How to Manage Existing Custom Fields
How to Update Existing Custom Fields
Case 1) Adding New Data to Single-Value Custom Fields
Case 2) Overwriting Existing Values in Single-Value Custom Fields
Case 3) Adding New Data to Multiple-Value Custom Fields
Case 4) Overwriting Existing Values in Multiple-Value Custom Fields
Case 5) Adding New Values to Existing Multiple-Value Custom Fields
Case 6) Deleting Values in Existing Custom Fields
Introduction
Custom Fields that are marked as favorites under Manage Custom Fields are displayed and can be edited in the Result List. The only custom field that is always displayed by default is “Notes.”
1. Add a custom field, e.g., “Notes”, to the search panel.
2. Open the → Result List (“Analysis Templates” > “Favorites”) and scroll down in the patent family viewer until you reach cards “Custom Fields” and “Notes.”
3. Click into the text box under “Notes” to add, edit, or delete comments.
Important: The single-value text custom field “Notes” is visible for and editable by all users in the same PatentSight account.
4. To display other custom fields in the Result List, click on “→ Manage Custom Fields” in the card “Custom Fields.”
5. Under “→ Manage Custom Fields,” click on the star icon (★) under “Favorites” to mark custom fields as favorites. Doing so will display them in the Result List.
6. In the Result List, click on a custom field to edit the value(s).
|
Click on the pencil icon to edit the custom field value mapped to the patent family.
|
|
| For multiple-value custom fields, click on “Add text value” or “Add numeric value” to map additional values to the patent family within this custom field. | |
|
Click on the bin icon to delete the Custom Field value mapped to the patent family.
|
7. Click on the gearwheel icon in the top left corner of the Result List and select “Customized Layout“ to display custom fields as separate cards. Use drag and drop to arrange cards to their desired position.
In this example, four custom fields are arranged to their respective positions of the Result List.
How to Manage Existing Custom Fields
1. To manage your existing custom fields, click on “Manage Custom Fields” under “Options” in the main toolbar.
2. Manage your custom fields.
|
The overview includes Custom Fields created by you and Custom Fields that have been shared with you by other users in the same account.
|
|
| Mark custom fields as favorites (★) to display them in the → Result List. | |
| Click on “Edit Values” to access an overview of patent families and the values mapped to them within the Custom Field. | |
|
Click on the pencil icon to edit the settings of the custom field.
|
|
| Click on the bin icon to delete the custom field. |
3. Click on “Edit Values” to edit or to delete values mapped to patent families within this custom field.
|
In the third column, click into a pencil icon to edit the value mapped to the patent family that is displayed in the same row. |
|
|
Click on the bin icon to remove a value from the patent family in this row. |
|
| Click on the download icon to download the full list shown under “Edit Custom Field Values” as an Excel file. | |
| Click on the copy icon to copy the list shown under “Edit Custom Field Values” to the clipboard. Note that only visible (= loaded) rows will be copied. |
4. Click on the pencil icon to edit the settings of the custom field.
|
Edit the name of the custom field.
Note: The type of the custom field cannot be edited. |
|
| Edit the advanced settings of the custom field. For multiple-value numeric custom fields, you can edit the → aggregation method. For custom fields with predefined input values, you can → edit the predefined input values. | |
| Add or edit the description of the custom field displayed in its tooltip. | |
|
Edit the sharing settings of the custom field.
|
|
|
Click on “Clear Custom Field Values” to delete all values mapped to patent families within this custom field. |
For custom fields that have been set up with predefined input values, you can add, edit, or delete the predefined input values under “Advanced Settings”.
How to Update Existing Custom Fields
Once created, custom fields may require regular updates. Such updates can include the addition of new data, the update (overwriting) of values, or the addition of new values.
- The term “data” refers to the connection between patent families and values within a custom field, e.g., the patent family “EP3579789.A1” in combination with the value “2” within the numeric custom field “Internal Valuation (1-4).”
- The term “value” refers to the text or numeric value mapped to a patent family within a custom field, e.g., “MRI Technology,” “3,” or “To be reviewed by BU A.”
To add data, to update values, or to add values to existing custom fields, you can rerun the “→ Import Data to Custom Field” dialogue using an updated data file.
| Single-Value Custom Fields | Multiple-Value Custom Fields | |
| Adding new data (= new patent families with new values) to a custom field. |
✔ |
✔ |
| Overwriting (updating) values that have been mapped to the patent families within a custom field. |
✔ |
✔ |
| Adding new values to values that have been mapped to the patent families within a custom field. | ✖ |
✔ |
| Deleting values that have been mapped to the patent families within a custom field. |
✖ → Case 6) |
|
Note:
If your custom field has predefined input values, it is not possible to add values to this custom field that do not meet the predefined criteria.
To add values that are different from the predefined input values, you first need to → edit the predefined input values in the advanced settings of this custom field.
Case 1) Adding New Data to Single-Value Custom Fields
After the evaluation of new patent families in an owner’s portfolio, new data needs to be added to the single-value numeric custom field “Internal Valuation (1-4)”.
Existing Data Additional Data
1. Prepare a data file with the additional data you want to import. You can either keep or omit rows with data that has already been imported before.
2. Import the additional data. Make sure to select the existing custom field (here: “Internal Valuation (1-4)”).
3. Click to on the “Confirm” button to proceed.
• The value “2” is now mapped to the added patent family EP1389478.A1.
• The values “4” and “1” previously mapped to the patent families AU3638500.A, CN101495048.A, EP1000584.A1, and EP1389447.A1 have not changed and are retained.
Case 2) Overwriting Existing Values in Single-Value Custom Fields
After a re-evaluation of an owner’s patent portfolio, some values within the single-value numeric custom field “Internal Valuation (1-4)” need to be replaced by updated values.
Existing Data Additional Data
1. Prepare a data file with the updated values you want to import. You can either keep or omit rows with values that do not need to be updated.
2. Import the updated data file. Make sure to select the existing custom field (here: “Internal Valuation (1-4)”).
3. Click to on the “Confirm” button to proceed.
• The values “3” and “2” previously mapped to the patent families AU3638500.A and EP1000584.A1 have been overwritten with the new values “1” and “4.”
• The value “1” previously mapped to the patent family CN101495048.A has not changed and is retained.
Case 3) Adding New Data to Multiple-Value Custom Fields
After new patent families in an owner’s portfolio have been classified into technology fields, new data needs to be added to the multiple-value text custom field “Internal Sub-Technology”.
Existing Values Additional Values
1. Prepare a data file with the additional data you want to import. You can either keep or omit rows with data that has already been imported before.
2. Import the updated data file. Make sure to select the existing custom field (here: “Internal Sub-Technology”).
3. Click to on the “Confirm” button to proceed.
• The patent family AU3638500.A is still mapped to the values “MRI Technology A” and “MRI Technology B.”
• The patent family GB2372211.A is now mapped to the values “MRI Technology A” and “MRI Technology C.”
Case 4) Overwriting Existing Values in Multiple-Value Custom Fields
After a reclassification to different sub-technologies, some values within the multiple-value text custom field “Internal Sub-Technology” need to be replaced by new values.
Existing Values Updated Values
1. Prepare a data file with the updated values you want to import.
2. Import the updated data file. Make sure to select the existing custom field (here: “Internal Sub-Technology”).
3. Click to on the “Confirm” button to proceed.
• The patent family AU3638500.A is now mapped to the following three values:
o “MRI Technology C”
o “MRI Technology D”
o “MRI Technology E”
• AU3638500.A is no longer mapped to “MRI Technology A” or “MRI Technology B.”
Case 5) Adding New Values to Existing Multiple-Value Custom Fields
After the classification into additional sub-technologies, values need to be added to patent families within the multiple-value text custom field “Internal Sub-Technology.”
Existing Values Additional Values
1. Prepare a data file with the additional values you want to import.
Important: To avoid the duplication of values, remove all values that have previously been imported and include only the new, additional values. This is particularly important when working with multiple-value numeric custom fields.
2. Import the updated data file. Make sure to select the existing custom field (here: “Internal Sub-Technology”). Select “Add to Existing Data.”
• The patent family AU3638500.A is now mapped to the following five values:
o “MRI Technology A”
o “MRI Technology B”
o “MRI Technology C”
o “MRI Technology D”
o “MRI Technology E”
Case 6) Deleting Values in Existing Custom Fields
It is not possible to overwrite (delete) existing values by importing blanks (empty cells) to custom fields.
In this example, the patent family AU3638500.A has the score “3.5”, which had been imported as value within the custom field “Score.” After a reassignment of this patent family to a different owner, this value needs to be removed from the custom field “Score”.
Current Value New Value
- The patent family AU3638500.A is now mapped to the following value:
- “3.5”
Explanation:
A blank (= no value, empty cell) cannot be used to overwrite a value via the import dialogue. Even if the value “blank” is imported to the Custom Field “Score”, the initial value (here: “3.5”) will stay mapped to the patent family AU3638500.A.
To remove values from patent families within an existing Custom Field, you can use one of the following options:
a) Access → “Options” > “Manage Custom Fields” > “Edit Values” and delete values from patent families by clicking on the bin icon.
b) Display the custom field in the → Result List and delete values from patent families by clicking on the bin icon.
c) To remove many values, delete the entire existing custom field and re-import the custom field using an updated data file.
d) For text custom fields, instead of using blanks, you can overwrite existing values using “n.a.” or “–” and later exclude these values from your analyses.