Freedom-to-Operate Searching, Mapping and Analysis

Develop FTO Patent Maps for Broad Technology Development Initiatives or Specific Product Design Initiatives, Including Interactive, Reusable FTO Mapping

What is it?

A Freedom To Operate (“FTO”) analysis identifies patents and applications that are most dominant for a particular product/technology space and organizes the results to facilitate design of products that are free of infringement issues. SLW’s unique interactive claim maps allow engineers and scientists to readily determine how each design choice affects possible infringement issues and also allows rapid design iteration without costly re-analysis.

Value Proposition

• Design around competitor patents using rapid “what-if” product feature configuration using interactive FTO map
• Avoid unnecessary infringement suits and allegations
• Align development with ”open” IP space
• Enhance ability to develop patentable technology
• Identify opportunities

Process and Cost

• Client identifies technology/general product design of interest – essentially a core design concept like “remote monitoring of medical devices”
• Top 100 patents are identified using manual review process that boils down large numbers of patents to the broadest and most important patents for the technology/product of interest
• The claims of the patents are mapped using ClaimScape^®
• Interactive “panoramic” claim map is generated and delivered to client