A well-organized portfolio saves time on every search, filter, and report you run in ArcPrime. A few hours spent on taxonomy, labels, and statuses pays off immediately and compounds over time, whether you are importing a portfolio or starting fresh. This guide is for portfolio managers, patent analysts, and anyone responsible for portfolio structure.

Your taxonomy is the set of technologies and subtechnologies that every patent is tagged with. Open Settings > Workspace Data > Taxonomy and click New Taxonomy. Add technologies with Add Technology and nest subtechnologies under them. Or click Generate one for me to let ArcPrime propose a structure from your portfolio, then refine it. Three to five top-level technologies with subtechnologies work well for most portfolios.

Each patent family carries one Technology value, which drives the Technology filter and column on the patent list, the Pruning page, and analytics. If a patent could belong to two technologies, the taxonomy needs refinement. See the taxonomy overview.

Alongside technologies, ArcPrime generates a product taxonomy for your workspace: your product lines and segments with revenue attached to each. Open Patents > Portfolio > Taxonomy and switch the view from Technology to Product. You see each product line, its Total revenue, and the Assigned Products that map to your patents.

The product taxonomy feeds the Taxonomy Fit factor of the Filing Recommendation, so new disclosures are weighed against the products they would protect. Review the product lines with your business team so the revenue picture stays accurate. See product taxonomy.

Labels are flexible and stackable, so a single patent can carry several. Create them under Settings > Workspace Data > Labels. Use them for dimensions that cut across the taxonomy: licensing candidates, litigation hold, pruning review, strategic assets, or campaigns. Apply labels from the patent detail page, or select several families and use Bulk Edit > Apply Labels.

Document your labeling conventions in a shared location so everyone applies them consistently. Inconsistent labels create noise and reduce the value of filtered views and reports.

ArcPrime tracks the standard lifecycle status from correspondence, but your team probably has working states beyond it. Open Settings > Workspace Data > Internal Statuses and click New Internal Status to add a Label and map it to a standardized Status. Keep separate lists for patents and trademarks.

A good internal status answers the question "What needs to happen next on this patent?" Distinguish "pending internal review" from "sent to outside counsel". Avoid statuses nobody acts on.

Once taxonomy, labels, and statuses are in place, combine filters on the patent list for the work you do most often. Use Status for patents awaiting action, Labels for licensing candidates, and Technology plus Country for jurisdiction reports. The bar carries a dropdown for every other dimension too, including the date ranges, Assignees, Case Type, Detectability, counsel, Contracts, and Strategic Notes. The filters are part of the page address, so bookmark the page to return to the same view. Use Display to show only the columns that matter for that view.

Schedule a quarterly review of your taxonomy, labels, and statuses. Remove labels that are no longer in use, consolidate redundant subtechnologies, and check for families with no technology assigned. A clean portfolio makes pruning, reporting, and committee reviews faster and more reliable.