An apparatus and computer implemented method that include obtaining, into a computer, text of a patent, automatically finding and extracting, using the computer, a set of claim text from the patent text, identifying, using the computer, text of independent claims from the set of claim text, displaying in a first row on a computer monitor the text of the independent claims, automatically determining a plurality of preliminary scope-concept phrases from the text of the independent claims, displaying in a second row on the computer monitor the text of the plurality of preliminary scope-concept phrases, eliciting and receiving user input to specify a first one of the plurality of preliminary scope-concepts phrases, and highlighting each occurrence of the specified first one of the plurality of preliminary scope-concept phrases in a plurality of the independent claims displayed in the first row. A scope concept builder tool is also provided.