This article explains the information you'll find on the Family tab of a case.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
Family Page Overview

Once you've created a case family you'll be able to view and edit the information on the Family tab.



1. Table of Family Members

The main body of this screen displays a table of all cases within the family. You can click on the case code to view the details of a case within the family.

Note: When viewing an individual case the relationship between cases is displayed on the right hand side of the case Details tab. See the section on ‘Right Hand-Case Information’ for more information.

 

2. Priority Information

The boxes at the bottom of the screen list the: 

  • Earliest Priority date found in the cases within the family

  • Additional Priority dates recorded on any cases within the family

Note: This box will only be displayed if you use the Additional Priority field. See Additional Priorities for more information.

3. Family Details

In the top left of this screen you'll see:

  • Family Type (Patent, Trade Mark, Design)

  • Family Name (This is usually the same as the Short Title of the original case but can be edited)

To amend the above details:

  1. Click Edit next to these fields

  2. This takes you to the Edit Family Details screen

  3. Click Update to save any changes 
     Or 
    Click Cancel to return to the previous screen

Family Abstract

To add a family abstract:

  1. Click the Edit option next to the Family Type and Family Name

  2. If there's a saved abstract, it'll be visible at the bottom of the family page

  3. You can edit the abstract by tying in the text box next to Family Abstract

  4. Click Update to save your changes 
    Or 
    Click Cancel to exit the screen without saving

4. Manage Family Members

Add Family Members

To add existing cases to a family:

  1. Go the the Family tab of the case you want to add to a family

  2. Click the Add Family Members button  

  3. This takes you to a screen that lists all cases within your system

  4. Use the filters at the top of each column to find the case(s) you want to add to the Family 

  5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen

  6. Click the Back to Case button to go back  
    Or  
    Tick the box on the left of the case code(s) you want to add

  7. Click the Add to Family button in the bottom right-hand corner to add the chosen case(s) to the family

  8. The new case(s) you've added will be listed on the Family tab.


To create cases that are automatically assigned to the family, from an existing member within the family you can use one of the tools available in the Options section of the left-hand menu (e.g. Copy Case, Nationalise PCT). Please see our article on the various case creation options available.


Remove Family Members

To remove cases from a Family:

  1. Click the Remove Family Members button
     

  2. This takes you to a screen that lists all the current cases included within the family 

  3. Click Cancel to go back  
    Or  
    Tick the box on the left of the case code(s) you want to remove

  4. Click Remove from Family in the bottom right corner.

Note: Removing a case from a family does not delete the case from your system.

Show Map

Clicking the Show Map button will display a world map, highlighting all countries with cases included within the family. 

  • Map scale: Adjust the map scale by clicking the + and – signs in the top left hand corner

  • Map Options: On the right hand side of the map you can select different categories of cases and areas to filter the map.

  • Map Key: This illustrates the colour of the country, depending on the case status.

When hovering over a country you'll be able to view the case code, short title and status of any cases within that family that use that country code.