Inchae Park

Exploring potential R&D collaboration partners through patent analysis based on bibliographic coupling and latent semantic analysis

The aim of the present research is to provide a new systematic methodology to explore potential Research and Development (R&D) collaboration partners using patent information. The potential R&D collaboration partners are visualised as a patent assignee level map based on technological similarity between patents by using the network analysis. The proposed framework utilises two analytic methods to measure technological similarity. The first method, bibliographic coupling analysis, measures technological similarity based on the citation relationship using patent bibliographic information. Second, latent semantic analysis is utilised based on semantic similarity using patent textual information. The fuel cell membrane electrode assembly technology field is selected and applied to illustrate the proposed methodology. The proposed approach allows firms, universities, research institutes and governments to identify potential R&D collaborators as a systematic decision-making support tool.

A semantic analysis approach for identifying patent infringement based on a product–patent map

Identifying patent infringement beforehand is highly important for reducing the risk of damages. However, as the approach to patents is changing from the technological and legal approaches of the past to the business approach, strategic patent infringement litigation and securement of patents can be important tools for companies. From various viewpoints, companies can consider an aggressive patent infringement litigation as well as evasion strategy of patent infringement litigation to keep competitors in check. Previous research on patent infringement identification only considered the possibility of infringement between patents. However, infringement cases between patent and product are prevalent. Thus, this research aims to suggest an automated method for identifying patent infringement between the patent and product in business. To this end, this paper proposes the subject–action–object (SAO) semantic technological similarity-based product–patent method for generating infringement maps. Several indices and subgrouping methods are suggested to interpret the map. As an exemplary case, data on technology and products related to the light emitting diode (LED) lamp are collected and exploited.

Development of a technology valuation method for buyers in technology transfer

Technology valuation is necessary for determining the feasibility of technology commercialization. However, existing methods focus only on technology evaluation, with limitation in sufficiently reflecting buyer viewpoint. In addition, it causes a gap between estimated value and market value. Therefore, this research suggests a new technology valuation method which focuses on the perspectives of buyers. Technology factors, buyer factors and market factors are first determined and their relationships are analyzed. Second, based on the relationships, profit projections are calculated using the discount cash flow method. Finally, profit projections for each year are discounted. The proposed method was applied using the ubiquitous home network system and audio service and illumination control method and results compared with the value of a technology valuation guide distributed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The technology valuation approach used in this research is quantitative and systematic and can be used as a decision making support tool in technology transfer, reflecting various perspectives of stakeholders.

Analyzing the value of technology based on the differences of patent citations between applicants and examiners

Patent applicants and examiners do not always have the same point of view when conducting a prior-art search. Although several studies have suggested differences between citations by applicants and examiners, the data and range of empirical studies are too incomplete to generalize the characteristics of relationships between citation types and the value of a technology or invention. To overcome this limitation, it is crucial to compare citations by applicants and by examiners in depth, with diverse perspectives and data, to determine the value of patent information for technological innovation. Thus, this paper suggests that the differences in the composition of technical information and patent quality in patent-level investigations as well as the locus of the knowledge source and knowledge recentness in knowledge-level investigations according to patent citation type (by applicants and examiners) reflect Pavitt’s perspective on the nature, impact, and source of technological innovation. We found that the quality of patents cited by applicants is higher than that of those by examiners in four industries, excluding a supplier-dominated industry. The citation types are related to the locus of the knowledge source in four industries, excluding the supplier-dominated industry. In particular, the patents cited by examiners tended to be more recently issued in all sectoral fields. This research contributes to confirming the technological value of patents based on the citation behaviors of applicants and examiners through empirical analysis. The results can be utilized to investigate signals or noise in technological innovation and improve processes or systems of patent examination. In addition, it can help applicants conduct more thorough prior-art searches by comprehending the examiner’s perspective toward citations to increase the probability of patent registration.

Technology development tools in biomimetics utilizing TRIZ: Biomimetic-TRIZ matrix

The trials of biomimetics using the methods that nature has already used are conducted in various fields to find the solution for technology development. However, there are few studies on the effective methodology that connects the solution of nature to technology development. Previous research assumes that nature is fundamentally different from technologies and divided into biological and technological TRIZ to solve the problem. To solve the limitations of previous research, we made biomimetic-TRIZ, which solves the problem by using only one Contradiction Matrix. Thus, the aim of this research is to overcome the limitations of previous studies and create a biomimetic-TRIZ that meets all the technical and biological points of view in a single Contradiction Matrix. This study utilizes the 40 inventive principles, 39 engineering parameters of TRIZ and cases of biomimetics from the database of AskNature.org. The proposed method suggests both new inventive principles and existing inventive principles from cases of biomimetics and constructs biomimetics-TRIZ to substitute the inventive principle of the TRIZ Contradiction Matrix. The proposed biomimetic-TRIZ will be used as a tool to support the technology development practitioners.

Exploring Prospective Research Areas in UI/UX through the Analysis of Patents

On UX/UI fields, understanding emerging technology is important for preoccupancy of a future market. Most of emerging field searching methods are qualitative methods. However, it is suitable for large companies to adduce its milestone, not for small enterprises. Thus, this study aims at purposing the improvement of utilizability for research field searching processes. We draw core patents with modified patent citation data, apply the Girvan-Newman clustering method based on bibliographic coupling patent relationship and then, draw emerging technology research UX/UI fields. Finally, the results were validated in comparison with a report on emerging research.

Exploring promising vacant technology areas in a technology-oriented company based on bibliometric analysis and visualisation

ABSTRACT Under technology convergence phenomenon and fast-changing social demands, it is inevitable to collect and analyze a large amount of information in order to determine a vacant technology area that can preempt the market. Thus, this research aims to propose a systematic approach to identifying vacant technology areas by reflecting the technological competitiveness of company. Vacant technology is identified as underdeveloped and undeveloped vacant areas for a firm in both macroscopic and microscopic view by generating a technology level map in a practical view. In addition, vacant technology can be identified as undiscovered vacant areas in a microscopic view by using generative topology mapping (GTM) and local outlier factor (LOF). In a respective view, the promising vacant areas are defined by developing various indicators that represent competitive strength, growth stage, and marketability in both macro and micro level, and novelty indicators that represent originality and marketability in the micro level. The proposed approach is applied to the information & communication technology (ICT) R&D technology classification to validate its usefulness. The results can be used to enhance the practical application of R&D technology planning, understand the current technology level, and perform future technology planning.

Technological opportunity discovery for technological convergence based on the prediction of technology knowledge flow in a citation network

Abstract As technological convergence has recently become a mainstream innovation trend, technological opportunities need to be explored in heterogeneous technology fields. Most of the previous convergence studies have taken a retrospective view in measuring the degree of convergence and monitoring the converging trends. This paper proposes a quantitative future-oriented approach to technological opportunity discovery for convergence using patent information. In a future-oriented approach, technological opportunities for convergence are suggested by predicting potential technological knowledge flows (TKFs) between heterogeneous fields. The potential TKFs are predicted by a link prediction method in a directed network, which is suggested in this paper to represent the direction of the predicted TKFs by adapting the concept of bibliographic coupling and edge-betweenness centrality. Converging technological opportunities are proposed as incremental and radical technological opportunities by extracting the potential increased knowledge flow links and emerging knowledge flow links. Moreover, the direction and themes of the predicted potential TKFs are provided as technological opportunities for convergence. As an illustration of the proposed method, the technological opportunities between biotechnology (BT) and information technology (IT) are explored. Firms and researchers can use the proposed method to seek out new technological opportunities from various technologies so that R&D policymakers can plan new R&D projects on technological convergence.