date of the first application country, the planned application date of the second application country, and the required number of days;
has.

One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a method for providing a predicted publication date of a design application using a storage unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the application date to the publication date in each country of a design is recorded, a processor, and a non-transitory recording means for recording computer readable instructions executed by the processor, the method including:
Obtain the first filing country where the design was first filed, the filing date of the first filing country, the second filing country where the design will be filed after the first filing country, and the planned filing date of the second filing country;
Identifying the number of days required in each of the first filing country and the second filing country from the main database;
A method for providing a predicted application publication date, which calculates a predicted application publication date in the first application country and a predicted application publication date in the second planned application country based on the application date in the first application country, the planned application date in the second planned application country, and the required number of days.

The present invention allows for an earlier filing date while reducing the risk of a design application being published before the product to which the design relates is publicly disclosed.

1 shows an example of a system configuration diagram of a system for providing recommended filing dates. 2 shows an example of a main database. 1 shows an example of a flowchart of a process executed by a control unit of the system for providing recommended filing dates. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 1 illustrates an example of a delay database. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 2 shows an example of a user database. 1 shows an example of a system configuration diagram of a system for providing predicted publication dates for applications. 1 shows an example of a flowchart of a process executed by a control unit of the system for providing predicted publication dates for applications. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 2 shows an example of a screen of an output display unit of a user's terminal. 1 shows an example of user input data.

Example embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment
The configuration of the recommended filing date providing system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The recommended filing date providing system 10 is a system that, when filing a design in Japan or other countries, calculates the timing of filing (recommended filing date) at which the application will be published after the product related to the design is made public, and provides the user with the timing. As illustrated in Figure 1, the recommended filing date providing system 10 is communicably connected to a user's terminal 30 via a network 20.

The user's terminal 30 may be a terminal owned by the user, or a terminal that the user does not own and into which the user logs in. The terminal may be a personal computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone. The user's terminal 30 has an input device 31 and an output device 32. The input device 31 is a device that allows the user to input information to the terminal 30. For example, the input device 31 includes a mouse and a keyboard. When the terminal 30 is a tablet or a mobile phone, the input device 31 includes a touch panel display and a microphone. The output device 32 is a device that outputs some information to the user. For example, the output device 32 includes a monitor for outputting image information and a speaker for outputting audio information.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the recommended application date providing system 10 includes a memory unit 11 and a control unit 12. The memory unit 11 stores a main database 111. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the main database 111 stores the number of days required from the application date to the publication date of a design application in each country. The number of days required in each country can be calculated based on data on multiple past application cases in each country. The number of days required is expressed in days, months, or years. The application date is the date on which the design application is filed. The publication date is the date on which the design application is first published. In countries that have a publication application system, the publication date is the publication date of the published design gazette. In countries that do not have a publication application system, the publication date is the publication date of the registered design gazette. In this example, the number of days required is calculated based on each item related to the design, and the number of days of ownership for each item related to the design is recorded in the main database 111. The article to which the design is applied is the article to which the design being applied for is applied, and may be the name of the article stated in the application at the time of filing, or the classification number corresponding to the article.

The control unit 12 is configured to calculate the recommended application filing date for a design. The control unit 12 has an input receiving unit 121, a required number of days specifying unit 122, a recommended application filing date calculation unit 123, and an output unit 124.

The input reception unit 121 acquires information on the planned product release date of the design and the country in which the design is to be filed. The planned product release date of the design is the date on which the product related to the design being applied for is to be disclosed to unspecified persons through advertising or sales, etc. For example, the user specifies the planned product release date of the design and the country in which the design is to be filed using the input device 31 of the terminal 30. The input reception unit 121 acquires information on the planned product release date of the design and the country in which the design is to be filed from the user's terminal 30 via the network 20.

The number of days required determination unit 122 refers to the main database 111 to determine the number of days required in the country where the application is to be filed, which is obtained by the input reception unit 121.

The recommended filing date calculation unit 123 calculates the recommended filing date of the design in the country where the application is to be filed, based on the planned product release date of the design acquired by the input acceptance unit 121 and the number of required days identified by the required days identification unit 122. The recommended filing date is calculated as a filing date that will be filed before the product related to the design is released and will be published after the product related to the design is released. Specifically, the recommended filing date calculation unit 123 calculates the date obtained by subtracting the number of required days from the planned product release date of the design (going back by the number of required days) as the recommended filing date. Information on the recommended filing date is output from the output unit 124 to the user's terminal 30. The output device 32 of the user's terminal 30 displays the recommended filing date, for example, as an image.

The control unit 12 may be realized by a processor that operates in cooperation with a memory. Examples of the processor may include a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. Examples of the memory may include a RAM and a ROM. The processor specifies at least a portion of the computer-readable instructions stored in the ROM, expands them on the RAM, and works in cooperation with the RAM to execute a specified process, thereby realizing each function of the input receiving unit 121, the required number of days determination unit 122, the recommended filing date calculation unit 123, and the like. The ROM is an example of a non-transitory recording means for recording computer-readable instructions by the processor.

With reference to Figure 3, an example of the process flow executed by the control unit 12 of the recommended filing date providing system 10 configured as described above will be described.

First, the control unit 12 judges whether the information on the planned product release date of the design and the planned country of the design application has been acquired (STEP 1). This process is repeated until it is determined that the information has been acquired (NO in STEP 1). FIG. 4 shows an example of a screen S displayed on the output device 32 of the user's terminal 30. For example, the input screen IS included in the screen S has a first input area I1, a second input area I2, and a calculation button IB. The first input area I1 is an area for the user to input the planned product release date. The second input area I2 is an area for the user to input the planned country of the application. In this example, the first input area I1 and the second input area I2 include text field input areas. The user can specify the planned product release date of the design and the planned country of the application by inputting information in text into these areas. Note that this information may be input by using a drop-down list, a check box, or the like instead of or in addition to text input. When the user presses the calculate button I4 after inputting information into the first input area I1 and the second input area I2, the input information is output from the user's terminal 30 to the control unit 12 via the network 20.

When it is determined that the information on the planned product release date of the design and the country in which the design is to be filed has been acquired (YES in STEP 1), the control unit 12 identifies the number of days required in the country in which the design is to be filed from the main database 111 (STEP 2). For example, if Japan is entered as the country in which the design is to be filed on the input screen IS shown in FIG. 4, the number of days required is identified as 10 months based on the main database 111. For example, if the number of days required for each product related to the design is recorded as shown in FIG. 2, the shortest number of days required is selected.

Next, the control unit 12 calculates the recommended filing date of the design in the country where the application is planned based on the planned product release date of the design and the number of days required (STEP 3). For example, if the planned product release date of the design is input as January 10, 2022 on the input screen IS shown in FIG. 4, the recommended filing date in Japan is calculated as March 10, 2021, which is 10 months back from January 10, 2022.

Next, the control unit 12 outputs information on the recommended filing date (STEP 4). The user's terminal 30 acquires the information on the recommended filing date via the network 20 and displays the information as an image on the output device 32. FIG. 5 shows an example of a screen S displayed on the output device 32 of the user's terminal 30. The output screen OS may be displayed below the input screen IS. For example, on the output screen OS, the recommended filing date (March 10, 2021) is represented by a bar graph extending from the planned product release date to the recommended filing date. Note that instead of or in addition to the bar graph display, other display forms may be adopted, such as displaying a predetermined mark at the planned product release date and the recommended filing date of the design.

For identical or similar designs, only the first applicant to file a design application can obtain a design registration for that design. For this reason, even if you have not yet begun to work the design, you must first secure an application as a first application. However, depending on the country of application, registration may be granted without examination, or the application may be published after a formality examination, meaning that the application may be published a few days or weeks after filing. Because a design is a representation of the external shape of an article, if an application is published, others may become aware of the applicant's future design trends, and there is a risk that designs that are a derivative of that design may be created.

Several countries, including Japan, have systems in place that allow for a delay in the publication of design applications for a specified period of time, but the content and procedures of such systems are not standardized. In some countries, there is no system for delaying the publication of design applications at all. For this reason, it is difficult for design applicants to determine when to file a design application, taking into account the timing of the publication of a product in which the design has been worked out (e.g., the timing of its sale).

According to the above configuration, a recommended design filing date is provided that will prevent the application from being published after the product is published, based on the planned product publication date of the design and the number of days required from the design filing date to the publication date. For example, by checking the output screen OS shown in FIG. 5, the user can understand that in order to avoid the design application being published before the product related to the design is published, the application should be filed in Japan on or after March 10, 2021. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the risk of the design application being published before the product related to the design, while ensuring an earlier filing date.

In this embodiment, the input reception unit 121 may further acquire information on the article related to the design. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the input screen IS may include a third input area I3 for the user to input the article related to the design. The information input in the third input area I3 is output to the control unit 12 from the user's terminal 30 via the network 20. The required number of days determination unit 122 refers to the main database 111 and determines the number of days required for the article related to the design in the planned application country based on the planned application country and the article related to the design acquired by the input reception unit 121. For example, when Japan is input as the planned application country and the article A1 as the article related to the design in the input screen IS shown in FIG. 6, the required number of days is determined to be 10 months based on the main database 111. With this configuration, when the examination status of the design application differs depending on the article of the design, the recommended application date can be calculated based on a more accurate number of days required.

In addition, in this embodiment, a recommended filing date may be calculated for each of multiple planned application countries. Specifically, the input reception unit 121 acquires information on multiple planned application countries from the user's terminal 30. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the user inputs multiple planned application countries in the second input area I2. The required number of days determination unit 122 refers to the main database and identifies the number of days required for each of the multiple planned application countries acquired by the input reception unit 121. The recommended filing date calculation unit 123 calculates a recommended filing date for each of the multiple planned application countries based on the planned product release date of the design and the required number of days.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, if China is entered in addition to Japan as the planned application country on the input screen IS, the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of the Chinese application is determined to be four months based on the main database 111, and the recommended application date for China is calculated as March 10, 2021, four months back from January 10, 2022. The output screen OS displays the recommended application date for China along with the recommended application date for Japan. With this configuration, the user can check the recommended application dates for each country at once.

In addition, in this embodiment, the recommended filing date may be calculated based on the possible application publication delay period in addition to the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of the design application. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage unit 11 may have a delay database 112. The delay database 112 records countries that have a design application publication delay system and the possible delay period in the country. The application publication delay system is a system for delaying the publication of an application, which is determined by the laws or regulations of each country. The application publication delay system includes a system for delaying the issuance of a registration gazette, a system for delaying examination or registration, and the like. The possible delay period is expressed in days, months, or years. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the delay database 112 records the presence or absence of a publication delay system in each country, the application timing for the publication delay system, the publication delay cost, and the like. The publication delay cost includes office fees and attorney fees.

The recommended filing date calculation unit 123 refers to the delay database 112 and determines whether the country in which the application is to be filed corresponds to a country that has a publication delay system. If the recommended filing date calculation unit 123 determines that the country in which the application is to be filed corresponds to a country that has a publication delay system, it identifies the allowable delay period from the delay database 112 and calculates the recommended filing date based on the planned product publication date of the design, the required number of days, and the allowable delay period.

The recommended filing date calculation unit 123 may be configured to refer to the delay database 112 when an instruction to use the delayed publication system is acquired from the user via the input reception unit 121. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the input screen IS may have a fourth input area I4. The fourth input area I4 is an area for the user to select whether to use the delayed publication system. In this example, the fourth input area I4 includes a check box. Instead of or in addition to the check box, a text field input or a drop-down list may be used. Also, in this example, the use of the delayed publication system is selected for all countries in which applications are planned, but the system may be configured to allow selection of whether to use the delayed publication system for each country in which applications are planned.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, when the checkbox in the fourth input area I4 is checked by the user, the recommended filing date in Japan is calculated as March 10, 2018, which is 10 months (required days) and 3 years (delay period, see FIG. 7) back from January 10, 2022 (scheduled product release date). On the other hand, since China does not have a system for delayed publication of applications, the recommended filing date in China is calculated as March 10, 2021, which is 4 months (required days) back from January 10, 2022 (scheduled product release date). As illustrated in FIG. 8, the possible delay period and the required days may be displayed in different forms on the output screen OS. In addition, the recommended filing date (January 10, 2019) that takes into account only the publication delay system may also be displayed. In this way, by utilizing the publication delay system, an earlier filing date can be secured.

In addition, in this embodiment, as exemplified in FIG. 8, the output screen OS may display the application timing for the delayed publication system. Specifically, as exemplified in FIG. 1, the control unit 12 may have an application timing identification unit 125. The application timing identification unit 125 identifies the application timing for the delayed publication system by referring to the delay database 112. The application timing information is output from the output unit 124 to the user's terminal 30 together with the recommended filing date. With this configuration, since the application timing for the delayed publication system differs depending on the country, the user can check the application timing of the country where the application is planned by displaying, for example, the planned filing country and application timing output from the recommended filing date providing system on the user's terminal. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decision on whether to apply or not, and to prevent forgetting to apply.

In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the control unit 12 may further include a priority determination unit 126. The priority determination unit 126 determines whether or not a priority claim is possible in each of a plurality of planned application countries based on the planned application country with the earliest recommended application date. For example, if an application is filed in a second country within the priority period (6 months) from the application in the first country, the application in the second country can claim priority under the Paris Convention based on the application in the first country. Information on the priority period can be recorded in the main database 111 or the delayed database 112. The priority determination unit 126 determines whether or not a priority claim is possible based on the earliest recommended application date and the priority period. The result of the determination on whether or not a priority claim is possible is output from the output unit 124 to the user's terminal 30 together with the recommended application date. The result of the determination on whether or not a priority claim is possible is displayed on the output screen OS of the output device 32 of the user's terminal 30.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, if the countries in which the application is to be filed are Japan and China, the date obtained by adding the six-month priority period from the recommended filing date in Japan (March 10, 2018) is September 10, 2018. Since September 10, 2018 is before the recommended filing date in China (September 10, 2021), it is determined that it is impossible to file an application in China based on the priority of Japan. The output screen OS displays that it is impossible to claim priority. With this configuration, it is determined whether or not priority can be claimed based on the country in which the application is to be filed with the earliest recommended filing date. As a result, for countries with a later recommended filing date, the filing date can be effectively brought forward by claiming priority from the country in which the application is to be filed with the earliest recommended filing date.

In addition, in this embodiment, the planned application country is input by the user. However, the planned application country may be set in advance. A country with a large number of applications may be set in advance as the planned application country, or the planned application country may be set in advance for each user. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the recommended application date providing system 10 is connected to multiple user terminals 30, and the storage unit 11 may store a user database 113. The user database 113 includes user identification information and the default planned application country of the user. The user identification information is, for example, the user's name or user ID. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the planned application country is associated with the user ID and stored in the user database 113. The input receiving unit 121 acquires the user's identification information, identifies the default planned application country corresponding to the identification information from the user database 113, and sets the identified default planned application country as the planned application country. According to this configuration, since the planned application country is set in advance, the user does not have to input the planned application country. In addition, when a default planned filing country is set for each user, the processing burden on the recommended filing date calculation unit is reduced compared to when all countries are set as the default planned filing countries.

In addition, in this embodiment, the output screen OS may display the costs incurred in applying for the delayed publication of an application system. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the delay database 112 contains the costs incurred in applying for the delayed publication of an application system. The application timing identification unit 125 may refer to the delay database 112 to identify the application timing for the delayed publication of an application system as well as the costs associated with the application. Information on the application timing and costs may be output from the output unit 124 to the user's terminal 30 together with the recommended application date, and displayed on the output screen OS of the output device 32. This allows the user to decide whether or not to apply, taking into account the costs incurred in the application.

Second Embodiment
Next, the configuration of the system 40 for providing predicted application publication dates according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 14. In the following description, differences from the system 10 for providing recommended application publication dates according to the first embodiment will be mainly described, and common parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted as appropriate.

The predicted publication date providing system 40 is a system that, when a design is applied for in multiple countries, calculates the predicted publication date in the first application country and the predicted publication date in the second application country and provides them to the user. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the predicted publication date providing system 40 is communicably connected to the user's terminal 30 via the network 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 40 for providing predicted publication dates for applications includes a memory unit 41 and a control unit 42. A main database 411 is recorded in the memory unit 41. The main database 411 is similar to the main database 111 of the first embodiment, and as illustrated in FIG. 2, the main database 411 records the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of a design application in each country.

The control unit 42 is configured to calculate the predicted publication date of the design application. The control unit 42 has an input receiving unit 421, a required number of days determination unit 422, a predicted publication date calculation unit 423, and an output unit 424.

The input reception unit 421 acquires information on the first application country, the filing date of the first application country, the second planned application country, and the planned filing date of the second planned application country. The first application country is the country where the design was first applied for. The second planned application country is a country other than the first application country in which the same design is planned to be applied for after the application in the first application country. The application of the same design is not limited to the case where the scope of the design to be registered is the same in the first application country and the second planned application country, but may also include the case where the scope of the design to be registered is different or only the scope of the design to be registered is the same. The user specifies the first application country, the filing date of the first application country, the second planned application country, and the planned filing date of the second planned application country using the input device 31 of the terminal 30. The input reception unit 421 acquires information on the first application country, the filing date of the first application country, the second planned application country, and the planned filing date of the second planned application country from the user's terminal 30 via the network 20.

The number of days required determination unit 422 refers to the main database 411 to determine the number of days required in each of the first application country and the second application planned country obtained by the input reception unit 421.

The predicted application publication date calculation unit 423 calculates the predicted application publication date in the first application country based on the filing date of the first application country acquired by the input reception unit 421 and the number of required days specified by the required number of days specification unit 422. Specifically, the predicted application publication date calculation unit 423 calculates the date obtained by adding the required number of days to the filing date of the first application country as the predicted application publication date. Similarly, the predicted application publication date calculation unit 423 calculates the predicted application publication date in the second application country based on the planned application date of the second application country acquired by the input reception unit 421 and the required number of days specified by the required number of days specification unit 422. Specifically, the predicted application publication date calculation unit 423 calculates the date obtained by adding the required number of days to the planned application date of the second application country as the predicted application publication date. Information on the predicted application publication dates of the first application country and the second application country is output from the output unit 424 to the user's terminal 30. The output device 32 of the user's terminal 30 displays the predicted publication dates of the application in the first application country and the second application country, for example as an image.

The control unit 42 may be realized by a processor that operates in cooperation with a memory. Examples of the processor may include a CPU, an MPU, and a GPU. Examples of the memory may include a RAM and a ROM. The processor specifies at least a portion of the computer-readable instructions stored in the ROM, expands them on the RAM, and works in cooperation with the RAM to execute a specified process, thereby realizing each function of the input receiving unit 421, the required number of days determination unit 422, the predicted publication date calculation unit 423, etc. The ROM is an example of a non-transitory recording means for recording computer-readable instructions by the processor.

With reference to FIG. 11, an example of the flow of processing executed by the control unit 42 of the application publication predicted date providing system 40 configured as described above will be described.

First, the control unit 42 judges whether information on the first application country, the filing date of the first application country, the second planned application country, and the planned filing date of the second planned application country has been acquired (STEP 11). This process is repeated until it is judged that this information has been acquired (NO in STEP 11). FIG. 12 shows an example of a screen S displayed on the output device 32 of the user's terminal 30. For example, the input screen IS included in the screen S has a first input area I11, a second input area I12, a third input area I13, a fourth input area I14, and a calculation button IB. The first input area I11 is an area for the user to input the first application country. The second input area I12 is an area for the user to input the filing date of the first application country. The third input area I13 is an area for the user to input the second planned application country. The fourth input area I14 is an area for the user to input the planned filing date of the second planned application country. When there are multiple second planned application countries, multiple third input areas I13 and multiple fourth input areas I14 may be provided.

In this example, the first input area I11, the second input area I12, the third input area I13, and the fourth input area I14 include text field input areas. The user can specify the first application country and its filing date and the second application country and its planned filing date by entering information in text in these areas. Note that this information may be entered using a drop-down list or check boxes instead of or in addition to text input. When the user presses the calculate button IB with information entered in the first input area I11, the second input area I12, the third input area I13, and the fourth input area I14, the entered information is output from the user's terminal 30 to the control unit 42 via the network 20.

When it is determined that information on the first application country, the filing date of the first application country, the second planned application country, and the planned filing date of the second planned application country has been acquired (YES in STEP 11), the control unit 42 identifies the number of days required in the first application country and the second planned application country from the main database 411 (STEP 12). For example, if Japan is entered as the first application country and China and the United States as the second planned application countries on the input screen IS shown in FIG. 12, the number of days required is identified to be 10 months in Japan, 4 months in China, and 2 years in the United States based on the main database 411.

Next, the control unit 42 calculates the predicted publication date in the first application country and the predicted publication date in the second application country based on the application date in the first application country and the planned application date and the number of days required in the second application country (STEP 13). For example, if the application date in Japan is input as January 10, 2021 in the input screen IS shown in FIG. 12, the predicted publication date in Japan is calculated as November 10, 2021, 10 months after January 10, 2021. Similarly, if the application date in China is input as July 10, 2021, the predicted publication date in China is calculated as November 10, 2021, 4 months after July 10, 2021. Similarly, if the application date in the United States is input as July 10, 2021, the predicted publication date in the United States is calculated as July 10, 2023, two years after July 10, 2021.

Next, the control unit 42 outputs information on the predicted publication dates of the first application country and the second planned application country (STEP 14). The user's terminal 30 obtains information on the predicted publication dates of the first application country and the second planned application country via the network 20, and displays the information as an image on the output device 32. FIG. 13 shows an example of a screen S displayed on the output device 32 of the user's terminal 30. For example, on the output screen OS, the predicted publication dates of the first application country (Japan) and the second planned application country (China, USA) are each represented by a bar graph extending from the application date or planned application date to the predicted publication date. Note that instead of or in addition to the bar graph display, other display forms may be adopted, such as displaying a predetermined mark at the application date or planned application date and the predicted publication date.

Since each country has a different examination system and publication system, the time when a design is published in the design gazette differs. Therefore, there may be cases where an application in a country where a design is filed later is published before an application in a country where an application is filed earlier. As a result, for example, if a procedure to delay publication is taken in the country where the design is first filed so that the application is not published before the product is published, it may be necessary to take a similar procedure to delay publication in the country where the design is filed later. According to the above configuration, in addition to the predicted publication date of the earlier application, the predicted publication date of the later application is calculated. As a result, for example, if the predicted publication date of the later application is earlier than the predicted publication date of the earlier application, it is possible to consider whether to use a priority claim, whether to use a procedure to delay the publication date, re-application, etc., in accordance with the planned product publication date of the design. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of the design application being published before the product related to the design is published while securing an earlier filing date.

In this embodiment, the input reception unit 421 may further acquire information on the article related to the design. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the input screen IS may include a fifth input area I15 for the user to input the article related to the design. The information on the article related to the design input in the fifth input area I15 is output from the user's terminal 30 to the control unit 42 via the network 20. The required number of days determination unit 422 refers to the main database 411 based on the planned filing country and the article related to the design acquired by the input reception unit 421, and determines the number of days required for the article related to the design in the planned filing country.

In this embodiment, the predicted publication date may be calculated based on the possible period of delay in publication of the design application in addition to the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of the design application. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage unit 41 may have a delay database 412. The delay database 412 records countries that have a system for delaying publication of design applications and the possible period of delay in the countries, similar to the delay database 112 in the first embodiment. When the predicted publication date calculation unit 423 refers to the delay database 412 and determines that the first application country or the country of the second planned application corresponds to a country that has a system for delaying publication, it identifies the possible period of delay from the delay database 412 and calculates the predicted publication date of the design application based on the filing date or the planned filing date, the number of days required, and the possible period of delay. On the output screen OS, the possible period of delay and the number of days required may be displayed in different forms, and the application timing and costs of the system for delaying publication of the design application may be displayed together.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second planned application country and the planned application date are input by the user. However, the second planned application country may be set in advance. A country with a large number of applications may be set in advance as the second planned application country, or the second planned application country may be set in advance for each user. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the application publication predicted date providing system 40 is connected to the terminals 30 of multiple users, and the storage unit 41 may store a user database 413. The user database 413 includes the user's identification information and the default planned application country of the user, similar to the user database 113 in the first embodiment. The input receiving unit 421 may acquire the user's identification information, identify the default planned second application country corresponding to the identification information from the user database 413, and set the identified default planned second application country as the planned application country. The planned application date may also be set automatically. For example, the planned application date of the planned second application country may be set to a date obtained by adding six months, which is the priority period, to the application date of the first application country.

In addition, in this embodiment, as exemplified in FIG. 14, the planned product release date of the design may be displayed on the output screen OS. The input screen IS may include a sixth input area I16 for the user to input the planned product release date. The planned product release date input in the sixth input area I16 may be displayed on the output screen OS together with the predicted application publication dates for the first application country and the second application country. In this way, by displaying the planned product release date of the design on the user's terminal together with the predicted application publication date, the user can consider whether to use a design priority claim, whether to use a procedure to delay the publication date, re-file, etc., so that the design application is not published before the product related to the design is published.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of this embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

In the first and second embodiments described above, the recommended filing date or predicted publication date in each country is calculated for an application relating to one design. However, the recommended filing date or predicted publication date may be calculated for applications relating to multiple designs. For example, in the recommended filing date providing system 10, user input data including information on multiple design cases shown in FIG. 15 may be output from the user's terminal 30 to the input receiving unit 121.

In the first embodiment described above, the recommended filing date providing system 10 is connected to the user's terminal 30 via the network 20. However, for example, the control unit 12 of the recommended filing date providing system 10 may be incorporated in the user's terminal 30. Alternatively, the recommended filing date providing system 10 may include the user's terminal 30.

In the second embodiment described above, the system 40 for providing predicted publication dates is connected to the user's terminal 30 via the network 20. However, for example, the control unit 42 of the system 40 for providing predicted publication dates may be incorporated in the user's terminal 30. Alternatively, the system 40 for providing predicted publication dates may include the user's terminal 30.

The output device 32 of the user's terminal 30 displays various information as images, but may also output the information as audio in addition to the image display.

10 Recommended filing date providing system 11 Memory unit 12 Control unit 20 Network 30 User terminal 31 Input device 32 Output device 40 Predicted application publication date providing system 41 Memory unit 42 Control unit 111 Main database 112 Delay database 113 User database 121 Input reception unit 122 Required number of days determination unit 123 Recommended filing date calculation unit 124 Output unit 125 Application timing determination unit 126 Priority judgment unit 411 Main database 412 Delay database 413 User database 421 Input reception unit 422 Required number of days determination unit 423 Predicted application publication date calculation unit 424 Output unit

Claims (10)

A system for providing a recommended filing date for a design that is to be published after the product publication of the design,
a memory unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of a design application in each country is recorded;
a control unit that calculates the recommended filing date for at least one design;
It is equipped with
The control unit is
An input receiving unit for acquiring a planned product release date of the design and a planned country of application of the design;
a time required specification unit that specifies the time required in the country where the application is to be filed from the main database;
a recommended filing date calculation unit that calculates a recommended filing date for the design in the country where the application is planned based on the planned product release date of the design and the required number of days;
A system for providing recommended application dates. The main database includes the number of days required for each article related to a design,
The input receiving unit acquires product information relating to the design,
2. The system for providing recommended filing dates according to claim 1, wherein the required number of days specifying unit specifies the required number of days for an article related to the design in the country where the application is planned from the main database. The input receiving unit acquires a plurality of the planned application countries,
the required number of days specification unit specifies the required number of days in each of the plurality of planned application countries from the main database,
3. The system for providing recommended filing dates according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recommended filing date calculation unit calculates the recommended filing date based on a planned product release date of the design and the required number of days in each of the plurality of countries in which the application is planned to be filed. the storage unit includes a delay database including countries that have a system for delaying publication of a design application and the delay period for the countries;
4. The system for providing recommended filing dates according to claim 1, wherein the recommended filing date calculation unit refers to the delay database, and determines whether the country in which the application is to be filed corresponds to a country that has the publication delay system, and if the country in which the application is to be filed corresponds to a country that has the publication delay system, identifies the allowable delay period from the delay database, and calculates the recommended filing date based on the planned product release date of the design, the required number of days, and the allowable delay period. The delay database includes the application timing of the design application publication delay system;
5. The system for providing a recommended filing date according to claim 4, wherein the control unit has an application time identification unit that identifies the application time from the delay database, and an output unit that outputs the application time together with the recommended filing date. The control unit is
A system for providing recommended filing dates as described in claim 3, comprising a priority judgment unit that judges whether or not priority can be claimed in each of the plurality of planned filing countries based on the country with the earliest recommended filing date, and an output unit that outputs the judgment result on whether or not priority can be claimed together with the recommended filing date. 1. A method for providing a recommended filing date for a design to be published after product publication of the design, using a storage unit storing a main database including a number of days required from a design filing date to a publication date in each country, a processor, and a non-transitory storage means storing computer readable instructions executed by the processor, the method comprising:
Obtain the planned product release date of the design and the planned country of application for the design;
Identifying the number of days required in the country where the application is to be filed from the main database;
A method for providing a recommended filing date, which calculates a recommended filing date for the design in the country where the application is planned based on the planned product release date of the design and the required number of days. a memory unit in which a main database including the number of days required from the filing date to the publication date of a design application in each country is recorded;
A control unit that calculates a predicted publication date of at least one design application;
It is equipped with
The control unit is
an input receiving unit for acquiring a first filing country where the design was first filed, a filing date of the first filing country, a second filing country where the design will be filed after the filing of the first filing country, and a planned filing date of the second filing country;
a required number of days specification unit that specifies the required number of days in each of the first filing country and the second planned filing country from the main database;
a predicted publication date calculation unit for calculating a predicted publication date of the first application country and a predicted publication date of the second application country based on the application date of the first application country, the planned application date of the second application country, and the required number of days;
A system for providing predicted publication date of an application. an input device for acquiring a planned product release date of the design from a user;
and an output device that outputs the predicted publication date of the design to the user,
9. The system for providing a predicted application publication date according to claim 8, wherein the output device outputs the first application country, the second application planned country, the predicted application publication date in the first application country, the predicted application publication date in the second application planned country, and a planned product publication date of the design. A method for providing a predicted publication date for a design application using a storage unit storing a main database including a number of days required from the filing date to the publication date in each country of a design application, a processor, and a non-transitory storage means for storing computer readable instructions executed by the processor, the method comprising:
Obtain the first filing country where the design was first filed, the filing date of the first filing country, the second filing country where the design will be filed after the first filing country, and the planned filing date of the second filing country;
Identifying the number of days required in each of the first filing country and the second filing country from the main database;
A method for providing a predicted application publication date, which calculates a predicted application publication date in the first application country and a predicted application publication date in the second planned application country based on the application date in the first application country, the planned application date in the second planned application country, and the required number of days.

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