This article explains how to run a screening project on patents you do not own, such as a target company's portfolio. Use it to size up a target's patents before an acquisition or to run a first-pass freedom-to-operate check.
Prerequisites
You have a screening project (see How to Create a Screening Project).
Steps
Choosing the External Portfolio
Open the project from Patents > Intelligence > Screening and click Add Patents.
On the Choose a Target to Analyze step, select the Company whose products you want to screen against, then click Next: Source. To add the portfolio without scoring, leave the target empty and click Skip Analysis.
On the Choose Your Patent Source step, select External portfolio.
Search for the company by name or website and pick it from the list. A website is resolved to the matching patent assignee. The card then shows the patent count and sample titles so you can confirm it is the right entity.
Read the coverage line. It either shows how many patents are on file for the company or says ArcPrime will fetch them when you continue.
Running the Analysis
Click Run Analysis, or Fetch external patents and analyze if the portfolio is not on file yet. With no target, the button reads Add all to project or Fetch patents.
A fetch reports its progress on the Result step. Large portfolios take a while; you can close the wizard and ArcPrime emails you when the patents are ready.
When scoring finishes, set the Minimum Likelihood of Infringement and click Add N patents to project.
Working with External Patents
External patents appear in the project's Patent List alongside your own, with the same Infringement % score. Click one to open a read-only page marked as a third-party patent, with its abstract, claims, and worldwide applications.
You can remove external patents with Remove from Screening Project or the bulk Remove action, and they are included in Export. Deep research and notes are not available for them.
Note: A library target cannot be combined with an external portfolio. Use a company target, or skip analysis, when the source is another company's patents.
Related Articles
How to Add and Remove Patents — Full walkthrough of the Add Patents wizard
How to Create a Screening Project — Set up the project first
Screening Project Claim Charts — Review chart evidence for project patents
Patent Portfolio Management FAQ — Common questions about managing portfolios