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Finally, harmonization involves matching the standardized IFI Name to the most current entity name, accounting for name changes. In the Names API, when an entity changes its name, the old name is added as a child with the parent_relationship flagged as "F" (former name). For example, in May 2020 United Technologies Corp changed its name to Raytheon Technologies. So for the Ultimate Owner (UO) Raytheon Technologies Corp, the Names API includes the child name, United Technologies Corp (F), among others.

The system then recalculates the ifi_name_current for all associated records. For example, Orig3n Inc changed its name to Seaport Diagnostics Inc in April 2021. As of December 2021, there were no published reassignments of any of their patents. However, the new name is was available as the ifi-standardized-name-current in CLAIMS Direct:

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Ultimate Owner: Rio Tinto Group, GB

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Educational Institutions and University Systems

IFI uses this category for educational institutions, no matter the funding type. This includes schools, colleges, and universities, all of which may be Ultimate Owners.

The following types of academic institutions are added as child names if they are controlled directly by the parent institutionAs it is now common for educational applicants to file for patents under the name of their parent institution, we consolidate the various departments, campuses, and other divisions under the name of the parent institution, with the exception of institutions that are financially independent entities. 

This may include:

• colleges of liberal arts
• professional schools
• bureaus
• offices
• foundations
• technology transfer entities
• research centers (located on or off the main campus)
• branch campuses

For example, for the Ultimate Owner, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, child names include:

• Dimotech Ltd
• Technion Research and Development Foundation Ltd

A university system is a group of institutions having a collective legal status and generally recognized by a state government, a board of education, or other relevant organization as a collective organization. IFI creates an Ultimate Owner for university systems.

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• Agence Spatiale Europeenne (France)
• Beijing Automotive Group Co Ltd (China)
• Ministry of Science and Technology India (India)
• National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology AIST (Japan)

Ticker Symbols

In CLAIMS Direct, ticker symbols are available for all listed entities. You can use the Names service to retrieve the IFI name associated with a ticker symbol, then use that name to find all patent records associated with that entity in the IFI Snapshots.

We cover the most popular lists such as the S&P 100, S&P 500, Russell 1000, and more, and we add new Ultimate Owners from the Nasdaq, NYSE, and other sources daily. We have also begun to cover markets outside of the US such as the Australian Securities Exchange and the Japan Exchange Group. New sources are added on a continuous basis.

Rules for Ticker Symbols

Tickers are associated with the standard Market Identifier Code (MIC), specifically the operating MIC, which identifies an entity that operates an exchange, trading platform, etc. Some examples include:

Tickers that contain numbers are not defined as numeric. Leading zeros are not removed.

If a ticker ends in a letter indicating the equities class, the letter is removed.

Tickers that contain other symbols are stored as they are.

Tickers for stocks listed as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are provided if available.