日本と欧米のクレーム作成のしきたりの違い
ソフトウエア編~その2~

おはようございます。知財実務情報Lab.専門家チームの立花顕治です。

 

前回に引き続き、欧米のソフトウエア分野のクレーム作成のしきたりについて説明します。

 

前回は、デバイスクレームの記載方法について説明しましたが、今回は、その他のカテゴリーの記載方法について説明します。

 

  

 

1.方法クレーム

まず、方法クレームの名称としては、以下のような記載があります。

USP 8,429,409 (Google)

       1. A computer-implemented method for resetting secure elements within network computing devices configured to conduct financial transactions, comprising:

US 2014/0365226 (Apple)

       1. A method for operating an intelligent automated assistant, comprising:

US 2015/0279358 (IBM)       

  1. A method for spoken tem detection, comprising:

 

このうち、”computer-implemented method”という記載がよく見られます。

クレーム全体を見てみましょう。

USP 11,363,382 (Apple)

17. A computer-implemented method, comprising: at an electronic device with a communication device:

   performing an audio timing synchronization process that includes: transmitting, via the communication device, to a second device, a request for the second device to participate in the audio timing synchronization process;

   subsequent to transmitting the request to the second device, causing an output of an audio tone;

   subsequent to causing the output of the audio tone, receiving, from the second device, data generated based on the output of the audio tone; and

   adjusting an audio timing synchronization setting of a third device based at least in part on the data received from the second device.

 

当然ながら、ある程度のデバイスの特定は必要になりますが、このクレームでは” at an electronic device with a communication device”との特定がありますが、その後はステップの列挙です。

 

対応するデバイスクレームは、以下の通りです。

1. An electronic device, comprising:

   a communication device;

   one or more processors; and

   memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:

   performing an audio timing synchronization process that includes: transmitting, via the communication device, to a second device, a request for the second device to participate in the audio timing synchronization process;

   subsequent to transmitting the request to the second device, causing an output of an audio tone;

   subsequent to causing the output of the audio tone, receiving, from the second device, data generated based on the output of the audio tone; and

   adjusting an audio timing synchronization setting of a third device based at least in part on the data received from the second device.

 

デバイスクレームでは、コミュニケーションデバイス、プロセッサ、メモリといったハードウェアが構成要件に入っていますが、これを抜いたものが方法クレームになっています。つまり、デバイスクレームのプログラムが実行するステップを抜き出したものが、そのまま方法クレームになっています。分かりやすいですね。

 

もう一つ、クレーム1が方法クレームになっているものも見てみましょう。

USP 11,329,827 (Apple)

1. A method for unlocking a second device with a first device, the method comprising:

   during a first communication process, establishing a trusted relationship between the first device and the second device, including generating an unlocking key and generating a first long-term key;

   during a second communication process after the first communication process: receiving, at the first device, a user input corresponding to a request to unlock the second device;

   in response to receiving the user input, generating, at the first device, a short-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated using the first long-term key;

   transmitting the short-term key from the first device to the second device;

   receiving, from the second device, an encrypting key generated by the second device using the short-term key; encrypting the unlocking key with the encrypting key; and

   transmitting the encrypted unlocking key from the first device to the second device to unlock the second device.

 

 

21. A first device capable of unlocking a second device, the first device comprising:

   one or more processors; memory; and

   one or more instructions, wherein the one or more instructions are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more instructions including instructions for:

   during a first communication process, establishing a trusted relationship between the first device and the second device, including generating an unlocking key and generating a first long-term key;

   during a second communication process, after the first communication process: receiving a user input corresponding to a request to unlock the second device;

   in response to receiving the user input, generating, at the first device, a short-term key, wherein the short-term key is generated using the first long-term key;

   transmitting the short-term key to the second device; receiving, from the second device, an encrypting key generated by the second device using the short-term key;

   encrypting the unlocking key with the encrypting key; and

   transmitting the encrypted unlocking key to the second device to unlock the second device.

 

こちらも同じですね。方法クレームでは、first device, second deviceの限定が入っていますが、デバイスクレームからプロセッサ、プログラムを抜いたものが方法クレームになっています。

 

 

2.媒体クレーム

次に、媒体クレームについて説明します。米国ではプログラムクレームが認められていませんので、プログラムが記憶された媒体がクレームの対象になります。

 

媒体クレームの名称としては、以下のようなものがあります。

US 2012/0226977(Apple)

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, causing the computing device to dynamically interact with user input, the instructions comprising:

 

US 2015/0279358 (IBM)

20. A computer program product for spoken term detection, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having  program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

 

一般的には、” A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium”がよく使われると思います。”non-transitory”は「一時的ではない」という意味で、一時的な伝搬信号ではないことを示す文言です。

 
その他、computer program productという書き方もあります。これは、computer-readable mediumを含むさらに上位概念を示すようです。

 

以下は、クレーム全体の例です。

USP 2017/0017677 (SAP)

17. A non-transitory computer-readable media encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

              identifying a change to a data object associated with a change notification rule, the change notification rule defining at least one target system to be notified in response to changes to a data set;

              generating, substantially instantaneously in response to the identified change, a notification event identifying the data object associated with the change;

              sending, substantially instantaneously in response to the generation of the notification event, the notification event to the at least one target system defined by the change notification rule;

              receiving a request, in response to the sent notification event, for the changed data object; and

              providing the changed data object to the target system.

 

構造としては、媒体の中にプログラムが記憶され、そのプログラムがコンピュータによって実行されると、規定のステップを実行するというものです。方法のクレームと同様の構造ですね。

 

以上の方法、媒体や、前回説明したデバイスクレームでは、ソフトウエアをプロセッサ(またはコンピュータ)により実行されるステップで示していますが、機能構成として規定する記載方法も少数ですがあります。一例を挙げます。

 

USP 7,739,599(Microsoft)

1. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer executable components executed by a computing device for editing a video data stream, said video data stream having a sequenced plurality of video frames and being transferred from a video source, said computer-readable storage media comprising:

              an analysis component for determining a property value of each of the video frames in the video data stream and determining differences of the property values between successive video frames in the video data stream, wherein the property value of each said video frame is determined by at least one of a time stamp, a face recognition algorithm analysis, a GPS data, and an audio analysis of each said video frame;

              a segmentation component for segmenting the video data stream into sequenced video clips as a function of determined differences of the property values between successive video frames, said segmentation component segmenting the video data stream while the video data stream is being transferred from the video source, wherein the analysis component determines a property rating for each of the sequenced video clips in the video data stream, wherein the property rating comprises at least three different values, and wherein the analysis component assigns one of the property rating values to each video clip based on each of the determined property values of each of the video frames included in each video clip; an edit component for applying a default special effect to at least one video clip of the sequenced video clips as a function of the determined property values of the video frames included in the at least one video clip and based on transition selection rules stored in a memory, wherein said special effect is applied to the video clip while the video data stream is being transferred from the video source; and

              a user interface (UI) component for displaying each of the sequenced video clips while the video data stream is being transferred from the video source, wherein the UI component includes a clip queue window comprising a first miniaturized window for displaying a current video clip being transferred to the computer from the video source, and at least two second miniaturized windows each representative of a video clip previously transferred, wherein each of the second miniaturized windows displays a thumbnail representative of a previously transferred video clip, and wherein said UI component comprises a transition control located between each of the at least two second miniaturized windows for allowing a user to select a desired transition effect from a plurality of transition effects to apply between a selected set of successive video clips, whereby the transition effect is applied between two successive video clips whereas the special effect is applied to the at least one of the video clips, wherein the selected set of successive video clips are the video clips represented by the second miniaturized windows between which the transition control is located, wherein the UI component displays each of the sequenced video clips with the transition effect applied between successive video clips while the video data stream is being transferred from the video source and wherein the UI component includes a video clip property rating field for displaying the value of the property rating assigned by the segmentation component of the video clip being displayed.

 

この記載方法では、媒体がanalysis component, segmentation component, user interface componentという3つの機能構成を有しています。媒体が、コンピュータで実行可能なコンポーネントを有し、そのコンポーネントが規定されています。但し、各コンポーネントには、for ~ingという修飾がありますので、実質的にはこれまで説明したステップで記載する方法と同じであると思います。

 

3.まとめ

以上、2回に亘って欧米企業の出願人のソフトウエアクレームの記載方法を説明しました。

ソフトウエア分野においては、欧米企業と日本企業のクレームの記載方法が大きく違います。この違いを審査官に理解してもらえればいいのですが、それを期待するよりも、欧米企業の出願人の記載方法をまねた方がスムーズに審査してもらえるのではないでしょうか。

また、欧米企業の記載方法は、日本語明細書の作成段階でも使うことができますので、日本と外国のクレームを完全に共通にすることもできると思います。

一案として参考にして頂ければと思います。

 

立花先生からのお知らせ

現在、レクシア特許法律事務所では、「意匠商標部門の弁理士」を募集しています。詳しくはパテントサロンの求人ページをご参照ください。

 

立花 顕治 (レクシア特許法律事務所 代表パートナー 弁理士)

専門分野:機械電気ソフト分野の権利化、訴訟


レクシア特許法律事務所:http://www.lexia-ip.jp/