New Version of Leading Patent Search and Analysis Tool is Released.

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 1999--

MNIS (Manning & Napier Information Services) announced today the release of MAPIT 3.5 in its continuing efforts to make significant enhancements to its leading, innovative patent search and analysis tool.

New additions include Boolean search capabilities for the full text of patents, expanded files from the EPO, and the ability to apply bibliographic searches to any world database available on MAPIT. Improvements to the MAPIT user interface make work sessions more productive.

Users now get the best of both worlds. MAPIT's powerful Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities have been supplemented by a standard Boolean engine. Users can enter alphanumeric terms and avoid stemming in cases where an exact, literal match is desired.

Used independently or as a filter on a Concept Query, this functionality will allow MAPIT users to further focus their patent searches-currently in Beta phase for the United States patent database. This combined functionality will be especially valuable to MAPIT users in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

There is now more patent information available from the European Patent Office. MAPIT databases from the EPO now reach back to 1978.

"The release of MAPIT 3.5 with its added features will have a positive impact on users and further meet our customers' needs," said Michael Colson, President and CEO of MNIS. "Supplementing our innovative natural language search capabilities with a Boolean engine, will make MAPIT one of the most complete and innovative full text patent search and analysis online tools on the market today," added Colson.

As part of NLP technology, bibliographic filters can now be applied to all world databases. Patent citation visualizations can now be performed on European publications as well as using the Hyperbolic Browser.

"MAPIT now has broad coverage of world patents and a full suite of intuitive and powerful search-and-analysis tools," said Thomas Colson, MNIS's Vice President of Intellectual Asset Management." "MAPIT has become an indispensable tool for leveraging intellectual property enterprise-wide," added Colson.

Through MAPIT, MNIS provides its clients with an efficient and effective enterprise tool for patent analysis, data mining, and intelligence gathering purposes. This enables meaningful exploitation of intellectual assets by generating licensing revenue, capturing competitive intelligence, and supporting R&D in product design. MAPIT offers unequaled functionality to access, search, and analyze patent information.

MNIS is a leading technology company that offers innovative online solutions for global business in customer service, e-commerce, intellectual property, and knowledge management. MNIS is affiliated with Manning & Napier, a prominent investment advisory firm, managing more than $7 billion in assets. MNIS's research and development division-TextWise Labs-develops information access and analytic technologies.

For more information, see http://www.textwise.com.

MNIS is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., with additional offices in Buffalo and Syracuse, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., New York, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., Tampa Bay, Fla., Los Angeles, Calif., Washington, D.C., Geneva, Switzerland, and London, England.

SOURCE: DigitalWork.com ( http://www.digitalwork.com )

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