基于专利分析技术的竞争对手分析系统—计算机毕业设计(论文)

基于专利分析技术的竞争对手分析系统—计算机毕业设计() 毕 业 论 文 论文目 基于专利分析技术的竞争 对手分析系统 学 院 资源环境学院 专 业 信息管理与信息系统 年 级 姓 名 指导教师 职 称 基于专利分析技术的竞争对手分析系统 摘要: 当前国际贸易保护措施正发生着重大变化～贸易技术性壁垒(Technical Barriers to Trade～简称TBT)日益增多～影响和作用日益增大。专利技术的竞争对手分析作为 贸易技术性壁垒预警机制的一部分～起到很重要的作用。专利作为技术创新的重要标志 和体现, 在很大程度上代表着一个国家或企业的技术水平和潜在的技术竞争力。 本论文主要研究基于专利的竞争对手分析系统～其主要的目的是针对当前贸易技术 壁垒日益增多～出口受限的情况～为了减少经济损失～可以对国际贸易技术壁垒起到早 预警～早识别的作用。此系统包括系统分析、系统设计、实现及测试技术。系统基于专 利图技术、点情报分析法、区域分析法等理论基础。采用C/S模式进行开发～主要运用 VB语言和SQL SERVER数据库作为开发工具。企业可通过此系统对已有专利技术进行查 询～并对专利数据进行分析判断～为公司企业提供正确的决策支持。 关键字:专利,分析方法,专利图 Competitor Analysis System Based On The Patent Abstract: The current protective measures of international trade are having the tremendous change. Technical Barriers to Trade(TBT) increases day by day, and affects more and more. The rival analyses of the patented technology that is regarded as a part of the early warning mechanism of technical barrier of trade, plays a very important role. The patent is as the important sign and reflecting of technology innovation, greatly represent the engineering levels and potential technological competitiveness of a country or enterprises. This graduation thesis mainly research competitor analysis system based on the patent, its main goal aims that the current trade technology barrier increases day by day and the situation of exports which limits. In order to reduce the economic loss, it may play the international trade technology barrier to the early forewarns and distinguishes roles. This system includes system analysis, system design, and realization and test technology. System based on patent rationale spot information analytic method, region analytic method and so on .Uses C/S pattern carries on the development, which mainly applies the VB language and the SQL database to the developable kit. The enterprise may have the patent technology through this system carried on the inquiry, and carried on the analysis judgment of the patent data, provides the correct policy-making support for the company enterprise. Key Word:Patent;the Method of Analyze;Patent Map 目录 1 前言................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1(1 课题背景 ........................................................................................................................................... 4 1(2 研究内容 ........................................................................................................................................... 4 2 基于专利分析系统的概述 ............................................................................................................................. 5 2(1 专利分析系统概念及意义 ............................................................................................................... 5 2(2 理论简述 ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2(2(1 理论基础 ............................................................................................................................. 6 2(2(2 技术基础 ............................................................................................................................. 7 2(3 专利分析系统应用简介 ................................................................................................................... 7 2(3(1 竞争力 ......................................................................................................................... 7 2(3(2 竞争对手跟踪 ..................................................................................................................... 8 3 专利分析系统的设计 ..................................................................................................................................... 9 3(1 系统建模 ........................................................................................................................................... 9 3(2 功能模块设计 ................................................................................................................................. 10 3(2(1 登录模块 ........................................................................................................................... 12 3(2(2 查询模块 ........................................................................................................................... 12 3(2(3 添加和删除模块 ............................................................................................................... 13 3(2(4 分析模块 ........................................................................................................................... 15 3(3 数据库设计 ..................................................................................................................................... 16 3(3(1 用户登录数据库 ............................................................................................................... 16 3(3(2 用户信息数据库 ............................................................................................................... 16 3(3(3 专利数据库 ....................................................................................................................... 17 3(3(4 发明人数据库 ................................................................................................................... 18 3(3(5 申请人数据库 ................................................................................................................... 18 3(4 界面设计 ......................................................................................................................................... 19 3(4(1 主界面 ............................................................................................................................... 19 3(4(2 登录界面 ........................................................................................................................... 19 3(4(3 功能界面 ........................................................................................................................... 19 3(4(4 功能处理结果 ................................................................................................................... 21 4 系统实现....................................................................................................................................................... 23 4(1 开发工具的简介 ............................................................................................................................. 23 4(1(1 VB ....................................................................................................................................... 23 4(1(2 SQL SERVER ....................................................................................................................... 23 4(2 重要代码 ......................................................................................................................................... 23 4(2(1 数据库的连接 ................................................................................................................... 24 4(2(2 数据的录入等功能 ........................................................................................................... 24 4(2(3 各种查询功能 ................................................................................................................... 25 5 系统测试....................................................................................................................................................... 27 结束语................................................................................................................................................................. 27 致谢..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 参考文献............................................................................................................................................................. 28 基于专利分析技术的竞争对手分析系统 1 .前言 1(1 课题背景 当前国际贸易保护措施正发生着重大变化，贸易技术性壁垒(Technical Barriers to Trade，简称TBT)日益增多，影响和作用日益增大。据统计，2002年我国出口产品受限比例为39%，损失金额为170亿美元。搭建TBT监测预警系统技术平台有利于做到对进口国的TBT早预测、早辨识、早分析、早评估、早报警、早公布、早采取应对措施，最大限度地使企业规避由TBT造成的经济损失。 为鼓励本国(地区)企业扩大出口或保护本国(地区)安全和消费者利益，一些发达国家致力于建立以监控非关税壁垒为主的政府或民间机构的贸易预警或快速反应机制(系统)。澳大利亚在上世纪90年代中期建成由信息收集、研究、传递和应用四个结构要素组成的WTO/TBT预警机制。加拿大、美国、日本和欧盟等国家(地区)亦有类似措施。在国内，这方面相关研究工作起步相对较晚，目前取得成绩主要集中在预警概念、机制等方面研究上，几乎未涉及相应技术平台的搭建。 专利技术的竞争对手分析作为贸易技术性壁垒预警机制的一部分，起到很重要的作用。专利是一种十分重要的无形资产，对于各国，各企业来说,拥有的专利数量和种类,不仅反映该国或该企业的技术水平和经营规模,而且其专利数量的增长率还透视出该企业的发展状况。因此,在激烈的市场竞争中,一国或一个企业充分利用专利文献中蕴藏的技术、经济及法律信息,在保护本国或本企业无形资产的同时,监视并合法利用竞争对手已公开的技术,即可以此取胜。 但是，随着科学技术的迅猛发展,专利的数量骤增,据不完全统计,世界上70多个国家每年出版的专利就有100多万件,长期以来,由于专利文献数量庞大,结构严谨复杂,联机检索的费用昂贵,使得许多人面对着专利的检索、分析与利用望而却步。据欧洲专利局的一项统计表明,由于重复研究,欧洲每年大约浪费200亿美元的投资,而且,近五年内,有三分之二的欧洲公司由于没有使用专利检索与分析, 因而多花了60%的研发时间和40%的科研经费,可见专利的检索、分析与利用问题,不得不引起我们的关注。 因此，我选取基于专利技术的分析系统作为这次毕业设计的研究题目，针对国际贸易保护措施，希望能为贸易技术性壁垒预警机制做出贡献并能为科学研究以及企业的发展和决策提供一些帮助。 1(2 研究内容 本论文主要是研究建立一个基于专利的竞争对手分析系统。该系统主要分为系统分析与设计，系统实现，和系统测试三个部分。其中最主要的是系统分析与设计这一部分，这里需要先做出需求分析，然后利用建模语言对系统做出模型。其中系统分析与设计中主要包括需求分析，建立模型;系统实现包括界面，组件 等的建立，并且进行程序代码的编写;系统测试主要是对整个系统进行运行并且做出调整，使系统能成功的运行。 论文主要分为五个章节。第一章为前言，主要内容为选题的背景及研究的内容;第二章为专利分析系统的综述，其中包括系统的概念及其意义，和研究此系统的理论简述以及研究专利系统的应用范畴;第三章为对专利分析系统的设计，其中包括系统建模，功能模块设计，数据库设计与界面设计;第四章是有关系统实现的内容，主要有开发工具的简介和部分重要代码;第五章为系统的测试部分。 2.基于专利分析系统的概述 2(1专利分析系统概念及意义 基于专利的分析系统，指对已注册的专利技术的反映、判断、评价和分析。其特点是综合性、系统性和时效性。 是在先进专利分析理论及数理统计分析模型的基础上开发的一套满足企业对专利信息的查询浏览及技术分析需求，提供企业制定专利战略的决策依据，帮助企业实施技术创新和技术贸易的数据库分析软件系统。可以从各种角度去整理、分析专利信息，提供多视角情报，便于决策，因而也是一种可多方面利用的工具。提高最新技术更新的时效性是专利分析系统发展的重要功能之一，另外预测技术是系统拓展发展方向之一。专利分析系统是在对专利情报进行筛选、鉴定、整理的基础上,利用文献计量学的各种方法和手段,对其中所含的各种情报要素进行统计、排序、对比、分析和研究,从而揭示专利情报流的深层动态特征,了解技术、经济发展的过去及现状,进行技术评价和技术预测。 专利信息的应用在科研和专利业务的诸多方面起着重要作用，科学地使用专利信息可以大大提高研究效率、降低经费投入、提高技术研发和专利工作质量。技术决策机构、企业、大学、研究机构以及专利代理、专利审查和专利诉讼机构在开展专利战略、专利研发工作中离不开专利信息和专利分析。能否科学地使用专利信息和科学地做好专利分析工作，对专利领域的各类工作有着重大影响。 利用基于专利的分析系统开展计算机辅助专利分析在当前提高企业竞争力、提升专利技术水平可发挥重大作用。 这样企业在当今竞争激烈的情况下可以利用专利分析系统熟知竞争对手的各种专利情报，并对这些专利情报进行分析、归纳、总结，得出自己需要的情报，以配合国际市场竞争的需要制定自己的战略战术。企业还应该在此基础上实现自己的技术创新开发出并申请自己的专利，只有这样两者结合企业才能在全球化竞争的背景下拿下这个制高点。 2(2理论简述 2(2(1理论基础 专利分析系统依据的是专利权地图(PM，专利图)理论。该理论最早由苏联和日本等国家发起研究，至目前已被发达国家广泛使用，为这些国家的技术进步，专利技术的发展起到了巨大的推动作用。 专利权地图是通过对专利情报进行加工，对其结果用视觉直观的方式加以表达，特别是针对专利情报中的著录项(申请人、发明人、专利申请日 „等)和技术项(技术分类、技术用语„等)以及唯有专利情报才拥有的权利情报(申请专利范围、专利有效期、各国的申请状况等)一目了然地绘制出符合各个项目结果的图表, 从而建立专利战略和专利管理的方法。 所谓专利地图, 系指将依一次、二次、三次等专利资讯, 及由各种与专利相关之资料讯息, 以统计分析之方法, 加以缜密及精细之剖析整理制成各种可分析、解读之图表讯息。专利地图简言之, 就是将专利资讯“地图化”, 即为各种统计分析整理图表。“专利地图”类似于企业进行投资决策时使用的“决策树”图。通常将专利地图分为专利管理图与专利技术图两类。专利管理图为针对竞争公司的动向、产品开发趋势、市场参与和人才投入的情形等几个方面, 以专利资料库作检索得到的结果, 包括历年专利动向图、各国专利占有比例、专利排行榜、公司专利平均年龄图、公司发明阵容比较图、公司定位综合分析、重要专利使用族谱图等。专利技术图则是针对某个技术分析其扩散状况、技术开发的方向、研发主题的选定、挖洞技术的可行性。包括专利技术分布鸟瞰图、专利技术领域累计图、专利技术功效矩阵图、专利多重观点解析图、挖洞技术显微图等。专利地图作为一种搜集、整理和利用专利信息的有用工具, 它通俗易懂, 便于理解, 为企业指明技术发展方向, 总结并分析技术分布态势, 特别可以用于对竞争对手专利技术分布情况进行监视, 将使企业做到知己知彼, 百战不殆。企业不仅将专利地图用于知识产权管理, 而且还应用于营销管理与技术创新管理。如: 台湾学者有效运用专利地图指导半导体气体控制组件技术的研发和进行未来产品部署。纵观海外制作专利地图目的和作用, 主要有如下几种:(1) 借助它开启技术人员的思路、产生新的创意, 从而发现新的技术领域、技术方向和技术手段, 即为创造性工具。(2) 帮助分析技术和商业智力活动。通过专利地图可以了解典型技术的发展趋势、竞争者的趋势和市场趋势; 确定技术合作伙伴; 发现竞争者的技术贸易活动; 以及显示表明在自己的专利活动中汇露给竞争者的信息, 从而确定企业专利战略部署和战略地位, 即为智能工具。(3) 帮助政府在重大技术项目上作出决策和进行宏观管理, 以及帮助企业估计产量和内部科研功能的质量, 即为管理工具。(4) 专利地图能帮助谈判。一个好的专利地图, 能显示自己、竞争者或合作者的弱点或优势, 尤其是在竞争者没有相同的信息时, 能够帮助企业 在专利许可贸易中取得谈判的主动权, 即为讨价还价的工具。(5) 在诉讼和法庭中, 一份好的专利地图能成为一种有说服力的证据, 有助于加速审判过程和影响被告、法官、顾问等参与案件的人, 即为诉讼工具。(6) 可以使技术人员和管理人员的沟通变得容易, 在向商业和集团化管理的高层人士解释技术、产品和竞争等因素时直观便捷, 即为交流工具。 采用计算机技术后，专利权地图可重新概括地定义为:专利信息图形化处理和专利数据的系统管理方法。具体地说，将专利情报的技术内容用关键词等数据化处理后再进行加工、分析，或者将各种专利著录项用数据形式分类、整理，将 易于综合地把握多件专利的内容。图表绘制其结果以图表形式一目了然地展现, 从实用角度看，是搜集分析特定技术或产品的专利情报, 掌握在该专利领域中本公司或其他公司的专利技术研究情况，目的是为了在本公司的产品开发中，把每个单一的情报综合起来，关注和分析其历程变化，从中发现具有完全不同意义的新情报，通过活用此情报的理性活动，就像深山中迷路时需向导引路一样，将各种复杂的专利情报用适当的图形加以整理, 抽取相互间的关联内容，将分析结果体现在新的领域中，把握本企业与竞争企业技术和专利的立场，从而决定本公司将来的发展方向。 2(2(2技术基础 在系统的实现阶段，主要应用VB和SQL数据库技术。利用VB做前台，实现一些相关的界面的内容，利用SQL数据库做后台，存储相关的专利的一些相关信息。并且利用技术有效的把前台界面和后台数据库很好的联系起来，最后使系统能够运行并实现其功能。 2(3专利分析系统应用简介 2(3(1竞争力评价 专利的国内外申请量与批准量,可以从一个侧面反映一个国家或地区及企业的创新能力、科技水平和市场化程度,是衡量科技产出和知识创新的一项重要指标。 国家竞争力。从国外情况看,美国、日本、德国甚至韩国不但专利申请量居世界前列,而且也是发明专利和向国外申请专利的大国。日本是一个技术创新非常活跃的国家,专利申请数量曾长期在世界上名列第一,但从20 世纪90 年代初,美国大大加强了技术创新活动和专利保护政策,因而专利数量迅速增加,终于在1992 年从日本手上夺取了这顶桂冠,并且遥遥领先至今。笔者2003 年2 月对10 个国家在国际条约组织申请专利情况作了统计,其中从1997 年1 月迄今美国共申请专利195872 项,德国64842 ,日本48462 ,而中国仅3750 项。从我国情况看, 专利拥有量远不尽如意。世界经济论坛(World Economic Forum) 于2002 年11 月12 日发布2002,2003年全球竞争力报告,中国的微观经济竞争力在80 个国家中排名为38 位,2001 年为49 位。决定经济增长竞争力的指标包括技术水平、制度环境和宏观经济环境。这些年中国经济增长竞争力排名的提前,主要是因为中国的制度环境有所改善。但中国在人均专利数量、人均的信息技术投资、公司购买技术专利等方面与发达国家和其他一些发展中国家有较大的差距。 城市竞争力。城市竞争力是一个综合的概念,它既包括在某一时间段上吸引并集聚资金、人才、技术、品牌、市场的能力,同时又表现为在更长的时间里的 后者决定了一个城市在较长时期内的发展地位和竞争水平。上海社科发展潜力, 院的报告显示,上海、北京、深圳和广州排在中国城市竞争力的前四位。中国国家统计局的综合实力排名前4 位为上海、北京、广州、深圳。当然,从专利申请量及增长率观察,也可以得出类似的结论。截至2002 年12 月国内四大城市专利申请受理状况:北京总累计11 1016件,上海76 971 件,广州34 690 件,深圳19 699件;按专利申请量排名,依次是:北京、上海、广州和深圳。2002年四大城市专利申请量:北京13 808 件,上海19 963 件,广州6 819件,深圳7 679件;按专利申请量增长率排名,则依次是:上海、北京、深圳和广州。 企业竞争力。从申请总量分析可以判断企业的综合实力。如2001 年, IBM 公司连续9 年成为获得美国专利数最多的公司,共获美国专利与商标局颁发的专利34 111 项,使得IBM 成为美国历史上第一家在一年内所获专利数量超过3 000项的公司。其中IBM 在基础设施技术(包括软件、服务器和存储系统) 方面持1 500 多项专利,在核心组件技术方面(微电子、存储设备和显示器) 有1 200 多项专利。德温特公司对2002 年全球软件基本专利申请量的研究分析表明,日本企业继续占据软件工业的领先地位。在拥有软件领域基本专利的前10 名的企业中,有9 家来自日本。领先软件业革新潮流的是NEC 公司,其大多数专利分布在网络交换、软件产品及管理、商业经济工具等领域。佳能公司与索尼公司分列第2 、3 名,其中佳能公司的软件主要专利分布在软件产品、打印机技术和设备支持处理系统等领域。 2(3(2竞争对手跟踪 通过分类途径,获取该企业的专利情报,再利用专利权人进行聚类后排序即能确定竞争对手。相隔一段时间后,用已确定的专利权再聚类一次,形成有关竞争对手的时间序列和专利群,通过对这些序列和专利群的分析,即可掌握竞争对手的动态和实力。 发现竞争对手。同类技术产品的专利申请人必然是竞争对手,故只要按各个申请人申请专利数量的多少进行排序、归纳和统计,就能得出本企业竞争对手名称的一览表。将本行业中各个竞争对手在某一技术类别中的专利总数列出加以比 较分析,确认谁是本行业中最强有力的竞争者,进而列出各项具体的赶超指标, 这就是企业专利竞争情报活动中的Benchmarking。发现竞争对手后要根据与对手的差距及不同制定相应的竞争策略。 判断竞争对手的技术特点。通过分析竞争对手发明专利的类别,可推断其技术涉及的细节领域;通过分析竞争对手专利申请与专利批准数的比例,可考察其 通过分析竞争对手拥有的发明专利数量与实用新型专利数,可技术的先进程度; 以判断企业技术开发的成熟程度;按时间顺序分析竞争对手技术的专利申请量,可推断竞争对手的技术开发方向。 可以发现有关产品进入监测竞争对手的市场策略。通过对专利情报的分析, 市场的时间、规模等经济信息,探测出竞争对手的市场范围和市场策略。铜过某国或某一企业在某一技术领域专利申请量的变化,可以发现其市场策略。据联合国科教文组织《1998 年世界科学报告》,中国向国外申请的专利量太少,与专利大国法、德、美、英等差距很大,与日本也相差五六十倍。从外国在中国申请专利的情况来看,一些工业发达国家的企业已把专利战的触角伸向我国,纷纷来中国申请专利,旨在争夺市场,控制市场。一些技术领域已基本被外国专利覆盖,如高技术领域的发明专利申请量国外约占50 %以上。根据专利法规定,专利是有地域性的。外国专利在中国“跑马圈地”,造成的是技术的“圈地”,市场的“圈地”,甚至是垄断。竞争情报中, 最常用的信息源是专利检索工具,包括工具书和电子版检索工具, 在这些工具中有专利申请日期、专利申请号、分类号、申请人、发明人等著录项, 而专利申请人项是竞争对手开展竞争情报活动中最有效的入口。因此, 为了给对手的竞争情报活动增设障碍, 在专利申请时申请人项的意义不能忽略，在实际操作中可分散申请。 3.专利分析系统的设计 3(1系统建模 系统建模是整个系统中继需求分析过后最重要的一步，在这里主要设计系统主要有哪些主要的功能和界面，这相当于一个文章的提纲，起到一个总括的功能，这为后面的系统的实现打下很好的基础。 下图显示的是整个系统的总的轮廓: 图3.1 3(2功能模块设计 该系统根据用户的需求主要有登录注册模块，检索查询模块，添加模块，删除模块，下载模块，分析模块等主要的功能模块。系统通过几大模块之间的运行相辅相成，完成各种查询和分析等的功能。由于系统中有两个权限普通用户和管理员用户，所以有两个流程，其中普通用户只能对专利文献查询和分析功能，系统管理员在此基础上亦能通过对系统数据库进行修改，包括添加和删除操作。 系统管理员用户: 欢迎界面 系统管理员登录 专专异 利利数专常 查项据利专删添申目备分利 除加请查份析处 专专 询询理 利利 IPC申发区请明域人人分分分分析析 析析 图3.2 普通用户: 欢迎界面 普通用户登录 专专申 利利专专请 申项利利异 请目申分常 查查请析处 询询理 IPC 区申发 域请明析析 分分人人 析析分分 图3.3 3(2(1登录模块 登录模块主要实现了用户的登录和注册，其中主要是将用户分为普通用户和管理员，根据其权限的不同来区别其主要可以实现的功能。 登录: 用户登录 新用户注册 用户 填写注册信息 名或 登录成功 密码 0 错误 0 1 注册成功 1 进入系统 企业基本信息 图3.4 3(2(2查询模块 查询模块主要实现的是用户根据其需求，能通过名称，专利号，申请人，发明人或申请日期等条件对所需专利文献进行检索。系统能提供符合用户要求的所有专利文献。 查询界面 填写查询信息 专利号 专利名称 0 成功 1 显示专利数据 图3.5 3(2(3添加和删除模块 添加和删除模块为了根据用户的需要，可以添加公司新发明的专利数据或者 删除已经没有用完的专利数据，使专利数据库得到及时更新，这样就使得用户能 更好的分析专利数据以做出正确的决策和判断。 系统管理员添加专利数据 专利文献 填写专利信息 申申发 请请明主申分公))) 名地分摘请类开人专专设 称址类要 日号号利利计 号 )权) 号)人 有错0 误信成功 息或 不全 图3.6 系统管理员删除专利数据 专利数据 填写专利信息(号) 显示要删除的专利文献 有错误 0 信息或成功 否 不全 1 显示删除成功页面 图3.7 3(2(4分析模块 分析模块是此系统中很重要的一个模块之一。此模块主要根据各种分析算法实现对专利的各种分析，专利分析系统主要包括三种分析方法:区域分析，申请人分析，IPC分析，用户可以根据自己不同的需要选择不同的分析方法。 专利分析 分析专利文献 区域分析 申请人分析 IPC分析 发明人分析 区域技术趋势 申报趋势 IPC趋势 发明趋势 区域申请人构技术构成 IPC区域技术构成 分布 成 区域技术分类 IPC申请人构成 地区分布 地域分布 区域发明人构发明人构成 IPC发明人构成 申请人构成 成 有错误信息 成功 或不全 分析结果 图3.8 区域分析可以了解行业发展的主导区域、不同区域内专利研发的重点方向和各区域之间技术的差异性、不同区域内专利技术的主要拥有者(申请人)和发明人。 申请人分析了解行业内的主要申请人情况、不同申请人申报专利的主要技术构成及地域分布。 IPC分类分析可以了解行业内的主导技术、不同技术的区域分布、不同技术的主要拥有者和发明者。 发明人分析了解行业内的主要发明人情况、不同发明人发明专利的主要技术构成及地域分布。 通过以上分析，可以使企事业对所在行业领域内的各种发展趋势、竞争态势有一个综合了解，更加全面、深层的挖掘专利文献中的战略信息。并提高了企业各层次人员的工作效率，是企业专利战略中不可或缺的技术分析和辅助决策工具，为企业的专利战略的研究、制定和实施发挥重要作用。 3(3数据库设计 数据库中存储重要的数据，有用户的各种信息，也有专利的各种数据，所以数据库的设计是很关键的。它为企业分析专利文献提供了数据支持，是一个专属于企业自己的专利情报库。通过专利信息数据库，企业可以获得相关行业技术产品信息，长期跟踪调查竞争对手动向，掌握专项技术发展趋势，提高企业技术和产品的竞争力。 系统数据库名字:Patent Analysis Database 3(3(1用户登录数据库 用户登录表的名字:Usersland 表3.1用户登录表 主键 列名 数据类型 长度 允许空 ? UsersName Varchar 20 否 Password Varchar 20 否 3(3(2用户信息数据库 用户注册信息表的名字:UsersInfo 表3.2用户注册信息表 主键 列名 数据类型 长度 允许空 ? UsersName Varchar 20 否 Password Varchar 20 否 AffirmPassword Varchar 20 否 E-mail Varchar 50 是 RealName Varchar 20 否 sex Varchar 8 否 Birthday Datetime 8 否 CertificateType Varchar 20 否 CertificateNumber Varchar 20 否 Education Varchar 255 是 Address Varchar 255 否 Authority Datetime 20 否 Company Varchar 255 否 Position Varchar 255 否 3(3(3专利数据库 数据库中存储专利的各种数据，数据的来源有世界各大专利局的数据库的信 息，如:欧洲专利局数据库，美国专利和商标局数据库，中国国家知识产权局数 据库，也有用户搜索添加的专利数据。 专利表的名字:Appliction_patent 表3.3专利信息表 主键 列名 数据类型 长度 允许空 ? PatentName Varchar 255 否 PatentNumber Varchar 20 否 ApplicationDate Datatime 8 否 PublicationNO. Varchar 20 否 PublicationDate Datatime 8 否 SortNumber Varchar 20 否 MainSortNumber Varchar 20 否 OriginalNO. Varchar 20 是 CertificationDate Datatime 8 是 CertificateNumber Varchar 20 否 Priority Varchar 20 否 Applicant Varchar 255 否 Address Varchar 255 否 Inventor Varchar 255 否 InternationalApplicationNO. Varchar 20 否 InternationalPublication Varchar 20 否 EnterDate Datatime 8 否 Agency Varchar 255 否 Agent Varchar 255 否 Company Varchar 255 是 Abstract Text 2G 否 DomainItem Varchar 255 是 3(3(4发明人数据库 发明人表的名字:Inventor 表3.4发明人表 主键 列名 数据类长度 允许 型 空 InventorName Varchar 255 是 ? InventorNum Varchar 20 否 InventorSex Varchar 20 是 InventorNation Varchar 20 是 e-mail Varchar 50 是 InventorAge Varchar 20 是 Adress Varchar 50 是 Priority char 10 是 3(3(5申请人数据库 申请人表的名字:Application 表3.5申请人表 主键 列名 数据类长度 允许 型 空 ? AppliNum Varchar 255 否 AppliName Varchar 20 是 AppliSex Varchar 20 是 AppliAge Varchar 20 是 E-mail Varchar 50 是 Adress Varchar 50 是 Priority char 10 是 3(4界面设计 界面是整个系统中和用户唯一见面和交流的工具，所以界面的美观，方便和实用是最重要的。下面对系统中的界面做简单介绍。 3(4(1主界面 进入主界面给人以舒服的感觉，并一幕了然知道整个系统中都含有哪些功能: 3(4(2登录界面 在登录时用户有两种权限的用户登录，一种是用户登录，一种是管理员登录。 3(4(3功能界面 用户点击功能选项后进入功能执行界面。例如，专利分析，专利项目查询，异常日志恢复等功能。 图4.9专利分析 图4.10专利项目查询 图4.11异常日志恢复 3(4(4功能处理结果 在做专利分析后会有结果产生如有图形分析出现等: 图4.12分析结果 4.系统实现 4(1开发工具的简介 4(1(1 VB VB是一门典型的面向对象编程的语言，它的整个程序都是由事件驱动的。VB的出现可以说是Microsoft Windows的日渐成熟的必然产物。Microsoft Windows为程序员和最终用户提供了一个共同的人机界面。VB主要功能特点如下:具有面向对象的可视化设计工具，事件驱动的编程机制，易学易会的应用程序集成开发环境，结构化的程序设计语言，支持多种数据库系统的访问，支持多态动态数据交换和对象的链接与嵌入技术，完备的Help联机帮助功能。在VB中一方面继承了其先辈的所具有的程序设计语言简单易用的特点，另一方面，采用面向对象，事件驱动的编程机制，提供了一种所见所得的可视化程序设计方法，它以这两个优点而现在被广泛的应用在各个编程领域中。 4(1(2 SQL SERVER SQL Server 2000是Microsoft公司设计开发的一种可以在Web上运行的关系型数据库管理系统。SQL Server 2000是为创建可伸缩电子商务、在线商务和数据仓储解决而设计的真正意义上的关系型数据库管理与分析系统。SQL Server 2000中包含许多新特性，这些特性使其成为针对电子商务、数据仓库和在线商务解决方案的卓越的数据库平台。 SQL Server 2000能提供超大型系统所需的数据库服务。大型服务器可能有成千上万的用户同时连接到SQL Server 2000的情况， SQL Server 2000为这些环境提供了全面的保护，具有防止问题发生的安全措施。例如，可以防止多个用户试图同时更新相同的数据。SQL Server 2000还在多个用户之间有效地分配可用资源，比如内存、网络带宽和磁盘I/O等。 SQL Server 2000不仅能作为一个功能强大的数据库服务器有效地工作，而且数据库引擎也应用于需要在客户端本地存储独立数据库的应用程序中。 SQL Server 2000可以动态地将自身配置成能有效地使用客户端桌面或膝上型电脑中的可用资源，而不需要为每个客户端专设一个数据库管理员。应用程序供应商还可以将SQL Server 2000作为应用程序的数据存储组件嵌入到应用程序中。 4(2重要代码 代码是使系统实现运行的最关键的一步，它在整个系统中起着不可估量的作用。在代码中可以完成数据库中的各种功能，可以让用户不必去数据库中运用繁复的代码去完成各种功能，而直接在我们所设计的系统中在前台界面中很轻松的完成即可。这些功能包括:数据库的录入，数据库的查询，数据库的修改，删除 等。当然，这里有一个很重要的环节就是:数据库的连接，只有这样才能使后台数据库和前台界面连接起来，完成所有的功能，而这一点也正是由代码完成的。这足以证明代码的重要性。 下面摘录一些比较重要的代码: 4(2(1数据库的连接 Public Sub datalj(cmdstr As String) '数据库连接 On Error GoTo err1 gfh = True Set linker = New Connection linker.ConnectionTimeout = 10 linker.Open cmdstr Exit Sub err1: gfh = False Set linker = Nothing ErrInfo = Err.Description ' MsgBox Err.Description End Sub 4(2(2数据的录入等功能 Public Function BackExist(cmd As Command, str As String) As Boolean '数据库录入 On Error GoTo err1 BackExist = True Set cmd = New Command cmd.ActiveConnection = linker cmd.CommandText = str cmd.CommandType = adCmdText cmd.Execute Exit Function err1: If Err.Number = -2147217900 Then BackExist = False End If End Function Public Sub datacx(rs As Recordset, cmdstr As String) '数据库查询 On Error GoTo err1 Set rs = New Recordset rs.Open cmdstr, linker, adOpenStatic, adLockReadOnly Exit Sub err1: gfh = False MsgBox Err.Description End Sub Public Function datacl(cmd As Command, cmdstr As String) As Long '数据库录入、修改、删除 ' On Error GoTo err1 gfh = True Set cmd = New Command cmd.ActiveConnection = linker cmd.CommandText = cmdstr cmd.CommandType = adCmdText cmd.Execute Exit Function err1: gfh = False If Err.Number = -2147467259 Then MsgBox "错误!信息已经在库里存在。", 48 datacl = Err.Number Else datacl = Err.Number 'MsgBox Err.Description End If End Function 4(2(3各种查询功能 Public Function GetUnitID(ByVal UnitIdorCode As Integer, Optional ByVal SubUnitIdorCode As Integer = 0, Optional ByVal SecondSubUnitCode As Integer = 0) As Integer '通过单位代码查找单位ID Dim strSql As String Dim adoRS As ADODB.Recordset If SubUnitIdorCode = 0 Then strSql = "SELECT UnitID AS ID FROM UnitInfo WHERE UnitCode=" & CStr(UnitIdorCode) & " AND State>0" ElseIf SecondSubUnitCode = 0 Then strSql = "SELECT SubUnitID AS ID FROM SubUnitInfo WHERE UnitId=" & CStr(UnitIdorCode) & " AND SubUnitCode=" & CStr(SubUnitIdorCode) & " and State=1" Else strSql = "SELECT SecondSubUnitID AS ID FROM SecondSubUnitInfo WHERE UnitId=" & CStr(UnitIdorCode) & " AND SubUnitId=" & CStr(SubUnitIdorCode) & " and SecondSubUnitCode=" & CStr(SecondSubUnitCode) & " and State=1" End If Call datacx(adoRS, strSql) With adoRS If .RecordCount > 0 Then GetUnitID = CInt(!ID) Else GetUnitID = 0 End If .Close End With Set adoRS = Nothing End Function Public Function lxcx(cmb As ComboBox) As Boolean '------------------------------------------------ '查询用户类别并添加到ComboBox中 '------------------------------------------------ Dim cmdstr As String Dim rs As Recordset Dim i As Integer cmdstr = "select usertypeid,usertypename from usertype order by usertypeid" Call moddata.datacx(rs, cmdstr) cmb.Clear If rs.RecordCount > 0 Then rs.MoveFirst For i = 1 To rs.RecordCount cmb.AddItem modhb.hb(rs!usertypeid, rs!UserTypeName) rs.MoveNext Next i End If Set rs = Nothing End Function 5.系统测试 测试环境: 硬件要求:Pentium4 1.5或以上的处理器 Windows 98、2000等均可 1G以上磁盘空间 数据库:SQL Server2000 软件要求:Visial Basic 6.0 测试结果: 测试是完成整个系统的最后一步，也是检验系统是否能正常运行的关键一步。测试采用自顶而下的方法进行。主要是将系统中的每一个模块按从顶向下的模式运行一遍，看其能否正常进行。首先进行的是模块测试，然后由模块测试进入到整体测试。在模块测试中主要经过登录模块，分析模块，申请专利模块和删除模块等几大模块，在经过几个模块的分别测试无误后便进入整体测试，整体测试主要是观察各个模块连在一起是否能正常运行，看各模块之间的联系是否正常。经过模块测试和整体测试整个系统可以正常运行，并且能完成最基本的各种功能，如查询，分析，以及异常处理等功能，能发挥最基本的功效，符合设计要求。 结束语 随着知识经济的迅猛发展和我国加入WTO , 知识产权在经济发展中的地位与作用越来越重要。面对国内外市场一体化的激烈竞争和国际统一市场规则的约束, 我们必须提高对知识产权的认识, 增强全民的专利意识, 加强对专利的开发、运用和保护。入世后,世贸组织把知识产权列为世贸规则三大支柱之一,而专利又是其重要部分。专利作为技术创新的重要标志和体现, 在很大程度上代表着一个国家或企业的技术水平和潜在的技术竞争力。从市场经济的角度看, 专利就 是一定时空范围内的受法律保护的技术垄断。未来的国际市场竞争主要是技术创新的竞争。因此, 作为技术创新主要体现和动力的专利技术显得尤为重要, 专利保护则成为全球化背景下企业竞争的一个制高点。专利的国内外申请量与批准量,可以从一个侧面反映一个国家或地区及企业的创新能力、科技水平和市场化程度,是衡量科技产出和知识创新的一项重要指标。利用基于专利的分析系统开展计算机辅助专利分析在当前提高企业竞争力、提升专利技术水平可发挥重大作用。 致谢 首先感谢在整个毕业设计过程中陆萍老师对我的悉心教导，对我的毕设论文提出宝贵意见，并且为我提供了很多很重要的资料。还要感谢在大学四年期间，学校和所有教导过我的老师对我的帮助和教育，使我成为一名合格的大学生。同时，也要感谢和我一起度过大学四年日日夜夜的好同学们，感谢你们在这四年在生活中对我的照顾。 参考文献 [1] 刘焕成. 专利情报: 掌握竞争对手信息的重要情报源. 情报杂志.1999 [2]曾忠禄. 如何利用互联网获取海外市场信息. 企业管理.2000 .5 [3] 王素文等. 因特网上专利信息的免费检索方法. 图书情报工作.2000.2 [4] 周绪 管丽娜 白海波.《SQL Server 2000中文版入门与提高》.清华大学出版社.2001.5 [5] 蔡丽 杜泓.互联网上中国专利信息检索及专利全文的获取方法.《第16届全国计算机信 息管理学术研讨会论文集》 [6] 肖沪卫 杨颂列 瞿丽曼.互联网专利竞争情报开发研究.《情报学报》 [7] 李珑 李军虹.在DELPHION网站上免费检索世界专利.《情报学报》 [8] 马艳萍.INTERNET免费专利信息检索网站评析.《情报学报》 [9] 陈荣.欧洲专利系统及检索方法.《情报检索》.2002 [10] 杨瑜.INTERNET上专利信息资源的检索与获取.《科技情报开发与经济》.2002 [11] 蔡莉静 张魁军 姚新茹 曹丽娜.互联网上5个免费中国专利数据库的比较研究 .《情 报科学》.2003 [12] 吴敏.论面向专利侵权纠纷过程的信息服务 .2003 [13] 李晓梨 张巍. 《Visual Basic + SQL Server数据库应用系统开发与实例》.人民邮 电出版社.2003.8 [14] 包昌火.《竞争对手分析》专著 [15] 张燕舞 兰小筠.企业战略与竞争分析方法之一——专利分析法.《情报科学》. 2003 [16] 吴江.如何网上检索中内，外专利.《现代情报》.2004 [17] 李建蓉.专利文献与信息M>N.北京O 知识产权出版社 "That? That's the swimming hole." "Why don't we go over there? I'll tell you a story." The promise of a story was not enough to keep her out of the water. He didn't know if that was good or bad. He knew she was smart, a reader, and she had an imagination. But she was also active. That pull was too strong for him. He sat far from the water, under some bushes, and watched her swim with the three other children still in the park this late in the evening. Maybe she would come back to him, and maybe she wouldn't. It wouldn't change his life either way, but it might change hers. She emerged dripping and infinitely cleaner from the murky water. She dressed again in her random scraps, for whatever good it did her, and came to him, shivering. "I'm cold," she said. "Here." He took off his jacket. She looked at his hands as he wrapped it around her, and she reached out and touched the hardness of his shoulder. "You sure must be strong," she commented. "Pretty strong. I work hard, being a pusher." "Just what is a pusher?" she said, and stifled a yawn. "Come sit on my lap, and I'll tell you." He did tell her, and it was a very good story that no adventurous child could resist. He had practiced that story, refined it, told it many times into a recorder until he had the rhythms and cadences just right, until he found just the right words not too difficult words, but words with some fire and juice in them. And once more he grew encouraged. She had been tired when he started, but he gradually caught her attention. It was possible no one had ever told her a story in quite that way. She was used to sitting before the screen and having a story shoved into her eyes and ears. It was something new to be able to interrupt with questions and get answers. Even reading was not like that. It was the oral tradition of storytelling, and it could still mesmerize the nth generation of the electronic age. "That sounds great," she said, when she was sure he was .through. "You liked it?" "1 really truly did. 1 think I want to be a pusher when I grow up. That was a really neat story." "Well, that's not actually the story I was going to tell you. That's just what it's like to be a pusher." "You mean you have another story?" "Sure." He looked at his watch. "But I'm afraid it's getting late. It's almost dark, and everybody's gone home. You'd probably better go too." She was in agony, torn between what she was supposed to do and what she wanted. It really should be no contest, if she was who he thought she was. "Well . . . but-but I'll come back here tomorrow and you-' He was shaking his head. "My ship leaves in the morning," he said. "There's no time." "Then tell me now! I can stay out. Tell me now. Please please please?" He coyly resisted, harrumphed, protested, but in the end allowed himself to be seduced. He felt very good. He had her like a five-pound trout on a twenty-pound line. It wasn't sporting. But, then. he wasn't playing a game. So at last he got to his specialty. He sometimes wished he could claim the story for his own. but the fact was he could not make up stories. He no longer tried to. Instead, he cribbed from every fairy tale and fantasy story he could find. If he had a genius, it was in adapting some of the elements to fit the world she knew-while keeping it strange enough to enthrall her-and in ad-libbing the end to personalize it. It was a wonderful tale he told. It had enchanted castles sitting on mountains of glass, moist caverns beneath the sea, fleets of starships, and shining riders astride horses that flew the galaxy. There were evil alien creatures, and others with much good in them. There were drugged potions. Scaled beasts roared out of hyperspace to devour planets. Amid all the turmoil strode the Prince and Princess. They got into frightful jams and helped each other out of them. The story was never quite the same. He watched her eyes. When they wandered, he threw away whole chunks of story. When they widened, he knew what parts to plug in later. He tailored it to her reactions. The child was sleepy. Sooner or later she would surrender. He needed her in a trance state, neither awake nor asleep. That was when the story would end . . . . and though the healers labored long and hard, they could not save the Princess. She died that night, far from her Prince." , Her mouth was a little round o. Stories were not supposed to end that way. "Is that all? She died and she never saw the Prince again?" "Well, not quite all. But the rest of it probably isn't true, and I shouldn't tell it to you." Ian felt pleasantly tired. His throat was a little raw, making him hoarse. Radiant was a warm weight on his lap. "You have to tell me, you know," she said reasonably. He supposed she was right. He took a deep breath. "All right. At the funeral, all the greatest people from that part of the galaxy were in attendance. Among them was the greatest Sorcerer who ever lived. His name . . . but I really shouldn't tell you his name. I'm sure he'd be very cross if I did. "This Sorcerer passed by the Princess's bier . . . that's a-" "I know, I know, Ian. Go on!" "Suddenly he frowned and leaned over her pale form. 'What is this?' he thundered. 'Why was 1 not told?' Everyone was very concerned. This Sorcerer was a dangerous man. One time when someone insulted him he made a spell that turned everyone's heads backwards so they had to walk around with rearview mirrors. No one knew what he would do if he got really angry. "'This Princess is wearing the Star stone,' he said, and drew himself up and frowned all around as if he were surrounded by idiots. I'm sure he thought he was and maybe he was right. Because he went on to tell them just what the Star stone was, and what it did, something no one there had ever heard before. And this is the part I'm not sure of. Because, though everyone new the Sorcerer was a wise and powerful man, he was also known as a great liar. "He said that the Star stone was capable of capturing the essence of a person at the moment of her death. All her wisdom, all her power, all her knowledge and beauty and strength would flow into the stone and be held there, timelessly." "In suspended animation," Radiant breathed. "Precisely. When they heard this, the people were amazed. They buffeted the Sorcerer with questions, to which he gave few answers, and those only grudgingly. Finally he left in a huff. When he was gone, everyone talked long into the night about the things he had said. Some felt the Sorcerer had held out hope that the Princess might yet live on. That if her body was frozen, the Prince, upon his return, might somehow infuse her essence back within her. Others thought the Sorcerer had said that was impossible, that the Princess was doomed to a half-life, locked in the stone. "But the opinion that prevailed was this: "The Princess would probably never come fully back to life. But her essence might flow from the Star stone and into another, if the right person could be found. All agreed this person must be a young maiden. She must be beautiful, very smart, swift of foot, loving, kind . . . oh, my, the list was very long. Everyone doubted such a person could be found. Many did not even want to try. "But at last it was decided the Star stone should be given to a faithful friend of the Prince. He would search the galaxy for this maiden. If she existed, he would find her. "So he departed with the blessings of many worlds behind him, vowing to find the maiden and give her the Star stone." He stopped again, cleared his throat, and let the silence grow. "Is that all?" she said at last, in a whisper. "Not quite all," he admitted. "I'm afraid I tricked you." "Tricked me?" He opened the front of his coat, which was still draped around her shoulders. He reached in past her bony chest and down into an inner pocket of the coat. He came up with the crystal. It was oval, with one side flat. It pulsed ruby light as it sat in the palm of his hand. "It shines," she said, looking at it wide-eyed and openmouthed. "Yes, it does. And that means you're the one." "Me?" "Yes. Take it." He handed it to her, and as he did so, he nicked it with his thumbnail. Red light spilled into her hands, flowed between her fingers, seemed to soak into her skin. When it was over, the crystal still pulsed, but dimmed. Her hands were trembling. "It felt very, very hot," she said. "That was the essence of the Princess." "And the Prince? Is he still looking for her?" "No one knows. I think he's still out there, and someday he will come back for her." "And what then?" He looked away from her. "1 can't say. I think, even though you are lovely, and even though you have the Star stone, that he will just pine away. He loved her very much." "I'd take care of him," she promised. "Maybe that would help. But I have a problem now. I don't have the heart to tell the Prince that she is dead. Yet I feel that the Star stone will draw him to it one day. If he comes and finds you, I fear for him. I think perhaps I should take the stone to a far part of the galaxy, someplace he could never find it. Then at least he would never know. It might be better that way." "But I'd help him," she said earnestly. "I promise 1'd wait for him, and when he came, I'd take her place. You'll see." He studied her. Perhaps she would. He looked into her eyes for a long time, and at last let her see his satisfaction. "Very well. You can keep it, then." "I'll wait for him," she said. "You'll see." She was very tired, almost asleep. "You should go home now," he suggested. "Maybe I could just lie down for a moment," she said. "All right." He lifted her gently and placed her supine on the ground. He stood looking at her, then knelt beside her and began to stroke her forehead gently. She opened her eyes with no alarm, then closed them again. He continued to stroke her. Twenty minutes later he left the playground, alone. He was always depressed afterwards. It was worse than usual this time. She had been much nicer than he had imagined at first. Who could have guessed such a romantic heart beat beneath all that dirt? He found a phone booth several blocks away. Punching her name into information yielded a fifteen-digit number, which he called. He held his hand over the camera eye. A woman's face appeared on his screen. "Your daughter is in the playground, at the south end by the pool, under the bushes," he said. He gave the address of the playground. "We were so worried! What . . . is she . . . who is-" He hung up and hurried away. Most of the other pushers thought he was sick. Not that it mattered. Pushers were a tolerant group when it came to other pushers, and especially when it came to anything a pusher might care to do to a puller. He wished he had never told anyone how he spent his leave time, but he had, and now he had to live with it. So, while they didn't care if he amused himself by pulling the legs and arms off infant puller pups, they were all just back from ground leave and couldn't pass up an opportunity to get on each other's nerves. They ragged him mercilessly. "How were the swing-sets this trip, Ian?" "Did you bring me those dirty knickers I asked for?" "Was it good for you, honey? Did she pant and slobber?" "My ten-year-old baby, she's a-pullin' me back home. . " Ian bore it stoically. It was in extremely bad taste, and. he was the brunt of it, but it really didn't matter. It would end as soon as they lifted again. They would never understand what he sought, but he felt he understood them. They hated coming to Earth. There was nothing for them there, and perhaps they wished there were. And he was a pusher himself. He didn't care for pullers. He agreed with the sentiment expressed by Marian, shortly after lift-off. Marian had just finished her first ground leave after her first voyage. So naturally she was the drunkest of them all. "Gravity sucks," she said, and threw up. It was three months to Amity, and three months back. He hadn't the foggiest idea how far it was in miles; after the tenth or eleventh zero his mind clicked off. Amity. Shit City. He didn't even get off the ship. Why bother? The planet was peopled with things that looked a little like ten-ton caterpillars and a little like sentient green curds. Toilets were a revolutionary idea to the Amiti; so were ice cream bars, sherbets, sugar donuts, and peppermint. Plumbing had never caught on, but sweets had, and fancy desserts from every nation on Earth. In addition, there was a pouch of reassuring mail for the forlorn human embassy. The cargo for the return trip was some grayish sludge that Ian supposed someone on Earth found tremendously 5?feet from nose-tip to tail-tip, weighing a hundred pounds. In a pack he would have been leader. But there are no packs now--men had seen to that. Wolves were regarded as enemies. Yet, like other predators, they performed a useful service by controlling the numbers of animals which destroyed farmers' crops. They made loyal pets if raised from cubs, and led a communal life that was a model of harmony and co-operation. The wolf trotted on, nearing his food store. Strangely, since he was capable of detecting a smell from 1?miles and could hear loudish sounds more than four miles off, the wolf failed to notice a figure fifty yards away. The man was half drunk, angry after a quarrel with his wife. He had stormed out of the house, taking a gun. He felt like shooting something. Suddenly the wolf appeared in front of him. The law said he must not pull the trigger. But he did--again and again. At that moment a cloud smothered the moon. The big dog dropped dead ... leaving just four wolves alive in the whole of Norway. Five thousand miles to the south-west, on the edge of Newfoundland, great glistening rafts of ice jigsawed the Atlantic. From above, each piece revealed a pattern of dark clots. Harp seals. Mothers and babies. At birth the pups had seemed too small for their baggy yellow coats. But a diet of rich, mayonnaise-like milk soon filled them out. Then they had changed their fur - to a dense woolly white. Dazzling. In all nature there could be few prettier, more appealing sights. The pups were curious and trusting. Now hunters came, wielding wooden clubs, battering the babies senseless. Plaintive cries reached their helpless mothers. The clubbing continued for weeks. This yearly slaughter of tens of thousands must be finished quickly--before the "whitecoats" shed their beautiful fur. Sometimes, in the rush, pups were only wounded. They were skinned alive on the red ice. The high price of unnecessary fur goods. 1. The Eden Mission At the English port of Southampton it was raining, and had been for hours. A steady, soaking downpour. Water dripped from the dockside cranes; ran from the roofs of warehouses; washed the decks of liners, freighters, tugs and trawlers; spattered the windscreens of lurching launches. Seagulls sulked on the quay, or searched half-heartedly for food. The dingy sky showed no sign of brightening. Not a day that promised excitement. Unless you happened to be young and about to set sail for faraway places and the adventure of a lifetime. Unless you were one of the lucky ones chosen to take part in The Eden Mission. Sea Shepherd stirred at her moorings. The ship's steep side towered like a white wall above the clustering figures. A sailor peering down from the deck beheld a picture of marching mushrooms, as umbrellas formed into a line and began to advance. Now people were trooping up the gangway. Once on board they were conducted to a spacious, brightly lit lecture hall. Wet umbrellas were put aside--and all thoughts of the weather. Parents, teenagers, teachers, ecologists and journalists settled in their seats. Press and TV cameramen took up position. Everyone's attention turned to the platform, still empty, at the end of the hall. Elsewhere on the ship, bustling crew members made final preparations for a long voyage. Research vessel Sea Shepherd, clean-cut 5,000-tonner, looked like a small cruise liner. But she was equipped to carry out a special task, a serious task. Her reinforced bow could carve through ice, her diving-bell and miniature submarines explore the underwater world, her laboratories analyse everything from sea snake venom to marine nuclear contamination. In the lecture hall, fifteen-year-old Susan Jenkins shifted impatiently. Why don't they get on with it? Susan's eyes roamed the walls. A black-and-white panda chomped a bamboo shoot, a gorilla pounded his chest, a leopard lolled on a tree branch. There were other posters too. She smiled at her friend Gary, sitting beside her, then started to read the names on a banner above the platform: The World Wide Fund for Nature, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, The People's Trust for Endangered Species ... "Ladies and gentlemen." At last! The booming voice of Ben Bellingham, Britain's most famous naturalist. Susan stared in awe at the big burly man she had seen so often on television. His curly hair and beard were redder than she remembered. "Sorry for the delay," Bellingham went on. "But at least it's given you a chance to dry off." There was a ripple of laughter in the audience. "Right," said Bellingham briskly, "down to business, the reason you and I are here. The Eden Mission." Gary and Susan exchanged an amused look--they liked his no-nonsense approach. The naturalist continued: "For those of you who don't know, I'll outline the mission's aims. Then I'll explain why it's vitally important, and I'll also be talking about the young people who are joining in this conservation crusade." Susan felt a tingle run up her spine. Bellingham strode across the platform to a huge colourful globe. He spun it vigorously and launched into his speech. "Around the world, each day, at least fifty species of animal or plant disappear for ever. By the year 2000, it may be a hundred a day. Some thirty per cent of all land is desert or semi-desert--the Sahara, for example, is spreading like an incoming tide--and more and more of the earth is crumbling to dust. The sea, which covers nearly three-quarters of our planet and on which we depend in countless ways, could become sterile." Pausing, he took a sip from the glass in front of him, then added: "Who's to blame for all this? We are. Human beings. Greedy, ignorant, short-sighted humans. We're wrecking the world, robbing it, poisoning it, turning it into a rubbish dump. Unless we stop--and start respecting nature--there won't be much of a future for any of us ..." Bellingham came to halt, as though he had been interrupted. After a moment's hesitation he resumed: "Er ... sorry. This is sounding like a sermon, I'd better get off my soap-box. "The Eden Mission is an international campaign," he told his audience. "An all-out effort to save the environment from further destruction. Throughout Europe, America, Africa, Asia, Australia, teams of conservationists--professionals and volunteers--are working in round-the-clock relays. They have a tremendous fight on their hands, an army of enemies. Oil and atomic pollution, acid rain, pesticides--now found even in Antarctic penguins--the mindless felling of rain forests, whaling, the illegal wildlife trade ..." A deep silence had fallen over the audience. Ben Bellingham concentrated on the rows of attentive faces. "This is the most urgent project of our time. A matter, literally, of life and death. The Eden One of fewer than 10,000 left alive, Bellingham reported. In 1970 there were 100,000. But ruthless hunting drastically reduced the population ... and the carnage was continuing. Poachers killed rhinos for their horn. Some of it went to North Yemen to make dagger handles, the majority to East Asia to be ground into medicine. The Chinese believed that p