“Hybrid Searching” - Searching Families
When searching Families, you can de-duplicate records to one member per family (Simple or Extended/INPADOC). Simple family comprises those records that have exactly the same priority or same combination of priorities. Simple Family members can be interpreted as records that in all probability protect exactly the same invention. An Extended family (same as INPADOC family) includes records that contain all records that are directly or indirectly linked to at least one common priority. Extended Family members can be interpreted as records that protect the same and also related inventions by the same applicant.
When deduplicating by family, you can also optionally give a country code preference and select either Match or Prefer options. You can also specify a country preference along with kind codes. The kind code is optional however. E.g. you can give US, EP, WO or with kind code USB*, USA, EPB*, WO. The working of Match and Prefer options is explained in the table below:
| Deduplication - Country Preference | Dedup Code | Search Action | Displayed Record |
| Country preference with Match Option | SFAM(C), EFAM(C) | The search runs across all families and country preference is applied only over those members that have matched the search query | From one of the matching hits in the family |
| Country preference with Prefer option | SFAM(P), EFAM(P) | The search runs across all families and country preference is applied on all members of any family in which one or more records have matched the search query | From the family having one or more matching hits in order of the country preference (Not necessarily the matching hit) |
Restricting your Search to Selected Countries
The search interface allows you to limit your Publications/Families search to a particular set of countries. By default the full global collection is searched.
When searching Publications, if you select one or more countries, then your search query will run only within those country’s publications.
When searching Families, if you select from or more countries (as shown in the image below) then your search will run on those families that have members from the chosen set of the countries. (This is the same as the “Restrict” option in the older interface)
IMP Note: When you restrict your Family search query to a set of countries, then this overrides any country preference you have given within the Family dedup mode.
| Search Type | Deduplication Country Preference Modes | Dedup Code | Search Action | Displayed Record |
| Searching Families limited to selected set of Countries | Not Applicable (Don’t Care) | SFAM(R), EFAM(R) | The search runs across only those families that have one or more members from the given set of countries only | From the matching families in order of the country preference |