Legal technology companies are looking to streamline how attorneys and companies manage, file, and even translate patents by tapping into technologies like artificial intelligence and data visualization. At the core of many of these solutions is a robust search functionality—no small feat given the sheer volume and complexity of patents. But while there have been advancements in patent search, some still see it as a clunky, overly difficult endeavor, and an area ripe for change.

The startup Loci, for example, has launched patent search platform InnVenn in an attempt to simplify patent search processes and shorten the time needed to find relevant results. Here's a look at how InnVenn tries to live up to these tasks.

What it is: InnVenn is a patent search platform that uses data visualization to improve the relevancy of searches and allows users to alert others on the platform of a patentable idea they are currently developing. InnVenn's search function relies on a Venn diagram, made up of at most four overlapping different circles, each representing a unique search result.