Effective use of patent maps for setting R & D targets(<Special feature>Patent information: Analysis and effective utilization)

Abstract

As has been repeatedly pointed out, effective use of patent information is required to formulate R & D policies. Various analytical tools and methods (e.g., patent map analysis) have been proposed regarding the effective use of patent information in the intellectual property field. It was against this background that the PAT-LIST Research Forum/Workshop (supported by Raytec Co., Ltd.) was established in 2006. With the forum/workshop having now entered its fifth year, the personnel of various companies who are in charge of intellectual property management and R & D have studied how to analyze patent information through the activities of the forum/workshop. In this article, I will discuss patent information analysis methods that are effective in setting R & D targets in view of these activities.