In the ever-evolving world of information discovery, LinkedIn shines as a Bonanza, providing invaluable insights often overlooked by conventional search engines. Yet, many of us are unaware of its prowess as a potential product search tool.
Our team recently delved deeper to explore LinkedIn’s untapped potential while working on a patent infringement search. We captured our findings below in the form of a case study where we explored advanced search functionalities and strategic employment of Boolean operators provided by this networking platform.
Premium Subscription offers Advanced Search Options:
While LinkedIn offers basic search functionalities to all users, those who opt for premium subscriptions gain access to advanced search tools. These premium features enable users to refine searches based on specific criteria such as location, industry, job title, and more. This enhanced functionality significantly enhances the precision of search results, ensuring that users find exactly what they’re looking for.
Power of Boolean Operators:
LinkedIn’s search capabilities become even more potent when combined with Boolean operators. By strategically using AND, NOT, and OR, users can craft intricate queries that yield highly targeted results. For instance, combining keywords with AND narrows down the search, while NOT helps exclude irrelevant terms, and OR broadens the scope. This fine-tuned control over search queries empowers users to sift through vast amounts of data efficiently.
CASE STUDY – How LinkedIn helped in gathering key evidences in a patent infringement search
The target patent claim was focused on using a search interface/application utilizing Augmented Reality to transform the online shopping journey with a virtual try-on feature. Users can easily test out various apparel options by taking a photo of themselves. Additionally, a measurement interface is generated, providing personalized recommendations on suitable clothing choices.
After conducting a through patent research, we uncovered few good leads. However, team could not map some of the key features. In order to expand our perspective, we opted for an unconventional approach by transitioning onto a different platform. Recognizing LinkedIn as a space where companies frequently discuss product launches and innovators share their breakthroughs, we successfully located the missing features on the platform.
Strategy used to conduct product search on LinkedIn
- Define your search query
Utilize relevant keywords for your technology and navigate to the LinkedIn search bar at the top. Enter the identified keywords to initiate your search.
- Apply filters
Using filters on the left side of the LinkedIn search result page refine your search where you can filter by people, companies, products, Jobs, groups or others.
- Result analysis
After conducting the search, we obtained a total of 60 results, which were subsequently screened to identify relevant articles.
- Product Analysis
Product analysis was conducted to identify features aligning with the target claim of our patent. Various pieces of evidence were uncovered on the LinkedIn page defining an application that utilizes individual’s photo. This application, based on the photo, takes measurements of different body parts and offers size recommendations for various brands. As indicated in the interface, it suggests specific sizes for different brands, such as recommending a medium-sized skirt for Zara and a small size for H&M or Levis based on the user’s data. Therefore, the feature of Recommendations was addressed directly from LinkedIn, enabling us to address the infringement of key technology feature.
Conclusion
Utilization of LinkedIn proved to be valuable in our search efforts, particularly in uncovering essential features and evidences crucial for proving technology infringement, highlighting the platform’s significance as a powerful tool for comprehensive product research.
Next time you do a product search, do consider LinkedIn, as the tool provides a unique window into the professional world, offering evidences that might be elusive elsewhere!
