Individual Patents Research Articles

Uncovering emerging technologies in intelligent manufacturing via graph classification of community characteristics

Advancing the identification of emerging technology trends is pivotal for informed design decisions and risk mitigation. Our research introduces a novel methodology, centered on technology subgraphs within a patent knowledge graph, utilising graph neural networks combined with data augmentation techniques. This approach deviates from traditional methods, which primarily focus on individual patent nodes or the entire patent network. Instead, it segments the patent knowledge graph into subgraphs, analyzing them based on structural features to identify emerging technologies. Our method is further strengthened by employing an expert-curated emerging technology tag library, enabling a quantitative, rather than solely qualitative, assessment of the subgraphs’ relevance to emerging technologies. Additionally, we integrate comparative learning to enhance subgraph data quality, thereby boosting the reliability and accuracy of our approach. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in the accurate identification of emerging technologies, underscoring the effectiveness of our proposed model.

Assessing the infringement risk of patent portfolios using network analysis and IF-TOPSIS: A case of standard-essential patent portfolios in the ICT industry

With the intensification of technological innovation competition and the surge in the number of patents in modern society, companies' technology activities such as technology R&D, technology licensing and technology transfer now regularly involve large patent portfolios, as well as a rising risk of patent infringement. However, the existing patent infringement risk assessment methods are only designed for individual patents, which is not enough to meet the companies' practical need for assessing and managing the infringement risk of large patent portfolios. Therefore, this study proposes a combined approach using network analysis and intuitionistic fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (IF-TOPSIS), which can assess and rank the infringement risk of a company's patent portfolio relative to each of its competitors' patent portfolios, thereby providing a scientific base for the company's management decisions on patent portfolios. In this approach, one-mode weighted patent proximity networks are constructed to extract topology information of patent portfolios, and the IF-TOPSIS method is combined to obtain and rank the risk results under a proper fuzzy framework. The case study uses patent portfolios containing a total of 6736 standard-essential patents (SEPs) in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry as test data, and verifies the practicality and validity of this intelligent approach. Managerial implications for technology managers and patent attorneys are elaborated.

Patent lifetime prediction using LightGBM with a customized loss

Patent lifespan is commonly used as a quantitative measure in patent assessments. Patent holders maintain exclusive rights by paying significant maintenance fees, suggesting a strong correlation between a patent’s lifespan and its business potential or economic value. Therefore, accurately forecasting the duration of a patent is of great significance. This study introduces a highly effective method that combines LightGBM, a sophisticated machine learning algorithm, with a customized loss function derived from Focal Loss. The purpose of this approach is to accurately predict the probability of a patent remaining valid until its maximum expiration date. This research differs from previous studies that have examined the various stages and phases of patents. Instead, it assesses the commercial viability of individual patents by considering their lifespan. The evaluation process utilizes a dataset consisting of 200,000 patents. The experimental results show a significant improvement in the performance of the model by combining Focal Loss with LightGBM. By incorporating Focal Loss into LightGBM, its ability to give priority to difficult instances during training is enhanced, resulting in an overall improvement in performance. This targeted approach enhances the model’s ability to distinguish between different samples and its ability to recover from challenges by giving priority to difficult samples. As a result, it improves the model’s accuracy in making predictions and its ability to apply those predictions to new data.

Trends in the Development of Acupuncture-Related Technologies Based on Patents in South Korea.

Several studies have assessed the safety and efficacy of acupuncture, but none have reviewed patent trends related to acupuncture as an intervention. This study analyzed trends in patents for the development of acupuncture-related technologies in Korea. The Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) was searched for information on acupuncture-related patents registered until August 11, 2021, without any limit on the search period. Only acupuncture and electro-acupuncture were included in this review. The current status, contents, and technological characteristics of the relevant patents were analyzed systematically to identify the overall status of acupuncture-related patents. Overall, 126 patents were identified from the KIPRIS database, of which 93 were unrelated to the research topic and were excluded. Finally, 33 patents were assessed. Interest in the development of acupuncture technology has increased steadily over the past decade. Patent applications reached their peak in 2018 with six instances, while patent registration peaked in 2019 with seven instances. The interval between the application and registration of an individual patent was 14.3 months (449 days). Twenty-two acupuncture-related patents were for acupuncture (66.6%) and 11 for electro-acupuncture (33.3%). The technical specifications for the patents included acupuncture devices (30.3%), acupuncture manufacturing methods and equipment (36.4%), and electro-acupuncture devices (33.3%). Acupuncture-related technology currently focuses on technological advancements for the safe and effective delivery of stimulation. The findings demonstrate trends toward new diverse and complex technological advancements for acupuncture devices, manufacturing methods and equipment, and electro-acupuncture devices.

The effects of knowledge base characteristics on patent pledge financing: the moderating effects of technological munificence and dynamism

PurposeThis study aims to examine how the knowledge breadth and depth of a patent affect its likelihood of being pledged. It also seeks to explore whether these relationships change diversely in different technological environments.Design/methodology/approachA complementary log-log model with random effects was conducted to test the hypotheses using a unique data set consisting of 348,927 invention patents granted by the China National Intellectual Property Administration from 1985 to 2015 belonging to 74,996 firms.FindingsThe findings reveal that both knowledge breadth and depth of a patent positively affect its likelihood of being pledged. Furthermore, the knowledge breadth and depth entail different degrees of superiority in different technological environments.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on the effect of an individual patent’s knowledge base on its likelihood of being selected as collateral. It does not consider the influence of the overall knowledge characteristics of the selected patent portfolio.Practical implicationsManagers need to pay attention to patents’ knowledge characteristics and the changes in technological environments to select the most suitable patents as collateral and thus improve the success rate of pledge financing.Originality/valueThis study explores the impact of multidimensional characteristics of knowledge base on patent pledge financing within a systematic theoretical framework and incorporates technological environments into this framework.

Abstract 7094: Clinical metabolomics reveals baseline biomarkers of hepatic dysfunction correlating with irregular drug-induced ALT and bilirubin elevations

Abstract AZD4573 is a highly potent and selective Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9 inhibitor. The AZD4573 First-in-Human (FIH) study revealed variable alanine transaminase (ALT) and/or bilirubin elevation and a clear correlation to dose or PK exposure could not be defined. While concurrent ALT elevation ≥3x upper limit of normal (ULN) and bilirubin elevation ≥2x ULN (potential Hy’s law) is a biochemical finding indicating potential drug-induced liver injury, quantitative modeling disconnected ALT and bilirubin elevation demonstrating that the observations were not Hy’s Law cases. Furthermore, we implemented a targeted metabolomics workflow to investigate the ALT and bilirubin elevation mechanism and identify predictive biomarkers to better understand and/or predict any hepatic stress liabilities associated with AZD4573 clinical development. We implemented an established metabolomics methodology to 359 samples from 15 patients yielding 47,000 total data points. Data was separated into 98 different dosing intervals from the 15 patients to identify the ALT and bilirubin-associated metabolic changes conserved across all patients while incorporating metabolic differences in individual patents with ALT and bilirubin elevation in only a fraction of multiple doses. Orthogonal Partial Least Squares modeling identified several metabolites and pathways altered as a function of maximum ALT or bilirubin levels. Post-dose conjugated bile acids were elevated when ALT and bilirubin were elevated. Pre-dose creatine levels were decreased when ALT and bilirubin elevation occurred, and pre-dose glutamate levels were elevated when ALT elevation occurred. Pre-dose decreased total carnitines and kynurenine pathway activation were observed when ALT and bilirubin elevation occurred, but the effect did not reach statistical significance. Elevated bile acids are an established characteristic of cholestasis and suggest cholestasis as a probable mechanism for AZD4573-induced reversible liver stress. Interestingly, decreased creatine, glutamate elevation, decreased total carnitine, and kynurenine pathway activation are all associated with some form of liver stress or disfunction which may explain the irregular ALT and bilirubin elevations observed in patients receiving AZD4573; while ALT itself is a biomarker of liver damage, these pre-dose biochemical changes may illuminate potential preceding liver stress. Dosing patients already experiencing higher liver stress levels may be more susceptible to drug-induced ALT and bilirubin elevation, and patients with increasing in-study liver stress may only present at later doses. This work demonstrates metabolomics utility to elucidate possible mechanisms of liver toxicity as well as to identify potential predictive biomarkers for further investigation to explore individual patient risk in clinical studies. Citation Format: John K. Meissen, Kevin Contrepois, Sophie Regan, Jennifer Tan, Alison J. Foster, Jiaqi Yuan, Shringi Sharma, Dominic Williams, Anton I. Rosenbaum. Clinical metabolomics reveals baseline biomarkers of hepatic dysfunction correlating with irregular drug-induced ALT and bilirubin elevations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7094.

Noticing Patents

Patents take the form of public letters that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) actively disseminates. Whether these documents sufficiently provide the public with notice of the technologies they describe, as well as the proprietary rights that they assert, has been subject to long-standing debate. Many commentators conclude that patents are often filed too early in the research and development cycle, are deliberately drafted in a vague or obtuse manner, or are simply too numerous. As a result, identifying the relevant patent landscape is not just difficult for technology implementers, but possibly undesirable as a matter of innovation policy. Yet prior scholarship has seldom acknowledged current statutory mechanisms to improve the notice function of patents after they issue. This Article endeavors to fill that gap.
 Congress has long encouraged intellectual property rights holders to identify their patents on the products they sell. Patent marking has traditionally occurred on physical products or their packaging, although it has been recently extended to Internet-based virtual marking. The marking statute stipulates that patent proprietors that fail to mark face severe remedial restrictions when challenging infringers. Congress has assigned the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) a part in providing patent notice as well. In keeping with federal legislation, the agency maintains two publications, commonly known as the Orange and Purple Books, that act as a patent clearinghouse for approved drugs and licensed biologics.
 The role of a patent within the marketplace provides perhaps the most valuable form of notice that that instrument may offer. Yet the marking statute and FDA publications suffer from some apparent flaws. In combination they project a failure to identify all patents that are relevant to the product, favor patent trolls, involve dubious practical workings, promote misleading advertising, and impose punitive sanctions in comparison to the notice requirements of peer intellectual property rights. For its part, the FDA has proven an untutored and unreliable patent publicist for the past four decades.
 This Article offers specific suggestions to improve the notice functions of patents after they issue. It calls for the USPTO to develop and populate its own virtual marking database that correlates individual patents with the marketplace. It also encourages the FDA to take further steps to counter abuses of the Orange and Purple Books and to accelerate their patent notice functions. Finally, this Article takes broader lessons from this effort, offering pathways for policymakers to look beyond the patent instrument as they endeavor to improve the patent system’s notice functions.

Low-carbon electricity technology transformation in Chinese universities

Purpose With the growing climate problem, it has become a consensus to develop low-carbon technologies to reduce emissions. Electric industry is a major carbon-emitting industry, accounting for 35% of global carbon emissions. Universities, as an important patent application sector in China, promote their patent application and transformation to enhance Chinese technological innovation capability. This study aims to analyze low-carbon electricity technology transformation in Chinese universities. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses IncoPat to collect patent data. The trend of low-carbon electricity technology patent applications in Chinese universities, the status, patent technology distribution, patent transformation status and patent transformation path of valid patent is analyzed. Findings Low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities has been promoted, and the number of patents has shown rapid growth. Invention patents proportion is increasing, and the transformation has become increasingly active. Low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities is mainly concentrated in individual cooperative patent classification (CPC) classification numbers, and innovative technologies will be an important development for electric reduction. Originality/value This paper innovatively uses valid patents to study the development of low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities, and defines low-carbon technology patents by CPC patent classification system. A new attempt focuses on the development status and direction in low-carbon electricity technology in Chinese universities, and highlights the contribution of valid patents to patent value.

The work in progress of a developing nation’s Triple Helix and its impact on patent commercialization. The case of Sri Lanka

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to the understanding of the innovation environment of a developing nation through the Triple Helix model, revealing the existing inter-relationships between the three Helixes of Academia–Industry–Government. It sets out to find out the relationship and impact of the three Helixes on the most crucial stage of the innovation process: the commercialisation of patents, and to ascertain if there is a varying impact determined by patent ownership.Design/methodology/approachThis cross-sectional study uses the survey method based on the views expressed by 220 Sri Lankan registered patent holders and categorised by organisational and individual ownership. The sample is drawn from the database of the National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka and patents registered through the Patent Cooperation Treaty, extracted from the World Intellectual Property Organisation Patent Scope database. The survey was carried out in 2019 and limited to patents registered during the period 2010–2014.FindingsThe empirical findings indicate weak inter-relationship between Academia support, Industry support and patent commercial success, while the support of the Government Helix is non-significant in the commercial stage. The findings also indicate two different support standards existing in each Helix for the two ownership groups.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to a five-year window in a relatively early period in the country’s innovation policy development. The study model is also limited by the non-inclusion of mediators such as government-backed affiliated agencies and academia technical transfer offices which if incorporated would improve the study model and be more reflective of the actual environment and their role as change agents bridging the transition to a hybrid Triple Helix.Practical implicationsThe study findings capture the inter-relationships of the Triple Helix existing in a developing country at the most crucial stage of the innovation process. It helps policymakers identify the gaps in each Helix that stands wanting and take measures to rectify them by creating a more favourable National Innovation System. An innovative environment that will facilitate patent holders achieve higher technological transfers and commercial success rates.Social implicationsThe findings disclosure of two different support standards existing in each Helix for the two patent ownership groups poses a challenge for policymakers and challenges the core objective of increasing the commercial success of patents granted. The findings strengthen the need for a more robust support system to be put in place that would empower and facilitate the individual patent owner to increase the share of economic value arising from this underutilised patent group.Originality/valueThis study contributes by furthering the Triple Helix model in a social context and micro-setting by operationalising the theoretical practices. The study also gives insight into each Helix’s interaction and contribution during the most crucial stage of innovation management in a developing economy and its impact on the two categories of patent ownership which is scarce.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AS A COMPETITIVE RESOURCE OF AN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE

The article examines the theoretical and methodological issues of competitive use of intellectual property objects in the production and business activities of Ukrainian industrial enterprises. Three main areas of consideration of the term "intellectual property" are defined and substantiated: regulatory, economic, and managerial. The definition of the term "intellectual property" recommended by the author for scientific circulation practically combines the legal, economic, organizational, and managerial components of this definition, which quite accurately reproduces the organizational and production processes of development, distribution, and consumption of intellectual property objects and created with their use of market products. It has been proven that intellectual property objects are a significant factor in creating competitive advantages of an industrial enterprise, as they allow to ensure the protection of the results of innovative activity, a monopoly position on the market on this basis, and to use the period of protection to expand the volume of sales of products on the markets, form and consolidate the brand of the industrial enterprise enterprises. Individual components of the manifestation of the specificity of intellectual property and its objects in the industrial production of our country have been studied in detail, to which the author attributes a number of important specific features that contribute to the greatest extent to the improvement of the competitive positions of an industrial enterprise on the domestic and international market. The author attributed to them: an intangible form of representation, the possibilities of identification for establishing the object of the right, its potential includes both scientific and technical and production components, alienation of a special kind: copyright is preserved, individual patent right is protected, individual copyright is protected, individual copyright, a collective component of property rights. The identified features of the practical use of intellectual property objects at industrial enterprises make it possible for them to be more effectively used in various types of manufactured products. The use of intellectual property has both competitive advantages and certain disadvantages for an industrial enterprise. At the same time, competitive advantages are more important, strategically significant, long-term, but have a high degree of volatility and commercial risk and urgently need more balanced and more justified management decisions.

Climate neutrality through economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation and renewable energy in European countries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation, energy consumption and patents on environmental technologies on the volume of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) recorded in European countries for a period of nine years (2010–2018).Design/methodology/approachTwo empirical methods were integrated into the theoretical approach developed based on the analysis of the current scientific framework. Multiple linear regression, an extended version of the OLS model, and a non-causal analysis as a robustness method, Dumitrescu–Hurlin, were used to achieve the proposed research objective.FindingsDigitalisation described by the number of individual Internet users and patents on environmental technologies determines the amount of GHG in Europe, and economic growth continues to have a significant effect on the amount of emissions, as well as the consumption of renewable energy. European countries are not framed in well-established patterns, but the economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation and renewable energy have an impact on the amount of GHG in one way or another. In many European countries, the amount of GHGs is decreasing as a result of economic growth, changes in the energy field and digitalisation. The positive influence of economic growth on climate neutrality depends on its degree of sustainability, while patents have the same conditional effect of their translation into environmentally efficient technologies.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has a number of limitations which derive, first of all, from the lack of digitalisation indicators. The missing data restricted the inclusion in the analysis of variables relevant to the description of the European digitalisation process, also obtaining conclusive results on the effects of digitalisation on GHG emissions.Originality/valueA similar analysis of the relationship among the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation and renewable energy is less common in the literature. Also, the results can be inspirational in the sphere of macroeconomic policy.

Prediction of University Patent Transfer Cycle Based on Random Survival Forest

Taking the invention patents of the C9 League from 2002 to 2020 as samples, a random survival forest model is established to predict the dynamic time-point of patent transfer cycle. By ranking the variables based on importance, it is found that the countries citing, the non-patent citations and the backward citations have significant impacts on the patent transfer cycle. C-index, Brier score and integrated Brier score are used to measure the discrimination and calibration ability of the four different survival models respectively. It is found that the prediction accuracy of the random survival forest model is higher than that of the Cox proportional risk model, Cox model based on lasso penalty and random forest model. In addition, the survival function and cumulative risk function under the random survival forest are adopted to predict and analyze the individual university patent transfer cycle, which shows that the random survival forest model has good prediction performance and is able to help universities as well as enterprises to identify the patent transfer opportunities effectively, thereby shortening the patent transfer cycle and improving the patent transfer efficiency.

ПРАВОВЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ЗЕМЕЛЬНИХ ВІДНОСИН У ГАЛИЧИНІ У СКЛАДІ АВСТРІЇ ТА АВСТРО-УГОРЩИНИ (1772–1918 РОКІВ)

The article reveals the peculiarities of the formation and development of legal regulation of land relations in Galicia as a part of Austria and Austria-Hungary (1772–1918). It is noted that such legal regulation was carried out on the basis of individual imperial patents, ministerial orders and instructions, and starting from 1861, decisions of the Galician Regional Diet were added to them. A separate complex normative legal act - the land code in the modern sense of the term, which would regulate land relations at the time under study, did not exist in the Habsburg monarchy. Only after the adoption of the Civil Code in 1811, it was possible to unify a number of aspects in the field of legal relations in the land sector. But even in that case, the Civil Code of 1811 actually regulated only what arose from the property rights to a land plot, providing a number of norms, the purpose of which was to protect the rights of noble property. In 1828, a new land cadastre called «definitum» was introduced in Galicia, which operated until the beginning of the Second World War. Another change in the legal regulation of land relations in Galicia took place after the «Spring of Nations» revolution. On June 7, 1883, the Comassation (Combination of Land Plots) Act was passed. The latter, in particular, provided for the right to combine land plots with the participation of representatives of the authorities and in accordance with the current legislation. Austrian civil law recognized land as unlimited property with the right of «use» and «abuse». However, there was a difference in the legal status of individual lands. In particular, the subject who owned the land did not have the right to divide it, pledge it, or even inherit it. At the same time, the court (dominia) did not have the right to divide this land or exchange it for another without government permission. Also, with the permission of the government, the yard could remove an unwanted peasant from the soil, but it was necessary to plant another one in his place. Restrictions on the ownership, tenure or inheritance after the abolition of manor in 1848 became much less, as they were no longer determined by manor relations. After the abolition of the master's power over his subjects and the transformation of the peasants into the subjects of the emperor, the state placed the peasants under the jurisdiction of the public authorities. Urbarial relations were recognized as a sphere of private law civil relations. But even despite the gradual improvement of the legal framework for the regulation of land ownership, land use, lease, pledge or inheritance, vestiges of patrimonial law were preserved and constantly revived in land relations.

Visualization of Materials Science Topics in Publications of Institutional Repository using Natural Language Processing

SAMURAI (NIMS 2022), a directory service of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) researchers in Japan was launched in 2009 following the development of NIMS institutional repository (Tanifuji et al. 2019). The concept is to synchronize between profile information of researchers and their publications which are self-archived in the repository system. The SAMURAI was renewed in 2017 with interoperable functions with ORCID. SAMURAI supports various links to not only individual articles and patents, but also to databases such as KAKEN (Database of Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research by NII). The service has yielded fully identified authors of journal articles from research members of NIMS by implementing a unique ResearcherID. Through this directory, NIMS is promoting materials research, supporting management of its researchers activities, and introducing NIMS researchers and their work to the public. In this work, we present an application to describe each researcher's output topics automatically from the archived research papers in the repository, by implementing materials science specific natural language processing developed in our study (Dieb et al. 2021) that visualizes the research trend of each SAMURAI researchers. The approach can maximize information absorbance for general audience and fully corresponds to open science policy. A list of publications' digital object identifiers (DOIs DOI 2022) for each researcher was constructed from his profile in SAMURAI. (In SAMURAI, the DOIs are stored in a PostgreSQL database). Using the DOI, recent publications were retrieved from NIMS text data mining platform (TDM-PF) in their XML format which were mainly available from 2003. Representative topic terms from their research publications that are related to materials science and engineering were extracted. We utilize term frequency analysis and automatic extraction for materials names to extract these necessary informative terms. Additionally, domain knowledge resources such as dictionaries were used. Data was preprocessed using noise reduction such as removing general English language stop words and physical units filtering. Such words do not have significance on their own. Word cloud approach was used for visualization (Fig. 1). This work brings us an opportunity to apply our NLP experience to mine information from research papers for public knowledge as a step towards data-driven materials science.

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO VALUE EVALUATION OF THE PATENT PORTFOLIO

The article points out the advantages of conducting agreements on purchase and sale of intellectual property not individual patents, but a portfolio of patents. A systematic analysis of the range of valuation of intellectual property and the patent portfolio was conducted. A mathematical explanation of the "maximum-minimum" values is given, as well as the separation of the actual market price is substantiated. A graphical analysis of the stages of life cycles is given. Based on the proposed mathematical model, the value of the basic invention according to the patent UA85101 and the general portfolio of patents of JSC "Ukrainian Power Machines" (Kharkiv, Ukraine) as of 01.02.2022, which is 1755810 UAH. These calculations assume the best economic effect of using the rights to this portfolio of patents both in-house and obtaining income from the sale of a non-exclusive license. The practical applicability of the study allows JSC "Ukrainian Energy Machines" to assess the possibility of improving the efficiency of intellectual property management, which provides maximum benefit from the commercialization of innovations.

Improved anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect by enhanced Co-delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib via multiple pH triggered drug-eluting nanoparticles.

Effective systemic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains urgently needed. Sorafenib is the first FDA-approved systemic treatment for HCC. However, individual HCC patents’ response to sorafenib varies greatly. How to enhance the anti-HCC effect of sorafenib is still a significant challenge. T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) is a newly identified immune checkpoint molecule and a promising target for HCC treatment. Herein, we developed a novel pH-triggered drug-eluting nanoparticle (CC@SR&SF@PP) for simultaneously delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib to HCC in situ. By a single emulsification method, a representative HCC targeted-therapeutic drug sorafenib (SF) was encapsulated into the pH-triggered positive-charged mPEG5K-PAE10K (PP) nanoparticles, followed by condensing of negative-charged Tim-3 siRNA. Then, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), an amphoteric polysaccharide with negative charge in the physiological pH and positive charge in the acidic environment of the tumor, was eventually adsorbed onto the surface of nanoparticles. This co-delivery nanoparticle rapidly and specifically accumulated in the tumor site of the liver and enhanced the targeted, specific and multiple release of siRNA and sorafenib. Enhanced Tim-3 siRNA transfected into tumor cells can not only directly inhibit the growth of tumor cells by knock down the expression Tim-3, but also induce the immune response and enhance the recruitment of cytotoxic T cells to kill tumor cells. The following pH-triggered sorafenib release from SF@PP NPs greatly inhibited the tumor proliferation and angiogenesis, resulting in remarkable tumor growth inhibition in a mouse hepatoma 22 (H22) orthotopic tumor model. Thus, co-delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib via this novel pH triggered drug-eluting nanoparticle enhances their anti-tumor efficacy. We expect that such combination treatment strategy will have great potential in future clinical applications.

Measuring knowledge exploration distance at the patent level: Application of network embedding and citation analysis

Although the incidence of knowledge exploration is observed in most patents, the concept of knowledge exploration distance has been analyzed with limited patents at the macro level of a company, organization or region. This study quantifies the knowledge exploration distance of individual patents using network embedding methods and citation analysis. First, a technology ecology network is constructed to identify technological association relationships between technical elements. Second, network embedding method is employed to represent technical elements as fixed dimensional vector, preserving the structural information. Next, the individual patents are vectorized based on the technology classification code information and pre-trained embedding values. Finally, by comparing the position between a citing patent and cited patents in the vector space, the knowledge exploration distance of the patent is obtained. This knowledge exploration distance indicates the novel degree of technological association between technical elements of a citing patent and those of cited patents. The case study covering artificial intelligence technology-related patents is conducted to illustrate the process of calculating knowledge exploration distance. Besides, this study showed that the proposed measure has significant relationships with patent-based indicators related to protection coverage, prior knowledge, and patent value.

Does It Matter Who Owns It? A Comparison Study and Demographic Profiling of Patent Ownership and Its Impact on Commercialisation in Sri Lanka

Purpose: This study compares the demographic profiling of patent ownership in Sri Lanka with counterparts in other parts of the world. The study also seeks to understand the impact of patent ownership on patent commercial success as Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where a significant number of independent individuals are involved in the innovation process as inventors. Sri Lanka, as a country, struggles to make economic headway through the commercialisation of innovation. This factor of ownership could be an influencing factor for non-commercialisation. The study explores this aspect by comparing ownership between individual held patents with organisational patents on a national scale. The study also compares the findings with other similar global studies. Methodology: A sample of 220 respondents from a national sample comprising individual patent holders and organisational patent holders, including universities (IHL’s), Government Research Organizations (GRI’s) and commercial enterprises, was used in this cross-sectional study and analysed using SPSS version 21. The study uses descriptive statistics and Chai square analysis to address the research questions. The study is limited to patents granted between 2010 and 2014. Findings: The empirical findings confirm that ownership does influence the probability of commercialisation in favour of organisational ownership. The study also reveals a near equal match in demographic profiling with developed countries, indicating a mature inventor community. This finding draws policymakers’ attention to the support required for the most crucial stage of patent commercialisation. Research Implications/Limitation: The study contributes to comparing the demographic profiling of patent holders by ownership category, gender, education, experience, the propensity in the inventions, patent strength, and patent commercialisation with other global studies and helps benchmark the achievement of the SL patents in a global perspective. The limitation of the study is the period selected for analysis as the study setting is set relatively early in the stage of the country’s innovation policy development and should be replicated through the analysis of more recent patents. Originality: Despite the increased interest in patent studies and innovation, very few studies have provided empirical evidence that compares different patent ownership in a single study, especially in the context of an emerging country and the tracking of the patent commercial potential. Therefore, this study contributes to this body of knowledge and the findings valuable for patent holders and policymakers.

Does It Matter Who Owns It? A Comparison Study and Demographic Profiling of Patent Ownership and Its Impact on Commercialisation in Sri Lanka

Purpose: This study compares the demographic profiling of patent ownership in Sri Lanka with counterparts in other parts of the world. The study also seeks to understand the impact of patent ownership on patent commercial success as Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where a significant number of independent individuals are involved in the innovation process as inventors. Sri Lanka, as a country, struggles to make economic headway through the commercialisation of innovation. This factor of ownership could be an influencing factor for non-commercialisation. The study explores this aspect by comparing ownership between individual held patents with organisational patents on a national scale. The study also compares the findings with other similar global studies. Methodology: A sample of 220 respondents from a national sample comprising individual patent holders and organisational patent holders, including universities (IHL’s), Government Research Organizations (GRI’s) and commercial enterprises, was used in this cross-sectional study and analysed using SPSS version 21. The study uses descriptive statistics and Chai square analysis to address the research questions. The study is limited to patents granted between 2010 and 2014. Findings: The empirical findings confirm that ownership does influence the probability of commercialisation in favour of organisational ownership. The study also reveals a near equal match in demographic profiling with developed countries, indicating a mature inventor community. This finding draws policymakers’ attention to the support required for the most crucial stage of patent commercialisation. Research Implications/Limitation: The study contributes to comparing the demographic profiling of patent holders by ownership category, gender, education, experience, the propensity in the inventions, patent strength, and patent commercialisation with other global studies and helps benchmark the achievement of the SL patents in a global perspective. The limitation of the study is the period selected for analysis as the study setting is set relatively early in the stage of the country’s innovation policy development and should be replicated through the analysis of more recent patents. Originality: Despite the increased interest in patent studies and innovation, very few studies have provided empirical evidence that compares different patent ownership in a single study, especially in the context of an emerging country and the tracking of the patent commercial potential. Therefore, this study contributes to this body of knowledge and the findings valuable for patent holders and policymakers.

The analysis of Polish patent applications in the solar energy technology with the use of text mining methodology

Purpose: Knowledge management belongs to the most important elements of organisational management, including manufacturing enterprises. Patent information plays an increasingly important role in this area. Identification of the main directions of invention activity may inspire new product and process ideas, and can help to improve existing solutions. The above is particularly important in the energy sector, which is currently struggling with increasing problems. In this context, solar energy is the subject of interest to inventive communities. The paper discusses patent applications related to solar energy, taking up the task of discovering the main tendencies of technological solutions in this area. Design/methodology/approach: In the work, a pilot study of the research aimed to indicate the directions of technological development in the field in Poland was undertaken. Shortened descriptions of selected patent documents from the Polish Patent Office (PPO) were the subject of the investigation. The descriptions were reduced to the form of a vector space model by using text mining tools. The exploration of such prepared data was done applying unsupervised text mining techniques. Hierarchical cluster analysis enabled the identification of groups of similar inventions. An algorithm to detect outliers within individual patent groups was also developed and applied. Findings: Five patent clusters were identified covering the following thematic areas: PV panel designs, PV panel component designs, the improvement of solar-heat conversion device performance, and solar collector designs. Six patent applications stood out thematically in four of the five clusters. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to a selected number of patent documents form PPO. However, the presented method and research area are promising. It is planned to extend the analyses to a larger set of patent documents and solve the problem related to the language uniformity of patent applications along with merging data from various sources. In this aspect, a full patent description will be consider as well. Keywords: solar energy patent analysis, patent documents processing, patent clustering, outliers detection, Polish Patent Office. Originality/value: In relation to solar energy issues, main patent areas and patent outliers that may be indicators of special interests of inventors were identified. In relation to methodology issues, new solutions within consecutive research steps were proposed.