Patent US7644360

at least one input device in communication with a computer and at least one output device, wherein at least one user is capable of inputting information via the at least one input device to the at least one computer and viewing information on the at least one output device, and wherein the at least one computer is capable of storing, modifying, outputting, and retrieving information in communication with the at least one input device and at least one output device;

and software installed and capable of running on the at least one computer for automatically importing patent claims based upon the user inputted information, parsing the patent claims hierarchically, generating a hierarchical claims diagram comprising graphical claim structure and textual claim content associated with each patent claim, the textual content of each claim ending with a numerical representation of how many claims directly depend on that claim, and outputting a viewable diagram of the parsed claims wherein, for each patent claim, the graphical claim structure fully includes the textual claim content;

wherein the claims diagram shows at least part of a patent claims series in an interactive format that is operable to dynamically expand and compress the at least part of a patent claims series, including both the graphical claim structure and the fully included textual claim content, according to the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series;

wherein the graphical claim structure comprises multiple geometric outlines, each outline operable to fully contain the textual claim content of one claim, and at least one line directly connecting the outlines to each other according to the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series;

wherein at least one of the multiple geometric outlines further has a visual emphasis, the visual emphasis indicating whether there are additional levels of the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series directly connected to the at least one of the multiple geometric outlines that has a visual emphasis.

selecting at least part of a patent claims series;

importing the at least part of a patent claims series;

parsing the at least part of a patent claims series into the claims hierarchy of at least part of a patent claims series;

displaying the parsed at least part of a patent claims series in an interactive format that is operable to dynamically expand and compress the at least part of a patent claims series, including both the graphical claim structure and the fully included textual claim content, according to the hierarch of the at least part of a patent claims series, the textual content of each claim ending with a numerical representation of how many claims directly depend on that claim;

wherein the graphical claim structure comprises multiple geometric outlines, each outline operable to fully contain the textual claim content of one claim and at least one line directly connecting the outlines to each other according the hierarch of the at least part of a patent claims series;

wherein at least one of the multiple geometric outlines further has a visual emphasis, the visual emphasis indicating whether there are additional levels of the hierarchy of the at least part of a patent claims series directly connected to the at least one of the multiple geometric outlines that has a visual emphasis.