Nanotechnology Patents Research Articles

Value chain of nanotechnology: a comparative study of some major players

The article provides a general overview for the landscapes of national nanotechnology development from 1991 to 2010. More than 230,000 unique patents are identified based on a composite search strategy in the Derwent innovation index database. According to the concordance between patent classification and industry technology, some main application areas are identified to compare the positions and specializations among the leading countries. By extracting the content of the “use” subfield in the abstracts and harvesting the keywords representing characteristics of life cycle, nanotechnology patents are grouped into four categories: nanomaterials, nanointermediates, nano-enabled products, and nanotools, which can be seen as four stages of nanotechnology’s value chain. These analyses enable us to identify the distributions of value chain and prolific research institutions among the leading countries. It is found that China is productive in nanomaterials and nanointermediates, rather than nano-enabled products and nanotools, which could be mainly explained by the fact that Chinese academia makes a main contribution to nanotechnology patenting. However, there is a big gap between university patenting and market demands, leading to a low rate of technology transfer or licensing.

Trends in Nanotechnology Patents Applied to the Health Sector

The aim of the article is to present a method for identifying trends in patent applications for nanotechnology applied to the health sector around the world, based on the International Patent Classification. This classification divides the sector into: dental care, drugs, diagnostic kits, and medical apparatus & medical care. The Derwent database was mined for patent documents using nanotechnology terms associated with the IPC subclasses from the health subsectors. The number of patents was found to be rising, led by the United States, particularly universities and R centers. In the dental care subsector, nanotechnology was found to be used in composite material for manufacturing dental appliances. In drugs, the focus is on the use of nanoparticulate compositions comprising agents that are useful for a variety of diseases. In diagnostic kits, nanostructures have been patented that are capable of detecting target analytes. Meanwhile, in medical apparatus & medical care, patent applications have been made for nanocapsules and/or nanocomposite materials inserted in devices and guide catheters. A study was also made of patents in Brazil, where the same assignees and the same country (United States) as in the survey of global patents were found to be the leading patent applicants / holders.

State-led Technological Development: A Case of China’s Nanotechnology Development

We analyze nanotechnology patent applications filed in China from 1998 to 2008 and find that the extraordinary pace of nanotechnology development achieved over that period has been promoted primarily by the public sector rather than being driven by industry and market forces. This finding implies that developing countries such as China with public research capacity and commitment to technological development can make rapid progress in basic research in emerging technologies, but it remains uncertain whether and when local industry can benefit from public R&D investment enough to enable active development of indigenous innovation.

State-Led Technological Development: A Case of China's Nanotechnology Development

We analyze the nanotechnology patent applications filed in China from 1998 to 2008 and find that the extraordinary nanotechnology development in China has been primarily promoted by the public sector but not driven by industry and market force. This finding implies that developing countries such as China with public research capacity and commitment to technological development can make rapid progress in basic research of emerging technologies, but it remains uncertain whether and when local industry can benefit from public R&D investment to actively develop indigenous innovation.

Recent Patents in Food Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field of current interest. The huge possibilities in most industries are making nanoscience grow at a rapid pace, but what is the real impact of nanotechnology in a traditional industry such as food? The study of patents published in the last 20 years provides the answer, and the results are quite surprising; the food industry is the fifth largest sector in terms of patents related to nanotechnology.

Introduction to the symposium issue: nanotechnology innovation and policy—current strategies and future trajectories

The Symposium Issue of the Journal of Technology Transfer on "Nanotechnology Innovation and Policy: Current Strategies and Future Trajectories" is edited by Philip Shapira and Jan Youtie. Articles in the special issue include: Nanotechnology Innovation and Policy: Current Strategies and Future Trajectories (P Shapira, J Youtie); National Innovation Systems and The Globalization of Nanotechnology Innovation (P Shapira, J Youtie, L Kay); University-Industry Linkages in Nanotechnology and Biotechnology: Evidence on Collaborative Patterns for New Methods of Inventing (J Thursby, M Thursby); Missing Links in Nanomaterials Governance: Industrial Dynamics and Downstream Policies (I Rafols, P Van Zwanenberg, M Morgan, P Nightingale, A Smith); Large Players in the Nanogame: Dedicated Nanotech Subsidiaries or Distributed Nanotech Capabilities? (V Mangematin, K Errabi, C Gauthier); Is Canadian Intellectual Property Leaving Canada? A Study of Nanotechnology Patenting (C Beaudry, A Schiffauerova); Silent Innovation ? Corporate Strategizing in Early Nanotech Evolution (M Andersen); and Nanotechnology and the U.S. National Innovation System: Continuity and Change (D Mowery).

Is Canadian intellectual property leaving Canada? A study of nanotechnology patenting

In this study we explore the patent ownership for the innovations created by Canadian nanotechnology inventors. We find that although there is a great innovative potential and inventive productivity among Canadian researchers, a lot of the intellectual property actually leaves the country: Around 50% of the nanotechnology patents invented by Canadian inventors are owned by foreign assignees. We also note the predominance of private companies among the patent owners. Almost one-third of all the Canadian-invented nanotechnology patents is assigned to a single American firm, Xerox Corporation. Furthermore, we explore the role of Canadian nanotechnology star inventors. The results show that the fruits of their great inventive productivity are collected outside Canada.

Nanotechnology as general-purpose technology: empirical evidence and implications

Developments in nanotechnology are poised to have a pervasive effect on various industries for years to come and nanotechnology management research is beginning to appear in peer-reviewed management journals. Much of the research on this early, emergent technology is focused on issues of definition and identification of technology type. In this study, we searched the US Patents and Trademarks Office database and used an expert validation methodology to develop a sample of the first 25 years (1980–2004) of nanotechnology patenting activity. We analysed this data for early evidence that nanotechnology is a general-purpose technology (GPT) – a transformative technology characterised by its pervasiveness, improvement over time, and pattern of diffusion. Our findings indicate that nanotechnology patenting activity has been growing in intensity and relative to overall patenting activity, and that it is pervasive across industry and technology sectors. Implications of nanotechnology as a GPT are discussed.

English Garden or Tangled Grounds? Navigating the Nanotechnology Patent Landscape

The patent landscape, like a garden, can tell you much about its designers and users; their motivations, biases and general interests. And while both patent landscapes and gardens may appear to the casual observer as refined and ordered, an in depth exploration of the terrain is likely to reveal unforeseen challenges including, for example, alien species, thickets and trolls. As this article illustrates, patent landscapes are dynamic and have been forced to continually evolve in response to technological innovation. Emerging technologies, such as biotechnology and information communication technology, have challenged the traditional patent landscape, the overarching framework and design has largely remained intact. But will this always be the case? The aim of this article is to highlight how nanotechnology is challenging the existing structures and underlying foundation of the patent landscape and the implications thereof for the technology, industry and the public more generally. The article concludes by asking the question whether the patent landscape will be able to withstand the ubiquitous nature of the technology, or whether nanotechnology will be a catalyst for governments and policy makers to overhaul the current landscape design. In the end, we suggest that nanotechnology may be the final push for cross-national harmonization of patent laws and administration.

Trends in worldwide nanotechnology patent applications: 1991 to 2008

Nanotechnology patent applications published during 1991–2008 have been examined using the “title–abstract” keyword search on esp@cenet “worldwide” database. The longitudinal evolution of the number of patent applications, their topics, and their respective patent families have been evaluated for 15 national patent offices covering 98% of the total global activity. The patent offices of the United States (USA), People’s Republic of China (PRC), Japan, and South Korea have published the largest number of nanotechnology patent applications, and experienced significant but different growth rates after 2000. In most repositories, the largest numbers of nanotechnology patent applications originated from their own countries/regions, indicating a significant “home advantage.” The top applicant institutions are from different sectors in different countries (e.g., from industry in the US and Canada patent offices, and from academe or government agencies at the PRC office). As compared to 2000, the year before the establishment of the US National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), numerous new invention topics appeared in 2008, in all 15 patent repositories. This is more pronounced in the USA and PRC. Patent families have increased among the 15 patent offices, particularly after 2005. Overlapping patent applications increased from none in 1991 to about 4% in 2000 and to about 27% in 2008. The largest share of equivalent nanotechnology patent applications (1,258) between two repositories was identified between the US and Japan patent offices.

Nanotechnology Patent and Legal Impediments

Nanotechnology is the design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale. It is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 to 100 nanometres, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Nanotechnology is highly interdisciplinary, involving physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and the full range of the engineering disciplines. Despite its emergent nature, the commercial impact of nanotechnology is already being felt.Nanotechnology is one of the emerging areas of application and several innovations have been made in products and processes related to nanotechnology. This paper is an attempt to analyse and highlight the various aspects related to the patent protection of nanotech inventions.

From lab to market? Strategies and issues in the commercialization of nanotechnology in China

Nanotechnology is expected by many to be one of the next drivers of technology-based business and economic growth. China has emerged as a global player in nanotechnology development, and now ranks second (after the United States) in nanotechnology scientific publications produced annually. The study of nanotechnology offers a lens to examine China's capabilities to move closer to the frontier of technology-led economic development, explore the evolving Chinese innovation system, and assess the effectiveness of policy strategies to modernize and add-value to research and industry in China. Supported by new policy initiatives and funding, hundreds of institutions and thousands of researchers in China are engaged in nanotechnology R&D. Yet, although Chinese nanotechnology research has scale, the pathways from laboratory research to successful commercialization remain problematic. Chinese performance in nanotechnology patenting and product development is weak relative to its research strength, suggesting a significant gap between the research base and industrial development. Drawing on bibliometric research and field interviews with Chinese nanotechnology policymakers, researchers and business representatives, we analyze this gap, explore the factors contributing to it and assess future commercialization trajectories.

Discovery of factors influencing patent value based on machine learning in patents in the field of nanotechnology

Patents represent the technological or inventive activity and output across different fields, regions, and time. The analysis of information from patents could be used to help focus efforts in research and the economy; however, the roles of the factors that can be extracted from patent records are still not entirely understood. To better understand the impact of these factors on patent value, machine learning techniques such as feature selection and classification are used to analyze patents in a sample industry, nanotechnology. Each nanotechnology patent was represented by a comprehensive set of numerical features that describe inventors, assignees, patent classification, and outgoing references. After careful design that included selection of the most relevant features, selection and optimization of the accuracy of classification models that aimed at finding most valuable (top-performing) patents, we used the generated models to analyze which factors allow to differentiate between the top-performing and the remaining nanotechnology patents. A few interesting findings surface as important such as the past performance of inventors and assignees, and the count of referenced patents.

Nanotechnology and the Emergence of a General Purpose Technology

This article examines how closely nanotechnology resembles a general purpose technology (GPT). Using patented nanotechnology inventions during 1975-2006, we test for characteristics of GPTs identified in the prior literature, and find evidence that nanotechnology shows both “pervasive” adoption and “spawning” of follow-on innovation. Offering a methodological contribution, we employ concentration indexes such as the Gini index and Lorenz curve to construct “knowledge dissemination curves” for different technologies, thereby providing evidence that nanotechnology shares relevant characteristics with other GPTs. Using an entirely new dataset, we use three different definitions of a “nanotechnology patent” and calculate patent generality indexes, finding that nanotechnology patents are significantly more likely to be referenced across technology space than are patents in information technology, another widely-adopted GPT. In another contribution, we suggest that innovative materials may demonstrate the characteristics of a GPT, and provide a historical parallel between the advancement of steel technology in the 19th Century with that of nanotechnology in the present day.

A new approach to intellectual property

A company founded by two ex-Microsoft employees is buying up patents in nanotechnology and other areas on a grand scale, as Adarsh Sandhu reports.

UK innovation nanotechnology patent landscape analysis

UK innovation nanotechnology patent landscape analysis

Nano Mapper: an Internet knowledge mapping system for nanotechnology development

Nanotechnology research has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Advances in information technology enable efficient investigation of publications, their contents, and relationships for large sets of nanotechnology-related documents in order to assess the status of the field. This paper presents the development of a new knowledge mapping system, called Nano Mapper (http://nanomapper.eller.arizona.edu), which integrates the analysis of nanotechnology patents and research grants into a Web-based platform. The Nano Mapper system currently contains nanotechnology-related patents for 1976–2006 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), and Japan Patent Office (JPO), as well as grant documents from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for the same time period. The system provides complex search functionalities, and makes available a set of analysis and visualization tools (statistics, trend graphs, citation networks, and content maps) that can be applied to different levels of analytical units (countries, institutions, technical fields) and for different time intervals. The paper shows important nanotechnology patenting activities at USPTO for 2005–2006 identified through the Nano Mapper system.

Exploration of the evolution of nanotechnology via mapping of patent applications

This study explored the evolution of nanotechnology based on a mapping of patent applications. Citations among patent applications designated to the European Patent Office were intensively analysed. Approximately 4300 nanotechnology patent applications linked through citations were mapped. Fifteen domains of nanotechnology patent applications were found in the map in 2003. The domains cover a wide range of application fields; they are domains related to measurement and manufacturing; electronics; optoelectronics; biotechnology; and nano materials. Maps in several reference years registered the evolution of nanotechnology, where the breadth of application fields has been broadening over time. Direct and indirect knowledge flows among different domains of nanotechnology are seemingly small at the present. Each domain of nanotechnology is likely pushing the technological frontier within its own domain. The exception is sensing and actuating technologies on the nanometre scale. Direct and indirect knowledge flows to/from this domain describe their vital role in nanotechnology. Countries’ specialisation was also analysed. Patent applications from the United States and the European Union cover a wide range of nanotechnology. Inventive activities in Japan are, however, strongly focusing on electronics. Intensive knowledge creation in specific technologies was found in Switzerland and Korea.

Pharmaceuticals and Cosmeceuticals Based on Soft Nanotechnology Techniques with Antioxidative, Immunostimulative and other Therapeutic Activities

A number of 46 out of a total of more than 200 recent patents in soft nanotechnology referring to applications of nanoemulsions for pharmaceutical and cosmetical formulations has been selected and reviewed. As key factors to maximize the efficiency of bioactive principles embedded within colloidal drug delivery systems are the nature and ratio of hydrophilic/lipophilic components, of surfactants/cosurfactants as emulsifiers, their mutual solubility and biocompatibility, the size and polydispersity of nanoparticles. The antioxidant and immunostimulative actions are discussed in relation to the specific therapeutic effects of galenical compositions used for preventing and/or treating various diseases.

Trends in nanotechnology patents

An analysis of 30 years of data on patent publications from the US Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office and the Japan Patent Office confirms the dominance of companies and selected academic institutions from the US, Europe and Japan in the commercialization of nanotechnology.