New Features
1) Categorization
Overview
The Categorization feature enables to classify IP records using configurable business taxonomies. Users can define category structures that align with their organization's needs and apply them consistently across all core objects.
This feature is available to Standard Users, Administrators, and Questel Administrators.
The solution supports single-select, multi-select, and hierarchical category models, allowing users to organize portfolios by Business Unit, Division, Product, Technology, or any custom classification.
Add Categories to a Record
Users can easily categorize records directly from the Categories tab available on each supported case.
To assign categories:
- Open the desired record.
- Navigate to the Categories tab.
- Click Add.
- Select the required category values.
(Optional) Choose how the categories should be applied:
- Apply to Family – Assigns the selected categories to the current family.
- Apply to All Family Members – Assigns the selected categories to every member within the family.
- Click Save to apply the selected categories.
The Add Categories dialog automatically displays all configured category record types and their corresponding assignment models.
Category Management
Users can create and manage organization-specific category structures using the "New Categories" page.
When creating a category, administrators select one of the available record types:
- Business Unit
- Division
- Product
- Technology
For each category, administrators can configure:
- Category Name
- Parent Category (for hierarchical structures)
- Active status
- Owner
Categories can be organized into hierarchical structures by assigning a Parent Category, allowing organizations to build multi-level taxonomies while also supporting flat category structures.
The Active checkbox determines whether a category is available for assignment. Only active categories are displayed in the Add Categories dialog and can be assigned to records, while inactive categories remain stored in the system for future use.
2) Value metrics and citing companies
Patent families now display Orbit Intelligence value metrics pulled directly through the existing iOrbit connection, giving you data to help decide whether to keep a patent, gauge its market value, or assess the age of a family.
New fields on the patent family
Each family with a valid APID now shows:
- Originality: how broadly the family's backward citations span different technology groups (0 to 1 scale)
- Radicalness: similar to Originality, but only counts citations to technology groups outside the family's own classification
- Generality: how broadly a family's forward citations span different technology groups (0 to 1 scale)
- Technology Impact Index: based on forward citations, adjusted for citation type, age, and technical domain
- Market Coverage Index: the size of the market across countries where the patent is pending or granted, with a 40% reduction applied to pending countries
- Patent Strength Index: a weighted combination of Technology Impact and Market Coverage, available for both alive and dead patents
- Patent Value Index: Patent Strength weighted by the patent's remaining life, available only for alive patents
- Family Age: the gap in months between the oldest and youngest application dates in the family
These values are fetched from iOrbit at the family level using the family's APID, and populate automatically. No manual accept or decline step is needed, the values are stored directly.
Where you'll see it
A new "Evaluation" section appears on the Patent Family page, visible only when the family has an APID.
When the data updates (to be reviewed by Baptiste as it is not the case right now)
- Currently there are 2 weekly batches that will populate the data :
- Update Suggestion - Get Patent Data
- Update Suggestion - Get Family Data
- Automatically when a new patent is added and a new family is created, values populate on both the patent and family level as soon as you save.
- On demand, through a manual refresh that pulls the latest values from iOrbit.
- Through the same connection flows used for "Import patent from PTO" and "Manage iOrbit/Markify connection," so value metrics stay in sync whenever you connect or reconnect a patent.
3) Manage iOrbit & Markify connection
You can now check and refresh your patent & trademark office data on demand, instead of waiting for the Wednesday batch.
Check PTO Updates button
A new "See PTO Differences" button appears on the widget. Clicking it opens a modal with one of these states:
- Updates available: shows a table comparing your current field values against the latest PTO data. You can accept changes field by field or use "Accept All," then save.
- No updates available: confirms your case is up to date and shows the last refresh date.
- Not yet connected: opens a search form so you can find and link the correct PTO record by country and case number.
- Multiple matches found: also opens the search form, so you can pick the right case yourself.
Refresh and get last updates
Inside the modal, "Refresh and get last updates" calls iOrbit directly and pulls the latest changes. A spinner shows while the refresh runs, and the "Last Refresh Date" updates once it completes. If new differences turn up, the table updates in real time and a toast confirms the save.
Reconnecting a case
If a case is linked to the wrong PTO record, click "Wrong case? Reconnect" to search for and select the correct one. Once you confirm, the system updates the stored case ID, replaces any pending update suggestions with fresh ones from the new record, and updates the last refresh date.
PTO Status widget
A companion "PTO Status" widget on the case page gives you the same information at a glance, showing whether your case is connected, whether updates are waiting, and the last refresh date, without opening the full modal.
4) Case Reference rule improvements
It is now possible to create a Case Reference Rule for the Invention Disclosure object.