Patent map can lead you to success

Jan 28 2010 by Claire Hutchinson, The Journal

SOME of the greatest inventors of the modern age would be completely unknown had it not been for the “Power of The Patent”. Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Sir James Dyson all took the best advice they could afford which brought them both fame and fortune.

Now there are 63 million patents in force worldwide. Patents are legal agreements which protect the features and processes that make things work. The Ancient Greeks were thought to have protected novel ideas, otherwise known as intellectual property, around 500BC.

In 15th Century England, grants in the form of “letter patents” were issued by the King to inventors.

Throughout history patents have been central to successful innovation – a fact realised by even well-known celebrities. One of the most well known was Hollywood actress and scientist Hedy Lamarr who co-invented and patented an early form of spread spectrum communication technology – the forerunner of mobile phones.

Many myths surround patents, one of the greatest being that an invention cannot be patented because the idea already exists. American Thomas Edison claimed he was the inventor of the light bulb. But it was Gateshead’s Sir Joseph Swan who’d beaten him to it in 1878.

Undeterred, Edison still brought out his patent a short time later which, he claimed, was an improvement on the original design.

Navigating the patent process itself can be daunting and can take several years. Some entrepreneurs apply for patents too early or too late. Others patent the wrong inventions, underestimating or overestimating the patent rights of their competitors and wasting money along the way.

However, patent mapping can be used by science and technology companies to analyse the patent landscape.

By anticipating potential problems, patent mapping can help to make the journey from discovery to protection more cost-effective and structured. It is all about visualising the patent landscape in terms of key players and technologies.

The process of patent mapping involves using patent searching software to map out the terrain around specific technologies. After gathering information from existing patents, the data is scrutinised to provide a clear view of the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Companies involved in research and development can use a map of the patent landscape to be first to develop and launch a product on the market.

:: Claire Hutchinson is director at Newcastle-based Indigo Chip www.indigochip.co.uk