whirlpool casestudy final

Thomson Scientific Delphion® and Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPI®) Case Study

Whirlpool-Italy: Driving innovation and maximizing IP value in a global economy

By leveraging Delphion andDerwent World Patents Index(DWPI) from Thomson Scientific,Whirlpool-Italy ensures thatresearch and development teamsacross Europe get the criticalinformation they need to facili-tate the development process.And the European IP team has theinformation they need to supportthe European patent process andprotect current IP assets.

WHIRLPOOL ORGANIZATIONWhirlpool® Corporation is the world’sleading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annualsales of over US$13 billion, 68,000employees, and nearly 50 manufacturingand technology research centers aroundthe globe.

The company markets Whirlpool,KitchenAid, Brastemp, Bauknecht,Consul, and other major brand names toconsumers in more than 170 countries.Based in Comerio, Italy, the WhirlpoolEuropean IP team—under the direction of

BUSINESS ISSUESRapidly changing customer needs andever-increasing worldwide competitionare accelerating the need for constantinnovation. To stay at the forefront ofinnovation, Whirlpool listens closely toits customer needs and develops leading-edge solutions to address those needs.

However, innovation alone does notguarantee competitive advantage. Intoday’s knowledge economy, trans-forming innovation into intellectualproperty is a critical strategic issue forglobal business organizations.

Mr. Guerci, European patent counsel –manages the entire patent process forWhirlpool products launched and sold in European markets. The team also vigilantly monitors competitive activityand patent infringements.

In addition, nearly 300 research anddevelopment professionals in Italy,Sweden, Germany, and Poland rely onthe Whirlpool European IP team forpre-filing assessments of innovations and ongoing reports of technologicaldevelopments throughout the industry.

Whirlpool has long recognized theimportance of securing worldwidepatents for its innovations and keepingits development teams abreast of new technological advancements.

For over a decade, Whirlpool-Italy has relied on Thomson Scientific forpatent research solutions to supporttheir daily efforts. In 2003, Whirlpool-Italy employed two solutions fromThomson Scientific: Delphion andDWPI on Delphion.

www.scientific.thomson.com© Copyright Thomson 2006

CORPORATE PROFILE

Size ........................ US$13 billion, worldwide

....................................... US$3 billion, Europe

Countries ................................................. 170

Patents ................................................ 2,780+

NYSE Symbol ......................................... WHR

Thomson Scientific Delphion® and Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPI®) Case Study

Americas3501 Market StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104 USAPhone: +1 800 336 4474

+1 215 386 0100E-mail: ts.info.na@thomson.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

Japan Thomson Corporation K.K.,Palaceside Bldg. 5F 1-1-1 Hitotsubashi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0003 JapanPhone: +81 3 5218 6500Free dial: 0800 888 8855 (from Japan only)E-mail: ts.info.jp@thomson.comWeb: www.thomsonscientific.jp

THE THOMSON SCIENTIFICDELPHION AND DWPI SOLUTIONThe Thomson Scientific Delphion andDWPI on Delphion solutions provideWhirlpool - Italy with an integratedonline platform for conducting completeand thorough patent research with max-imum efficiency.

Delphion empowers the team to:

• Conduct full-text patent searches ofthe world’s leading patent authoritiesfor pre-filing assessments of Europeaninnovations

• Create Work Files and instantly shareinformation with nearly 300 researchand development professionals in Italy,Sweden, Germany, and Poland

• Perform in-depth analysis of a particular technology

• Set up Saved Searches and Alerts to tracknew technological developments andmonitor potential patent infringements

• Quickly download groups of patentdocuments using PDF Express

• Instantly visualize data in a bar chartformat with Snapshot

In addition, the team uses DWPI onDelphion to:

• Quickly assess the significance of apatent by reading meaningful patenttitles and abstracts written in industry-specific terms by subject matter experts

• Use drawings in search results toquickly determine relevance

• Conduct searches with greater precisionusing Derwent Class codes

• Search for non-English patent recordsusing English language

• Easily view an entire patent family froma single DWPI record

CONCLUSIONWith Delphion and DWPI on Delphion,Mr. Guerci and the Whirlpool EuropeanIP team can more efficiently prosecutepatents, conduct in-depth analysis, andshare IP information with colleagues andR&D teams throughout Europe.

Mr. Guerci states, “Innovation drives ourwork. We are launching many new products every year with new features.With Delphion and DWPI on Delphion, wehave the patent research tools we need tohelp us stay in front of innovation.”

Asia PacificSix Battery Road #29-03Singapore 049909Phone: +65 6879 4118E-mail: ts.info.asia@thomson.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

Europe, Middle East, and Africa14 Great Queen StreetLondon WC2B 5DF United KingdomPhone: +44 20 7344 2800E-mail: ts.info.emea@thomson.comWeb: www.scientific.thomson.com

Search results with patent drawings instantly letWhirlpool researchers know whether a particular patentis relevant to their work.

Whirlpool creates Work Files to easily share groupingsof patent documents with colleagues throughoutEurope.

Alerts keep Whirlpool apprised of new technology devel-opments, competitive activity, and potential patentinfringements.

DWPI on Delphion helps expedite patent research byproviding value-add patent titles and abstracts written in consistent, industry-specific terms.