Novel data structure and visualization tool for studying technology evolution based on patent information: The DTFootprint and the TechSpectrogram

• Published in: World patent information 2021-03, Vol.64, p.102009, Article 102009
• Main Authors: Perez-Molina, Eduardo, Loizides, Fernando
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Patent citations; Patent classification; Technology evolution analysis
• ISSN: 0172-2190; 1874-690X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wpi.2020.102009

We introduce a new, bespoke data structure to analyze and visualize the evolution of a technology. The technology under analysis is defined by a set of patents corresponding to a technical field, owned by a company or invented by a team of research. Our data structure, the Dynamic Technology Footprint –DTFootprint–, facilitates the analysis and visualization of trends and dynamics of a given technology, and therefore the evolution of a technical field, a company, or a team of people. A graphical tool based on our data structure is defined, it is named Technology Spectrogram –TechSpectrogram–, because it is inspired by the acoustic frequency spectrograms: as the acoustic frequency spectrograms visualize the dynamics of an acoustic wave showing the evolution of its frequency components our tool shows the dynamics of a technology showing the evolution of its technological components, which are represented by the whole set of IPC-codes. Our graphical tool, the TechSpectrogram is shown for some study cases, and its application to the history of technology and technology management are disclosed.