Unlocking the value of patent data: Patent Informatics services at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO)

World Patent Information 30 (2008) 335–337

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Unlocking the value of patent data: Patent Informatics services at the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) Ben Buchanan * Patents Directorate, UK-IPO, United Kingdom

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Keywords: Patent Informatics UK-IPO Patent examiners Competitive intelligence Government policy

a b s t r a c t The UK-IPO has expanded its range of non-statutory services to include Patent Informatics: the macroscopic analysis of patent data to derive technical information. This article describes the genesis of Patent Informatics at the UK-IPO in line with Government strategy and the potential applications of Patent Informatics including informing policy decision making, horizon-scanning and responding to technology sector enquiries. Patent Informatics is a flexible technique for mining patent data; examples graphically presented include e-paper patent filings over time and a carbon capture and storage technology landscape map. Reference is made to other Patent Informatics work under taken by the UK-IPO and covers the databases, analysis tools and methodology employed. The article concludes that in a knowledge driven economy, unlocking technical information from patent data through Patent Informatics enhances Government and industry strategy, innovation and success. Crown Copyright Ó 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Patenting is an indicator of innovation. As part of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and in light of the recent push by the UK Government [1,2] to increase utilisation of the UK’s intellectual property system and resources, the UK-IPO has recently consolidated a Patent Informatics service to assist Government and commercial organisations on matters of policy, strategic planning, or other enquiry relating to technology, where patent data analysis can unlock valuable knowledge and information. This move fits with the increasing role of the UK-IPO in promoting and providing patent information and patent services to industry and the public in the UK [3–5]. 2. Patent Informatics – the basics A patent contains more than just technical information claiming protection for a particular single invention. Patents include classification information indicative of primary and associated technical fields; chronological, geographical and related technical reference information; inventor and applicant status and address data; legal status and information about related patent family groups. Patent Informatics is the macroscopic analysis of multiple patent data [6]. Patents can be identified and grouped to define pools of information, for example in specific technical, chronological, commercial or geographic clusters, or a combination of these. By * Tel.: +44 (0) 1633 814742. E-mail address: [email protected].

analysing groups of patents, trends and features in and between the bibliographic and technical data can be unearthed. Strengths and weaknesses in technology specialisms, emerging markets, patent portfolios and details about technology evolution can be inferred. For example, Fig. 1 illustrates a view of patent records per year by country for the ‘‘electronic paper” (e-paper) technology space. Evidently, US and Japanese patent applications have established dominance in this area since the technology dawn. However, e-paper patent applications originating in Korea have rapidly increased in number since 2001 and look set to overtake those from established regions. Further analysis may reveal a particularly prolific Korean applicant, identification of a regional growth market incentive, regional science-based research expertise, or collaboration or merger between an established foreign applicant and a specific Korean institution. Notably, prolific Taiwanese patent publication in this area of technology coincides with the creation of the Taiwanese Intellectual Property Office. Patent Informatics can be directed towards the assessment of a diverse range of technical, strategic and policy issues. It complements conventional economic or business analysis to support policy making, R&D strategy, technical auditing, investment decisions; anything which benefits from a reliable understanding of a technological landscape [7]. 3. The UK-IPO Patent Informatics Team In 2006 the UK-IPO established a pilot Patent Informatics Team to explore the provision of patent analytics and information ser-

0172-2190/$ - see front matter Crown Copyright Ó 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2008.07.002

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B. Buchanan / World Patent Information 30 (2008) 335–337

Number of Records by Country and Year

300

250 US 200

JP GB

150

DE KR WO

100

TW CN

50

EP US

FR

2006

2004

2005

2002

EP 2003

2000

2001

1998

TW 1999

1996

1997

1994

KR 1995

1992

1993

GB 1991

1990

0

Fig. 1. Example view of patent records per year by country for underlying e-paper technology and its applications.

vices to Government Departments in support of policy and business development objectives. The Team evaluated data mining and statistical analysis software and performed a number of preliminary projects. In September 2007 the Team was consolidated and actively initiated the provision of Patent Informatics services internally, to wider Government and in support of businesses through DIUS sponsored Knowledge Transfer Networks. The Patent Informatics Team within the UK-IPO comprises patent examiners, and is afforded access to over 200 further patent examiners across the technology spectrum. Patent examiners are expert in technical searching (covering patent documents and non-patent literature) as well as technical and patent legal analysis. Thorough appreciation of bibliographic data and patent classification schemes facilitates the contextual analysis of Patent Informatics results. This specialist knowledge is critical to identifying an accurate and clean dataset for Patent Informatics analysis. Quality of data is the keystone in any informatics project; failure to identify critical documents in a set, or inclusion of false hits significantly devalues the subsequent analysis. Experience with patent search tools and document dataset analysis facilitates rationalising a document dataset in line with objectives (e.g. to remove duplicates, or identify non-commercial applicants), and ensures analysis is systematic and reliable. The Patent Informatics Team has access to a number of patent databases including EPODOC, WPI and the EPO Worldwide Patent Statistical Database (PATSTAT), covering over 60 million patents dating from 1836 onwards. The search interfaces employed include those used by national patent offices to rigorously investigate patent literature during patent search and examination. Document datasets ranging from a few hundred to over a hundred thousand documents can be processed, depending on the project objectives and specification, the breadth of technology to be covered and the degree of refinement required. Sub datasets can be created to focus on a particular area of interest, for example a specific time-

frame. The methodology applied by the Team is flexible and responsive to project specific requirements. 4. Analysis tools Analysis tools enable the creation of initial technical reports. Further specific analyses, such as citation analysis, can be used to assess the quality or ‘breakthrough’ nature of a particular patent, applicant or technology. Patent maps, which plot patent applications on contours in a technological landscape, are used to reveal areas of intense activity or defensive portfolios, as well as changes in the landscape over time. For instance, this may be due to the introduction of innovative materials or new materials applications, potentially indicating unrealised opportunities in related fields. Fig. 2 is an example patent map, illustrating the landscape topography of patent activity in the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology space. A summary analysis reveals prolific activity in the field of carbon dioxide and exhaust emissions absorption; complementary (or competing!) activity in the field of alternative fuel sources (e.g. fuel cells); and potentially a developing use of computer modelling to enhance detection and monitoring of CCS systems. 5. UK-IPO Patent Informatics resumé The Patent Informatics Team has completed a number of projects including:  Report on e-paper for the Department of Trade and Industry (07/ 06) disseminated to UK Displays and Lighting KTN (see below).  Report on Regenerative Medicine for the Department of Trade and Industry (08/06).  Response to the Call for Evidence of the House of Lords Select Committee on Allergy (09/06) (see below) [8].

B. Buchanan / World Patent Information 30 (2008) 335–337

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Fig. 2. Example patent landscape map of patents in carbon capture technology space.

 Report on Quantum cryptography under Gowers recommendation 24 (10/07).  Report on Bionanotechnology under Gowers recommendation 24 (11/07).  Private commercial project on referral (12/07).  Report on Light Emitting Polymer Technology as a successful UK-emergent technology for the Technology Strategy Board (03/08).  Response to the Call for Evidence of the House of Lords Select Committee on Genomic Medicine (not yet published).

5.1. Report on e-paper The report on e-paper was completed as part of the initial trial of patent analytical software tools in the UK-IPO. The report considered the development of technology for replacing traditional paper with flexible electronic displays. It was completed in July 2006 and subsequently disseminated to the public through the UK Displays and Lighting Knowledge Transfer Network. Many parties who have seen the report commented on the usefulness of the UK-IPO doing such work. 5.2. Response to the Call for Evidence of the House of Lords Select Committee on Allergy [8] At the invitation of the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee, the UK-IPO performed an analysis of the patent landscape in relation to allergy. The UK-IPO report contributed to six of the twelve questions posed by the Committee. A global assessment of this subject area highlighted the most current areas of active research. Within the UK, significant corporate-academic collaboration was noted. The UK-IPO report conclusions were cited in the research section of the House of Lords report which highlights the usefulness of the UK-IPO in providing this type of analysis. The resulting landscape model illustrated technological evolution in relation to allergy.

6. The future In a global, knowledge-driven economy the importance of exploiting Intellectual Property is paramount. Not only is comprehensive protection of innovation a commercial advantage, but a well-structured patent portfolio enables value attribution and measurement of expertise. As well as the benefit to society of sharing discoveries, the patent system enables Patent Informatics to build on accumulated knowledge and to translate patent data into an intelligent context. That context can range from competitive intelligence, to horizon scanning to specific technology commentary for Government policy administration. Patent Informatics takes patent analysis beyond the study of individual monopoly rights to combine them, form a pool of information and unlock knowledge. If you are keen to understand more about how Patent Informatics at the UK-IPO can unlock knowledge and open doors for you, do contact the author. References [1] Gowers Review of Intellectual Property. The Stationery Office, 2006. . [2] Lord Sainsbury of Turville, The Race to the Top: A Review of Government’s Science and Innovation policies. The Stationery Office, 2007 [See particularly Recommendation 5.1 and points 5.7, 5.11 and 5.12]. . [3] Blackman M. Provision of patent information: a national patent office perspective. World Patent Inform 1995;17(2):115–23. [4] Lemon T. Patent information services from the UK Patent Office. World Patent Inform 1994;16(2):90–3. [5] Blackman M, Dennehey S. The search and advisory service of the United Kingdom Patent Office. World Patent Inform 1987;9(2):88–91. [6] Trippe AJ. Patinformatics: tasks to tools. World Patent Inform 2003;25(3):211–21. [7] Mogee M, Breitzman A. The many applications of patent analysis. J Inform Sci 2002;28(3):187. [8] UK-IPO Patent Informatics Team, Response to the Call for Evidence of the House of Lords Select Committee on Allergy. House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, 6th Report of Session 2006–2007, Allergy, vol. II: Evidence (The Stationery Office), 2007. p. 354–66. Report can be viewed at .