The most essential and critical patent work, family and citations review all in one place!

 

 In the process of researching and analyzing patented technologies, examining patent family & citation documents plays a crucial role. This task goes beyond simple information gathering, serving as a key method for comprehensively understanding the international scope of rights, technological development trends, and the competitive landscape.

 A patent family refers to a group of patent documents filed in multiple countries based on the same invention. By analyzing these documents, one can identify the patent holder’s global IP protection strategy. Applicants typically select target countries strategically, reflecting their intended market entry plans and the perceived importance of the invention. Differences in claim scope or filing timelines between patent families can reveal how the technology has evolved or how the applicant tailored their rights for each jurisdiction. Therefore, analyzing patent families plays a vital role in identifying potential IP conflicts in target markets and understanding a company's international patent strategy.

 On the other hand, citation document analysis involves reviewing prior patents cited by a particular patent (backward citations) and subsequent patents that cite it (forward citations). This allows researchers to track how a specific technology has been built upon existing inventions and how it has contributed to later developments. Frequently cited patents often indicate core technologies in the field, and the entities citing them are likely to be active competitors. As such, citation analysis serves as a foundation for evaluating technological significance, competitor activity, and potential invalidity risks.

 At WIPS Global, we have newly launched a feature that enables users to review family and citation documents together in one place, allowing for more effective execution of this critical task. Let’s take a closer look at what this feature offers.

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The "Family & Citation" feature can be accessed through the "View Details".

wipsglobal.com> Family analysis> Family & Citation

 In the Family Analysis, information is provided through various tabs to support analysis from multiple perspectives. A new "Family & Citation" tab has been added. The user interface has been improved to allow users to list and compare both family and citation documents. Additionally, a citation analysis feature has been integrated into the family analysis module, enabling users to view all citations across the entire global patent family.

wipsglobal.com> Family analysis> Family & Citation

 When you select a specific document from the family list on the left, the system displays its first-depth backward citations in a list format. You can also use the list view options to review the cited documents alongside their drawings.

wipsglobal.com> Invalidation Advisor

 Both family and citation documents can also be reviewed within the Citation Matrix of the Invalidation Advisor tool.

wipsglobal.com> Invalidation Advisor> Citation Matrix

 Previously, the Invalidation Advisor supported only four countries (US, EP, JP, KR). However, with the new family analysis feature, citation document analysis is now available for all countries.

In the Citation Matrix, you can view the citation documents and family documents of a searched patent in a matrix structure. Clicking on any citation or family document will dynamically highlight the interrelationships, allowing for easy and intuitive review.

 

We’ve now explored the newly released Family & Citation feature offered by WIPS Global.

 Patent family documents represent the global spread and strategic scope of a technology, while citation documents reflect the context and evolution of that technology. Reviewing both types of documents is not a peripheral task—it is a core foundational step in patent analysis and IP strategy development. By examining both, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of the international expansion of technologies, competitor IP strategies, and the direction of technological evolution. This forms a critical basis for decision-making in R&D, product development, IP litigation, and beyond.

 This kind of essential and strategic task—reviewing family & citation documents—starts now with WIPS Global. Try it today!