Transforming Patent Analysis: From MVP to Enterprise-Grade Solution

The Client

The Client started their business in 2009 as an intellectual property consulting firm based in Germany. Within a few years, the founder brought his vision to life starting the development of patent search and analysis software. By combining high-quality patent data with scientifically-backed metrics, they took a new approach to patent valuation that disrupted the traditional qualitative methods used in the industry.

The innovative patent analysis software quickly gained traction globally. In a few years, it was acquired by an international legal data analytics and services provider, and became a part of their comprehensive software suite.

Binary Studio consistently demonstrated leadership and went beyond mere development tasks.

They actively contribute ideas and suggestions that have helped us improve the platform.

Manager Software Engineering

Legal data analytics and services company

Transforming Patent Analysis: From MVP to Enterprise-Grade Solution-1 GERMANY

Objectives

The founder initially engaged Binary Studio to develop the frontend for the web application, which he had started building himself. This marked the beginning of a decade-long collaborative partnership that continued even after the acquisition.

The key objectives that guided our partnership were:

01

Release a minimum viable product (MVP) for the patent search and analysis software.

The primary objective was to develop and release an MVP of a web application that enables users to search, filter, and analyze international patent data, presenting the information in a user-friendly format with basic charting capabilities.
02

Modernize the initial tech stack and migrate to a new architecture.

A few years after the initial release, it became clear that the software's growing popularity and user base demanded a more modern and scalable foundation. The legacy tech stack and architecture needed to be updated to support advanced features and ensure long-term maintainability.
03

Align with the new corporate design and style guidelines following the acquisition.

After the patent analysis software acquisition, a key objective was to ensure its seamless integration into the existing product ecosystem.
04

Support the migration from an on-premises to a cloud-based architecture.

In 2020, a strategic decision was made to migrate the system to a cloud-based architecture. This transition aimed to improve the application's performance, reliability, and scalability while enabling more efficient development and deployment processes. Beyond these objectives, we continuously worked on expanding the feature set and optimizing performance. Currently, our focus is on maintenance, support, and further software enhancements.

Solution and Outcome

The project started with a small team, involving one frontend engineer from Binary Studio, while the Client’s founder handled all other product development tasks. Soon after the initial release, the patent analysis application proved to be successful, leading to continuous growth in both the product team and our engagement. Our role expanded to include frontend, backend, and QA teams working directly with the Client’s C-level executives to offer and implement technical solutions.
After the acquisition by international legal data analytics and services provider, Binary Studio's position as the technical partner remained unchanged. However, we adapted to more robust and structured development processes suitable for an enterprise-scale company. We adopted Scrum methodology with two-week sprints, refinement meetings, planning poker sessions, and close collaboration with their product, technical teams, and their Chief Architect. This ensured seamless alignment, especially for significant architectural changes.

.NET

Javascript

React

Redux

TypeScript

MS SQL

AWS

Our collaboration spanned across several transformative stages:

Stage 1
The web application's primary goal was to enable users to quickly find and analyze existing patents based on specified criteria.
The first version offered basic functionality, such as simple text-based searches with AND criteria and limited filtering capabilities. The initial tech stack utilized Microsoft technologies, including .NET, WCF, SQL Server for the backend, and the Silverlight application framework for the frontend. We also integrated a ready-to-use graphing library that allowed users to create simple charts from the patent data.
Stage 2
As the application gained popularity, the user base grew, and the demand for new features increased. To support advanced search functionality, enhance the graphical presentation of data, and ensure high-quality and speedy data rendering, we decided to migrate from Silverlight to a more modern, productive, and stable solution: React.
This transition provided us with greater technical freedom and flexibility. Though the migration to the new application architecture required effort, it addressed the immediate needs of the growing user base and positioned the patent analysis software for long-term success and continued expansion.
Stage 3
In a few years, a global provider of legal and business information services, acquired the Client’s software, marking the beginning of a new phase in the product's development.
Following the acquisition, the application underwent a redesign to align with the corporate style guidelines, ensuring consistency with their other products. Binary Studio played a key role in implementing these changes on the frontend.
We modified the existing CSS stylesheets, ensuring that every component adhered to the new design specifications while also optimizing the codebase for better maintainability and performance.
At the same time, we optimized the backend search functionality by integrating Elastic Search, replacing the previous database-driven approach. This reduced the load on the database and improved search performance and speed.
Later, the decision was made to migrate the application from its on-premise Windows server infrastructure to the cloud-based AWS. To support this transition and overcome the limitations of the existing setup, our team adjusted the application architecture, making it more scalable and suitable for the cloud.
Stage 4
As the application's architecture and design evolved, its feature set also underwent significant expansion to cater to the growing needs of users.
Several key functionalities were introduced, including but not limited to:
- Categorizing and organizing patents using custom tags
- Sharing and exporting graphs and visualizations
- Providing a dedicated interface that displays a list of patents
- Offering a smart reports tool that allows users to select specific criteria and generate customized presentations
- Integrating a legal status utility allowing users to view patent legal status within the application
- Implementing an advanced search feature enabling users to find patents similar to a given reference
These enhancements were made possible by the development of a custom charts library that efficiently renders and draws visualizations on the SVG canvas. This approach ensures optimal performance and creates dynamic, animated charts that effectively demonstrate data changes over time. Additionally, the search functionality was further enhanced by integrating the Monaco editor for interactive syntax search, with syntax parsing powered by the ANTLR parser generator.
Stage 5
As the patent software matured, our focus shifted towards optimizing performance and ensuring a seamless user experience.
In parallel, we placed a strong emphasis on maintaining the highest quality standards through a robust QA process. Our dedicated QA specialist leads the quality assurance efforts, overseeing the creation and execution of automated tests, API tests, and performance tests, as well as managing test cases. To ensure code quality and reliability, we adhere to a stringent quality gate, requiring 80% of new or edited code to be covered by unit tests.
Our QA specialist actively participates in requirements analysis and often provides valuable input on UI solutions for new feature implementations. This close collaboration between QA and development teams allows for early identification and resolution of issues, ensuring that new features are delivered with the highest quality.

Pioneering Patent Analysis Software Development

From Fortune 100 companies to influential organizations and institutions, the patent analysis software we have been developing has become an essential tool for corporations, law firms, investors, governments, and academic institutions.
Throughout the development journey, Binary Studio has been a committed technical partner, working closely with the Client's team to bring their vision to life. With a strong focus on continuous improvement, our team has consistently demonstrated a dedication to the project's success.
Leveraging our expertise in legal software development, Binary Studio was able to effectively navigate the unique requirements and constraints of the patent search and analysis domain. We maintained high quality standards, proactively addressed challenges, and adapted to the evolving requirements of the project. As a result, Binary Studio has played a significant role in the growth and advancement of the patent analysis platform.

About Binary Studio

Binary Studio is a boutique software development company, regularly praised for its unique blend of engineering excellence and product ownership that enables its clients to build robust and scalable software products.
With our development team made up of top 0.5% international tech talent, we build web and mobile platforms using Node.js, .NET, React Native, Flutter, and integrating AI and ML. We also offer full-cycle QA and project management services to ensure the efficient delivery.
Our clients see us as a trusted partner dedicated to turning visions into great products. This is proven by 100+ delivered projects, more than two decades of business excellence, and stellar customer reviews.

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