Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation with AI

Coming up with a new and innovative idea—one that solves a problem your team, company, or industry is facing—is no easy task. Uncovering novel ideas, as well as protecting and monetizing them, requires a tight partnership between R&D and IP teams. Introducing AI into your innovation cycle can break down internal barriers, encouraging stronger collaboration and getting novel ideas to market faster. 

Exploring Patent Data

Patents are filled with insights and ideas. Until recently, finding helpful information in a reasonable amount of time required knowing exactly where to look. This meant patent searching was largely limited to trained professionals, often skilled in Boolean and semantic search methodologies, such as inventors, IP lawyers, and researchers. 

Now, adding an AI-powered tool to your workflow makes it easier to find relevant details and applicable ideas within prior art faster. IP.com’s intuitive semantic search engine makes it easy for engineers, designers, and developers to find what they’re looking for without formal training. The IP.com suite of products also provides a large collection of visualization tools that further democratize patent data. 

Simplifying Invention Disclosures

After identifying and developing a novel idea, you’ll likely want to disclose it in order to protect and monetize it. This requires close collaboration between R&D and IP teams. Drafting strong invention disclosures means writing in language that both teams can understand.  

For example, an automotive engineer may understand that “frunk” means “front trunk.” However, an IP professional (and future patent searchers) may not understand the term. Every team has its own vernacular, acronyms, and language that is understood by them but not always readily understood by outsiders. IP.com’s innovation workflow helps engineers and other inventors strengthen their invention disclosures by focusing on the truly innovative aspects of their technology with clear, concise language. Engineers and lawyers also consider the uniqueness requirement of a patent differently. What engineers feel is obvious may not be to a patent officer. Using a specially trained search engine to review prior art helps identify ideas that are novel and may be valuable patents. 

Adding an AI-enabled tool to these early stages of innovation can increase collaboration, saving time and money. IP.com recently spoke with engineering.com to further explain how IQ Ideas Plus^TM can bring your ideas to life faster. Read more.