Step up your invention disclosure process!

Although DIAMS iQ is the pinnacle of Dennemeyer's IP software, other solutions were designed to communicate with our main product and to be provided as complementary services. We call these DIAMS Invent, DIAMS Collaborate and DIAMS Direct and all three are web features offered to our iQ customers.

Let us start by addressing some of the common issues encountered by R&D departments in managing inventions, while also presenting potential solutions provided by our browser-based platform. In a nutshell, DIAMS Invent can be described as a tool for managing the journey of an invention from idea to patent application.

Configurable disclosure form

When engineers and scientists from different industry backgrounds manage to find solutions for technical problems, in most cases, their great ideas are described to R&D on Invention Disclosure Forms (IDFs). These records generate a lot of paperwork, as they often contain more than 10 pages. The traditional use of IDFs also makes document control difficult, due to an intense back-and-forth activity meant to tweak the description or claims until the most precise and clear version is achieved. DIAMS Invent can act as a disclosure form, and an advanced one at that, enabling the user to configure each tab in great detail and mark mandatory fields as required. With the assignment of access rights, the system can precisely specify what actions each role type is allowed to perform.

For example, a user classified as an inventor can share the prerequisite for a potential patent application by going through the different sections of the defined process. At the same time, users classified as managers or admins are only able to evaluate and approve creations received from inventors. They can, of course, also request further information or even reject these submissions, depending on how well the applications meet strict criteria such as novelty, inventive step or commercial value.

Integrated document management system

DIAMS Invent features a personalized dashboard for quick access to invention records, tasks and charts while providing additional useful tools for organizing meetings and generating reports. Furthermore, the system includes a module for keeping track of financial awards assigned to each inventor and co-inventor. The documents' management is thoroughly covered as well, facilitating the attachment of files in any size and format. URL links and prior art such as patent publications and non-patent literature can also be uploaded and saved in an accessible web structure. All this information will eventually find its way into DIAMS iQ, in the form of a patent profile.

Easy-to-use monitoring tools

Users can be kept up-to-date regarding the progress of any submission with useful settings like invention status and sub-status, notes and a history tab that enables the creation of a workflow decision process. Some of the critical records stored in this segment are the date and time of all updates and the author who performed them, together with any relevant comments, thus eliminating document control related issues and many back-and-forth actions. Inventors are able to see the latest updates or clarification requests added by managers and vice versa.

A quick and safe document exchange platform

When exchanging relevant documents with partners, agents or suppliers, most companies try to avoid having their information ending up in the wrong hands. For this reason and other associated risks, the email is often not on the list of preferred methods for securely transferring files. To assist organizations that are looking for software solutions focused on the exchange of documents, Dennemeyer has developed DIAMS Collaborate, an easy-to-access website that communicates with our main product, DIAMS iQ. There are two scenarios where DIAMS Collaborate can prove useful:

• When you want to share a specific file with a co-worker who is also using the platform, or
• If you are looking to send documents directly to DIAMS iQ.

The iQ user can then review and approve your files for transferring into the Document Management System of the corresponding patent, trademark or design.

Web feature for read-only portfolio access

We have created DIAMS Direct for scenarios where different stakeholders need to access certain elements of the IP portfolio, without necessarily being able to manipulate the data. Our read-only platform will let the user quickly retrieve information stored in DIAMS iQ using any device that supports web browser functionality. Furthermore, your customers can also be granted access to view their patents, trademarks or designs.

We hope you enjoyed reading about our DIAMS web features and, if you wish to know more, please get in touch with our team of Software Consultants.