Innovative field exploration and Associated patent portfolio design models
Résumé
Patents play an ever-increasing role in the modern economies and are often used as a measure of technology innovativeness. This paper deals with the innovative field exploration where companies are constantly under pressure to generate high quality patents that will ensure future firms growth, their survival and protect their inventions. This work builds on the existing methods of patent modeling that appear to be adapted for disruptive innovation. By drawing on the patentability criteria, their interpretation in the patent model driven by the design theory frameworks like Concept-Knowledge theory, the paper examines the means of applicability of these methods within the high-velocity industries like semiconductors or nanotechnologies. As a result, two processes of patent design are exhibited: 1) technology design that brings to define patent proposals or 2) patent proposals design that add new innovative attributes prior to technology creation. The insights are given on which approach companies have to pursue regarding their problematic.