Migrate from Patent Hive to Zoho CRM

Patent Hive's core object stores application number, filing date, jurisdiction, IP office, status, and estimated value. Zoho has no native patent module. We create a custom 'Patents' module pre-migration and map every field individually. The Zoho module API name follows the pattern from the migration wizard (e.g., Patents_C). Patent-priority dates and filing dates map to custom date fields since Zoho Deal Close Date implies commercial close, not IP registration.

Patent Hive inventor records contain name, email, phone, organization affiliation, and sometimes address. These map directly to Zoho Contacts. We create a lookup field on the custom Patents module pointing back to the Contact record, so the inventor-patent relationship is queryable in Zoho. Inventor order (first-named, second-named) is preserved as an integer custom field on the lookup junction or as a custom sequence field on the Patent record.

Patent Hive stores applicant and assignee organizations separately from inventors. Zoho Accounts serve this purpose directly. Organization name, website, industry classification, address, and employee count map to Zoho Account standard fields. Jurisdiction and organization type (university, corporation, individual) become custom fields on the Account since Zoho Account has no native IP-specific classification field.

Patent Hive status values (Filed, Under Examination, Granted, Abandoned, Published) map to Zoho Deal Stage picklist values. We configure the Zoho Deals module with stages matching the Patent Hive lifecycle. Stage probability is set to 100% for 'Granted', lower values for 'Under Examination', and zero for 'Abandoned'. Close date on the Zoho Deal represents the filing date; a separate custom date field captures the actual grant date when it occurs.

Patent Hive allows multiple inventors per patent record, creating an N:N relationship. Zoho Contacts and the custom Patents module do not natively support many-to-many linkage. We create a custom junction module named 'Inventor_Patent' with two lookup fields: one pointing to the Contact (inventor) and one pointing to the Patents module. Inventor order and contribution percentage migrate as fields on this junction record.

A single patent may have one or more applicants or assignees. In Patent Hive this is often stored as an array or linked field. In Zoho we add an Account lookup field to the custom Patents module, mapping the primary applicant or most-recently-modified assignee as the primary link. Secondary assignees are noted in a custom multi-line text field on the Patent record for reference; full N:N handling uses a parallel junction if the dataset requires it.

Patent Hive may store examiner correspondence, office actions, or deadline reminders. These map to Zoho Tasks (for action items) or Events (for scheduled appointments or hearings). The Task Subject or Event Subject carries the correspondence type; the due date or event date carries the deadline. Zoho Tasks support reminders and repeat rules for recurring IP deadlines.

Patent Hive attachments (filed documents, drawings, priority certificates) map to Zoho Attachments on the custom Patents module. Each attachment inherits the parent patent record as its lookup. File size is preserved; we verify Zoho's attachment limits for the target plan before ingestion. Files are re-uploaded to Zoho's storage, not linked by external URL, to ensure they remain accessible if the source system is decommissioned.

Patent Hive assigns each record to an internal user or team responsible for prosecution. We resolve these by email match against Zoho Users. Unmatched owners are flagged before migration runs; the team either invites the user to Zoho or assigns records to a designated fallback owner. Zoho's OwnerId on the Patents module references the User record and drives record-level access based on Zoho sharing rules.

Patent Hive may carry IP-specific custom properties: patent family ID, PCT filing number, examiner name, priority claim data, or renewal fee due date. Each property is evaluated against Zoho's supported field types (text, date, number, picklist, multi-select). We create the corresponding custom field in Zoho before migration and include it in the field-level mapping. Multi-select values (e.g., multiple jurisdictions) are handled with Zoho's multi-select picklist or stored as pipe-delimited text if the value set is unstructured.