Dynamic Change of a Multi-Agent Workflow for Patent Invention Using a Utility Function

Abstract

Patent invention includes various types of knowledge processing tasks such as patent document analysis, patent search, patent classification, patent valuation, to ensure the usefulness and novelty of the new patent invention. In the past, patent invention for an industry relied solely on tedious interactions among domain-specific human experts. In this paper, we propose a cooperative multi-agent and Web service platform to facilitate the invention of a new patent. The platform integrates web service technique as a standard information exchange mechanism for agents to communicate with each other in FIPA Agent Communication Language (ACL). We design a utility function in terms of cost, time and value of information service for an agent to decide whether a service should be selected in the workflow of the patent invention. The agents are implemented in JADE and we illustrate with two explicit examples in the domain of inventing a new mechanical design patent and show how the cooperative multi-agent and web service platform supports the patent invention process.