Monitoring the organic structure of technology based on the patent development paths

As the strategic importance of understanding changes in technology for successful business of most firms increases, the ability to analyze and monitor the current stage and history of technology is reckoned as a critical asset both for gaining competitive advantage and identifying promising niches....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Technological forecasting & social change 2009-07, Vol.76 (6), p.754-768
Main Authors: Choi, Changwoo, Park, Yongtae
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Computer memory
Patent citation network, Systematic approach
Studies
Technological change
Technological Innovations
Technology
Technology development path
Technology monitoring
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Summary:As the strategic importance of understanding changes in technology for successful business of most firms increases, the ability to analyze and monitor the current stage and history of technology is reckoned as a critical asset both for gaining competitive advantage and identifying promising niches. Patent citation networks have been widely used for systematic and empirical analysis of technology development. Understanding of technology's detailed changes in large patent citation networks, however, is difficult to achieve because of these networks' large and complex structures. To overcome this problem, we suggest an algorithm that identifies patent development paths from a large patent citation network by evaluating the weight of citations between patents. We then apply this algorithm to flash memory patents in an empirical study. Our algorithm is a new methodology that can be used to analyze the dynamic and complex structure of individual technologies.
ISSN:0040-1625
1873-5509
DOI:10.1016/j.techfore.2008.10.007