Introduction to Searching SEPs
How to search patents declared to the 5G or 4G standard
Refining Results with the Filter Bar
Introduction to Searching SEPs
Searching for Standard Essential Patents or SEPs on the IPlytics Platform is a streamlined process designed to provide users with comprehensive insights into patents that are crucial for implementing standardized technologies.
The platform's SEP database is equipped with advanced search functionalities that allow users to efficiently locate and analyze SEPs across various standards and technology generations.
How to start your SEP search
To start a search for SEPs, users can access the SEP database via the main navigation bar on the IPlytics Platform - select the SEPs tab at the top. The search interface provides a variety of fields specifically designed for SEP data, including Standard Setting Organization, Standard Document ID, Declaring Company, Declaration Date, and Technology Generation (see below). These fields enable users to refine their search criteria and focus on specific aspects of SEPs relevant to their research or business requirements.
One of the key features of the SEP search is the ability to filter patents by technology generation, such as 4G, 5G, or other standard projects like Wi-Fi or video coding standards. This is facilitated by the Technology Generation field, which classifies SEPs based on their associated technical specifications (TS) numbers and their relevance to different technology generations. Users can select from a list of predefined technology generations or create custom queries to explore bridge technologies that span multiple generations.
SEP-specific search fields
The SEP database allows you to search for patents declared to 4G, 5G, or any other standard project like Wi-fi, video coding HEVC, VVC or the Qi standard. The SEP-specific fields can be described as follows:
- Standard project – identifies a certain standard project. A standard project is a more general term of a standard submitted by the declaring company. Therefore, various standard documents can define an overall standard project like Wi-fi, 5G or HEVC. If you are searching for ETSI declarations it defines the standard project mentioned in the submitted declaration (e.g., 5G NR, see Appendix 2). If you are searching outside ETSI it defines the general standard project (e.g., QI Standard) or a patent pool (e.g., Pool Program: HEVC (H.265)).
- Standard document ID – identifies the official standard document number including the version (e.g., TS 38.331 v16.4.1, 802.11ac, ISO/IEC 14496-2).
- Standard document ID harmonized – identifies the main standard id without the versions (e.g., TS 38.331).
- Declaring Company – identifies the declaring company of the declared patent, which is, for example, listed in declarations (ISLDs) of ETSI.
- Standard setting organization – identifies to which standard setting organization the patent has been declared.
- Pool Program Name - identifies the name of a patent pool program a patent has been submitted to (e.g., for example, the patents listed in the HEVC program from Via La are searchable via the field entry: HEVC (H.265) (Via LA)). The pool licensing program can be active or a legacy program.
- Pool Provider – identifies the name of a patent pool that lists patents of their various licensing programs like Via LA, Sisvel etc.
- Publication as to Declaration – identifies the publication number mentioned in the publication number field of a declaration like in ETSI declarations (ISLDs).
- Publication as to Declaration others - – identifies the publication numbers of patent family members of the declared patent, which is, for example, mentioned in ETSI declarations (ISLDs).
- Application as to Declaration - identifies the application number mentioned in the application number field of a declaration like in ETSI declarations (ISLDs).
- Application as to Declaration others - – identifies the application number of patent family members of the declared patent, which is, for example, mentioned in ETSI declarations (ISLDs).
- Application as to Declaration - identifies the application number
- Technology generation – defines the technology generation of a standardized technology. Therefore, patents are searchable for technology generations like 2G-5G, video coding (AVC, HEVC, VVC), or Wi-Fi technology, etc. The technology generation search field is created by LexisNexis IPlytics and is based on various parameters. For example, the technology generation for 2G to 5G searches is defined by the technical specification number (TS) number a patent got declared to. Based on the TS number, we will map the technology generation based on the assessment of 3GPP.
- Technology Standard – defines the technology standard similar to the technology generation field for a standardized technology. The technology standard field might be a subset of the technology generation field. The technology standard entries are based on patents declared to various TS numbers, which are mapped to technology standards like LTE-M, LTE CAT-1, NB-IoT, etc.
- ISLD – defines the declaration numbers of ETSI, which are classified by ISLD numbers.
- Committee Groups – defines the working group of 3GGP where certain TS numbers are created. The SEP search on this field will show patents declared as to be potentially essential to TS numbers created on the specific committee group.
- Pooled – defines patents that are part of a patent pool program where the patent numbers got published from the patent pool provider.
How to search patents declared to the 5G or 4G standard
The IPlytics technology generation field is based on the declared TS number and its associated generation classification provided by 3GPP where each TS number can be classified into 10 different technology generations including standalone generations as 5G or 4G or 3G or 2G but also including bridge technology generations such as - 5G,4G - or - 4G,3G,2G -. The bridge technology generations (comma separated as 5G,4G) represent their own technology generation grouping and do not represent a combination all -5G- and -4G- declared patents.
The screenshot displays potential technology generations available in the drop down:
If you search for patents declared to 5G the technology generation field allows the identification - when selecting 5G (first in drop down) – of all patents declared to 5G relevant TS (e.g. TS 38.111, TS 38.213, TS 23.501 and others). You can add to this the 5G bridge technologies (second, third, fourth position in the drop down) - when selecting 5G, 4G and other combinations – for all patents declared to “5G,4G” relevant TS (e.g. TS 26.251, TS 26.258, TS 26.253 and others).
Finally, you can identify all patents declared to 5G relevant project names LINK (see Appendix 2) in cases where the patent was not declared to a TS but only to a project (e.g., “New Radio”; “5G”, “NR”). Therefore, the 5G search includes all patents declared to technical specifications which are classified as 5G as well as 5G bridging technologies and it includes all patents that are declared to a 5G relevant standard project “New Radio, 5G, NR”. The query uses the OR operator to connect all fields (see screenshot below):
If you search for 4G declared patents and you do not want to consider 4G bridge technologies but only the pure 4G TS as well as the 4G standard project, the following query has to be initiated (see screenshot below):
This search includes all patents declared to technical specifications which are classified as 4G only (no bridge technologies) by the technology generation search field, and it includes all patents that are declared to the more broader standard project “LTE, 4G, SAE”.
Typically, the bridge technology generations are subject to smaller numbers of declared patents as the below screenshot shows all declared ETSI declarations by technology generation where multiple generations per patent are possible:
Reviewing Results
When searching for patents, declared SEPs or standards contributions, you can access two result sets selectable in the tabs:
1. Analytics
2. Search Data
Analytics
The Analytics tab (default) provides you with a graphical result that allows for the visualization of patents, declared SEPs, or standard contribution data. The table on the left side lists all companies and their portfolios. For example, searching for technology generation 5G in the SEP database will list and rank the largest patent portfolio owners of 5G declared patents. By default, the top 10 companies are selected for the Market Overview (default graph). It is possible to select or deselect any organization in the list of organizations on the left-hand side for possible inclusion into the visualization itself (see screenshot).
You can also select several different Analytics visuals in the top menu above the graph to navigate to (see screenshot below):
- Over Time
- Industry Trend
- Location
- IPlytics Indicators Radar
- IPC/CPC Concentration
- Rank
- Industry Cluster
- Co-Assignee
- Litigation or
- Transferred graph
Search Data
In the Search Data tab, you can explore into the patent-by-patent lists. In the SEP database, Search Data provides three different result aggregations tabs called Documents, SEPs and Families.
- The Documents tab provides the lowest level of granularity and lists any unique patent and standard combination. It’s important to note that most patents are declared to multiple standard documents, so thatthe Documents tab may list the same patent multiple times, each associated but declared to different standard documents.
- The SEPs tab provides the application-reduced result set (by application serial number) and consilidates all declared standard documents to the unique patent to which it has been declared.
- The Families provides an INPADOC extended family reduced result set (by the INPADOC family) and aggregates all declared standard documents to the unique patent family it has been declared to with one patent shown as the family representative.
Refining Results with the Filter Bar
To apply a filter in the IPlytics Platform, you need to click the checkbox associated with the desired filter option in the Filter Bar. The search filter will then be applied automatically after a 2-second delay. With filters you can quickly refine the results. For example, you can filter active and granted patents, transferred patents, litigated patents or pooled patents, you can filter by patent office or define certain publication date time range (see screenshot with filter bar options on the right below).
For some filters it is possible to combine different filter options e.g., to select multiple patent offices or combinations of publication / application / declaration / expiration dates. To add another date, you can click on “Add another date” below the date filter section (see below screenshot on the left). If you want to look at patents that are not active i.e., lapsed or expired you must switch the active filter setting to -No- and then click the check box to refine the results to patents where active = No (see below screenshot on the right).
You can apply the following filters:
- Active – identifies patents that are not lapsed, revoked, withdrawn, or expired based on an estimation of the latest legal status event provided by the patent office.
- Granted – identifies all granted patent documents provided by the patent office.
- Transferred – identifies patents that have been transferred based on the change of ownership given by the legal status field. We only consider patents as transferred where the first assignee and current assignee are two different legally independent companies.
- Litigated – identifies patents referenced in worldwide patent litigation cases. Litigation data is sourced from the LexisNexis International Litigation Database.
- Pooled – identifies patents listed in a patent pool program.
- Semantic Essentially Score – identifies the semantic essentially score of a patent which ranges from 0 – 100.
- Ultimate Owner – identifies the ultimate owner of a patent.
- Patent Office – identifies patents by the patent office of filing.
- Dates – defines time ranges for publication date, application date, declaration date, priority date earliest and expiration date.
- Kind Type – identifies the kind type of a patent document provided by the patent office such as patent application, granted patent, divisional, translation, utility model and patent amendment
- Type – identifies if the patent is identified as a potential SEP based on an existing declaration (Declaration), patent pool information (Pooled) or the LexisNexis IPlytics approach of identifying undeclared patents (Undeclared Patent)
- Technology Generation – identifies the technology generation by the standard documents classified for each technology generation.
- Technology Standard – identifies the technology standard which is mainly a subset of the technology generation by the standard document classified for each technology standard.
- Standard Doc ID (normalized) – identifies the version-reduced standard document number.
- Committee Groups – defines the specific working group in 3GPP that created the technical specifications.
- Release – defines a set of technical specifications from ETSI that were published in a specific standard release.
- Industry Sector – defines LINK Webpage 6 industry sectors a patent can be classified to by combinations of IPC/CPC classes.
- Industry Field – defines LINK Webpage 35 industry fields a patent can be classified to by combinations of IPC/CPC classes.
- Declaration Origin – identifies the declaration origin of a potential essential patent. A patent might be classified as a potential SEP based on an original declaration document or patent pool information (Original Declaration), based on a Simple Family Expansion which is done for declared patents, or based on the LexisNexis IPlytics approach of identifying undeclared patents.
Overall, the IPlytics Platform's SEP search capabilities empower users to conduct detailed and precise analyses of SEPs, providing valuable insights into the patent landscape and supporting strategic decision-making in industries reliant on standardized technologies. Whether for licensing, litigation, or competitive analysis, the platform's robust search tools ensure that users can effectively navigate the complex world of SEPs.