Development of ezdl search system by adding capabilities for patent search

Abstract

The preparation of my thesis was a very interesting experience and a great opportunity for me to comprehend computer programming, which I hope will be the trigger for a successful career in this field. During the development and completion of my diploma thesis, a variety of topics were investigated. The aim of this thesis is to research into a new generation of advanced patent search systems for the patent related industries and the whole spectrum of patent users by designing a new exciting framework for integrating multiple patent data sources, patent search tools and user interfaces. The actual goal application is based on an open source project called ezDL, which started from the University of Duisburg-Essen. The first chapter is an introduction to Information Retrieval (IR) and search systems. The second and third chapter describe what was essential for me to understand in order to move on to developing the application. These chapters are about how the patent industry works. Specifically, they are focused on what a patent actually is, what the application and publication process include and what types of searches are involved. The fourth and fifth chapters describe the technologies and platforms that were used to develop the application. In these chapters, Federated Search is described and an actual application of it (PerFedPat) is presented. The sixth chapter describes my experience in developing PerFedPat. The last chapter describes possible use cases of the application.