Abstract: A list of potential licensees of a patent portfolio can be generated from a source patent portfolio. To identify the licensees, the source patent portfolio comprising, for example, all the patents owned by a particular entity, can be created. Next, a list of a set of patents that are related to or associated with the patents in the source patent portfolio is generated. The unlicensed assignees of patents in this set of related patents are organized according to various criteria. For example, the assignees could be ranked based on the ratio of total patents held by an assignee to the number of patents in the set of associated patents held by that assignee. Such rankings can provide an indication of assignees that may be potential licensees of the patents in the source patent portfolio.

Abstract: An apparatus for selectively copying only certain portions of an image, such as portions of documents containing printed or graphic matter, and eliminating gaps between selected portions to thereby minimize time and memory capacity for storing, transmitting or reproducing the selected portions. A document to be selectively copied is scanned by an optoelectronic scanner which generates an electronic signal representative of the image. The signal is stored in a random access memory (RAM) for read-out at a later time. A microprocessor controls operation of the scanner and addressing of the data in the RAM. The data stored in the RAM may be read out sequentially without gaps between the selected portions of the document. The data read out from the RAM may be sent to a high speed printer, a telecopier, or other transducer for printing, transmission to a remote location, or display.