I ask for "Merge Families"

Hi Bruno,

We all know that sometimes Espacenet (or any other database) don't build correctly a patent family, because of many reasons.

Now when a user realises that there are TWO families but they should be just ONE, it is not possible to unify them.

I think that you could build the following utility:

=> The user does right-click on two (or more) patent families
=> contextual menu
=> the user chooses "Merge Families"
=> MP considers that all the patents are from the same family.

Then perhaps this family could appear with a different symbol, eg [*] instead of [+] etc.

I suppose that this is a delicate matter, but anyway I think that the family modifications should not be altered in case of update.

"Merge families" should have the inverse "divide families" or simply "reset families", but this can be discussed in case you build "merge families"

regards and good 2006
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara

Whaooou

I try to find how can i do that but divide a family is very very hard Shocked

Bruno

Just a clarification:

- Espacenet has its "logic reasons" to build families. Perhaps I'm wrong but I think that all the members of all the Espacenet families are assigned 99,99% correctly. The Espacenet problem is that sometimes there are "extra members" not recognised as a family members by Espacenet, so some families are not completed.

- Then the user can have "definitive own reasons" to identify extra members and merge families.

So:

1.- I ask MP to provide a "user link" to "merge" extra patents in a family.

2.- I don't ask to divide "Espacenet" families, but to be able to eliminate this "user link" (if the user changes the opinion). This is the "inverse function" I mention.

Regards
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara

Hi Bruno,

You built the merge function, but you did not mention! ... this is not the usual rule in our world. MANY THANKS.

I have checked that it runs ok. The new merged family is not marked with a new symbol, but I think that it is ok.

Now to help find "orphan patents" or "divided families" it would be good to have a new column "priority number" => by ranking this column it is easy to find two duplicate entries. Could you add this column?

many thanks again for your good work
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara

Hi Juan,

Sorry for the mention Embarassed

For the new column, PR Number have often several number, which number must appear ?

Regards,
Bruno

I think that MP has a field to store the "oldest" priority number... right?

In my opinion the best option is to use this one, if possible.

regards
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara

that also done dynamically but i think that is possible to get this number and add a new column.

I will add that in a next revision.

Regards,
Bruno Wink