Mappings
A mapping is basically a claim chart, i.e. the document a patent practitioner builds to argue, element by element, whether a claim reads on a product. It compares one patent with one target. Patalyze takes each claim of the patent, breaks it into its elements and judges every element against the target, with the evidence behind each call.
The target is usually a product. It can also be another patent, a scientific paper or a technical standard. Against an earlier patent or paper, the chart shows whether the claim was already known. Against a standard, it shows whether implementing the standard requires the claimed invention. An agent can also chart a claim against a combination of several earlier patents, e.g. to argue that the claim lacks an inventive step.
Here is an example with one independent claim of four elements. The cell plainly ships in the laminated pouch the claim ends on. It most likely has the solid-state stacks and the frame around them, though the datasheet stops short of saying so. However, it plainly lacks the flat plate that carries a stack on either side. Three of the four elements are present, which makes 75%.
An electrochemical stack assembly comprising:
one or more electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising a solid-state electrolyte to form at least two electrochemical stacks, each stack having two major surfaces and four minor surfaces;
()a frame surrounding the at least two electrochemical stacks with space between the frame and each of the four minor surfaces of each of the at least two electrochemical stacks;
()a flat plate attached to or integral with the frame, each of the at least two electrochemical stacks having one of the two major surfaces adhered to a respective side of the flat plate; and
a laminated pouch surrounding the frame and the at least two electrochemical stacks, the laminated pouch in contact with one of the two major surfaces of each of the at least two electrochemical stacks.
Mappings are the evidence behind almost every patent question:
- Freedom to operate: check your own product against the patents around it before you ship.
- Infringement detection: show that a patent you hold reads on someone else's product.
- Invalidity: map a patent against an earlier product, patent or paper to show its elements were already known.
- Essentiality: map a patent against a technical standard to show whether implementing the standard requires it.
Element statuses and mapping scores#
A claim only reads on a product when every one of its elements is present. That is why each element gets its own status:
yes: the product clearly has this element.probably-yes: the product most likely has it, but the documents stop short of saying so outright.probably-no: the product most likely does not.no: the product clearly does not have it.omit: the element is set aside and left out of the score.
yes()probably-yes()probably-nonoomitThe score of a claim is simply the share of its elements that are present, counting both yes and probably-yes. A dependent claim is scored on the elements it adds, since the rest belongs to the claim it refers to. To make a table of scores easy to scan, they are sorted into four risk bands:
- Critical, at 100%, means every element is present (red).
- High, from 81 to 99%, means almost all elements are present (orange).
- Medium, from 61 to 80%, means a majority are present (yellow).
- Low, from 0 to 60% (gray).
Be aware that the score tells you how close a claim comes. It doesn't replace the verdict, because a single missing element is enough for a claim not to be infringed, however high the rest scores.
Evidence and control#
Mappings usually start with an agent. Ask a research agent to chart one patent against one product and it charts just that pair. Ask it to check a product against a whole set of patents, e.g. with the Freedom-to-Operate skill, and it charts every pair.
Open a mapping and each element sits beside the reasoning for its status, with links to the exact source it rests on, e.g. the page of a product datasheet. Where a status depends on the meaning of a term, the agent interprets that term first and names its sources, e.g. a paragraph of the description or a court decision. Click the patent or the target in the title to open it in a window beside the chart, the patent on the left and the target on the right.
one or more electrochemical cells, each electrochemical cell comprising a solid-state electrolyte to form at least two electrochemical stacks;
The datasheet describes a solid-state cell built on a ceramic separator in place of a liquid electrolyte Datasheet, p.2, but never says how many stacks sit inside one pouch; the closest match is Feature 1.1, so the element most likely reads but is not stated outright.
a flat plate attached to or integral with the frame, each stack adhered to a respective side of the flat plate; and
No flat plate carrying a stack on either side appears in any product document; every published view shows a single stack, so nothing answers to Feature 2.4. The element is absent.
a laminated pouch surrounding the frame and the at least two electrochemical stacks.
The cell ships in a laminated pouch measuring 84.5 by 65.6 by 4.6 mm Datasheet, p.1, matching the product's Pouch enclosure feature Feature 1.3.
You stay in control of the result. Click the status icon of an element to change a status you disagree with, or omit an element you have ruled out, and the score updates to match. The Download button above the title exports the chart as Word or PDF.
Mappings in tables#
Mappings are built to be read in bulk. In a table, the score shows up as a colored cell where a patent and its target meet, so the claims that matter stand out by color. A cell stays empty until that pair has been charted.
Filter such a column to the Critical and High bands and the table narrows to the rows worth reading in full. Click a score to open the mapping next to the table or as a page of its own.
For the legal background on the different shapes a claim chart can take, see the different flavors of claim charts.