[Solved] Last_Search.txt file and multi-questions management

Hi Bruno,

I appreciate a lot the Last_Search.txt file (with the list of patent numbers corresponding to the last search question). This list is stored before beginning the downloading process.

At the present this file is rewritten with every question. In my opinion every list of patent numbers is a useful information and all the lists should remain stored without deleting.

Now MP "knows" which is the search number of every question... I think that it is really easy to you to program MP to name this file with consecutive numbers, eg. Search_001.txt, Search_002.txt, etc

In this way:
1- all the patent numbers of every Search question will be identified and stored for any further processes...
2- it will be possible to re-download a list of patents in case of downloading errors.
3- it will be possible to implement a major improvement: "multi-questions management" = to do multiple questions (without downloading process) and then ONE single downloading with all the patent numbers.

I explain in detail:

At the present if the user likes to do a list of questions it is necessary
- to do the first question
- to do the first downloading
- to do the second question
- to do the second downloading
- etc

The execution of a question (and the storing of the Last_Search.txt file) is a quick process but the downloading of the patent list is a quite time consuming process. The user has to wait for the completion of the first downloading process before beginning the execution of the second question. This process is boring to the user (not very user friendly).

Also when the user executes more than one question, usually there are some duplicated results = duplicated downloadings =wasting of time, broadband and Espacenet resources.

So it is much quicker for the user, much more user friendly and also better for Espacenet servers if the user can execute a list of searches, store automatically all the patent numbers and then (when the user has executed all the search strategy) deduplicate+download the patent numbers of some marked search steps.

I think that it would be an easy to do improvement with a high impact!

Regards
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara

Hi Juan,

Great idea ! so it's done Wink

Available in the next revision !
_________________
Regards / Cordialement
Bruno Mannina
Technical Support / Support Technique

Hi Bruno,

At the present the user can execute a list of questions without downloading the results. MP stores automatically all the patent numbers and at the end (when the user has executed all the search strategy) the user has can merge+deduplicate the list of patents numbers search#n.txt

BUT now MP doesn't know which search steps have been combined by the user. So in Project>properties it appears a new search step with a download of a patent list but all the search steps are considered as "not downloaded". This is not the real situation.

Could you add a box to every search step and include a button "download"? Then the user could mark the search steps to download and they would appear as "downloaded". In this case it should not appear a new search step with the download of a patent list

regards
_________________
Juan Carlos Vergara