Frequently Asked Questions
The Patent Box is a website for delivering patent-related software tools. The Patent Box currently provides IFW Insight, a web-based research tool for patent professionals. Additional tools are currently under development for use by both patent professionals and inventors.
IFW Insight is a web-based application for searching, sharing and collaborating on US Patent Image File Wrapper (IFW) documents – also commonly referred to as “File History” documents.
- Search - The IFW Insight database currently includes over 1,000 IFW documents. IFWs are originally created by the USPTO as image-based documents, and are thus not searchable. However, by applying optical character recognition (OCR) algorithms we are able to expose text data embedded within these documents thus making them fully searchable. The IFW Insight search interface includes powerful search features including support for both proximity and Boolean search operations.
- Sharing – IFW insight also allows users to upload and share locally stored IFW documents. Uploaded IFW documents are automatically processed to make them searchable via the IFW Insight Pro Search interface. Sharing IFW documents improves the search experience for you and other users of the system. (Please note, only IFWs associated with published applications/patents may be uploaded).
- Collaboration – IFW Insight includes several collaboration features including:
- Unique URLs: A unique public web page is created for each IFW document added to the IFW Insight database. This unique web page includes a link to the associated IFW PDF document and is accessible to both subscribed and non-subscribed users of the system. After uploading an IFW document, a user can easily share the document with anyone who has access to a web browser. Practically, when needing to collaborate with a colleague, a practitioner can simply e-mail a hyperlink to this unique page instead of attaching a typically very large IFW PDF document.
- Commenting - IFW Insight also allows users of the system to add comments to these public web pages. A comment could be added, for example, to let other users know that a particular IFW provides a good illustration of overcoming a specific type of rejection. These comments are also searchable via the IFW Insight search interface.
IFW Insight is for patent professionals (e.g. US patent attorneys and patent agents). IFW Insight was originally designed for solo/small firm practitioners who often lack access to the large file repositories typically available in a large firm environment. However, the functionality has grown since inception and now offers benefits for all patent practitioners.
IFW Insight can help practitioners prosecute applications more efficiently. Our search interface allows users to quickly locate IFWs that exhibit a similar fact pattern to a case they are prosecuting. This is particularly helpful when the practitioner must do something new or non-routine (e.g. prepare a 131 affidavit or respond to a 101 Bilski rejection). Sometimes practitioners simply have writer's block – they know how to solve the problem but can’t find the appropriate language. This is where IFW Insight shines. Seeing how another practitioner has successfully solved the same problem provides an efficiency boost that can lead to significant cost savings.
IFW Insight Pro currently costs $35/month for a single user license. Please see our pricing page for more information. Practitioners’ hourly rates normally start at $150/hour, so IFW Insight pays for itself if it saves you even 2 hours/year! It is a great investment.
IFW Insight does not provide access to a complete database of file wrappers. In other words, we do not provide access to the same collection of IFW documents provided by the USPTO. The USPTO does not currently provide bulk access to this data, making this level of access effectively impossible. When the USPTO does begin to provide bulk IFW data, we hope to provide access.
IFW Insight is not a document retrieval service. Because the IFW Insight repository is built collaboratively, we can not guarantee that the file wrappers stored in the IFW Insight repository are either accurate or up to date. Our focus is on research, not document retrieval, and you should not use this tool as a substitute for your current document retrieval solution.
IFW Insight is not private. At this time, any document you upload or comment you add will be publicly searchable by all users of the system. Please do not upload confidential data to the system. If you have an interest in a system that is capable of supporting both public and private data please contact us.
The Patent Box is operated by The Patent Box, LLC, a corporation based in Philadelphia, PA and incorporated in Pennsylvania. The Patent Box, LLC is wholly owned by Paul Dougherty, a Patent Agent and former Patent Examiner.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by any of the means listed below:
The Patent Box, LLC
PO Box 3697
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(800) 225-2238
comments@thepatentbox.com