RWS 2018 researcher of the year

In choosing our Top Researcher of the Year, we look to answer a few very basis questions: 

1. Does the researcher take the time to understand the concept/invention?  If so, it’s likely the quality of references will be exceptional and the accuracy of highlighting text or figures to our study requirements will be excellent.  These are two of the most important attributes of a good researcher and as noted by NJ Thompson, also extremely important to our clients. 
2. Does the Researcher participate in a variety of studies?  Some of our researchers like to focus on specific study types but the Researcher that participates in a variety of studies and WINS, is one that is making a great contribution to the success of our business and to fulfilling their financial goals. 
3. Is the Researcher a good communicator and is he/she responsive?  Our Study Managers and our Support Desk communicate directly with Researchers not only to assist where needed but to provide feedback and clarification and it’s a great pleasure to work with a Researcher that is both responsive and is able to communicate their needs and thoughts in a professional manner. 

It is with great pleasure that we present the award of RWS 2018 RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR to Angeloluca.  Angeloluca is a consistent researcher who is always engaged, providing a level of confidence that a study will perform well when he’s on it.  

With continued quality of responses, high number of responses and an overall 92% in-scope, he has been a contributor of great value to our clients and certainly exceeds all our expectations. Read the below interview with one of our RWS 2018 Researcher of the Year to find out more about what it’s like to be a researcher for the only company that crowdsources IP searches.

Name Angeloluca

Country Italy

What is your profession? Biologist and Patent Consultant.

What is your education background? Degree in biotechnology and EPO and WiPO courses in the field of patents.

What, if any, experience do you have in patent research? University experience and specific courses, then I collaborated with several companies in the field of patents, but for the patent research the practical experience I did on AOP was the most important thing for me, because to keep the standards so high here I have to always push my skills further and further forward, is the best training.

What skills are the most useful in your research with RWS? It's hard to say, I think in some cases logic is the most important thing, attention to detail and a fairly broad basic knowledge is also important.

How did you first learn about RWS? I was looking on Google for some general information on the patent sector.

What languages do you speak? English, Spanish.

What do you enjoy most about being an RWS Researcher? Flexibility.

What is the most challenging aspect of RWS Research? The identification of non-patent literature, requires a lot of time, sometimes I have to read hundreds of pages of thesis and scientific articles to identify something relevant to research, but it is also the thing that few can do and therefore hardly when I submit NPL submissions there are duplicates.

How can RWS improve your researching experience? I have learned so much in these years, I have perfected and optimized my research style, which now allows me to complete (almost always) research of different technical and scientific fields at best

What online or offline resources do you use in your research? (i.e. IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Library, etc.) lens.org, academia.edu, google patents, archive.org, sciencedirect.

What have you learned about researching, technology, or patents since joining RWS? I learned to use patent classifications, I learned over time how to read a patent to extract the keywords and the most relevant synonyms for a search, and a thousand other things.

How will you use your reward money? I use the earnings to pay for training, travel and for some daily shopping. For me it is an important source of income.

Would you recommend researching with AOP to a friend or colleague? Why or why not? Yes, I recommend it.

What are your Top 3 Tips for being an AOP Researcher?

1. Read the patent carefully to identify keywords and concepts useful for research.
2. It is important to plan a research strategy, for example the research strategy includes: the choice of search engines, the identification of the most relevant inventors of the sector.
3. Usually a high number of hours is required to obtain good results.

What is the most exciting story or discovery you have made while searching for prior art? I recently found relevant material for research concerning rubber toy bullets in old discussions on specialized forums. RWS offers a full spectrum of research options to address your specific project goals and budget requirements.

From traditional research performed by proven subject matter experts, to crowdsourced research from our Crowd, RWS has the right solution for your matter. Find out more.