TY - JOUR
T1 - Identifying patterns in rare earth element patents based on text and data mining
AU - Ju, Yonghan
AU - Sohn, So Young
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2014
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/1
Y1 - 2015/1
N2 - Rare earth elements (REE) are needed to produce many cutting-edge products, and their depletion is a major concern. In this paper, we identify unique characteristics of REE-related patents granted from 1975 to 2013 in five large patent offices around the world. Through topic detection and clustering of patent text, we found that purification processes related to oxides, nitrogen oxide, and exhaust gas were highlighted in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and Japan Patent Office (JPO). Molecular sieve, dispersion, and preparation methods involving yttrium, cerium, methane, zirconium, and ammonia were prominent in the China Patent and Trademark Office (CPTO) in the areas of performing operation and transporting. Quadratic assignment procedure correlation analysis was performed for IPC co-occurrence among REE patents in different offices, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office showed significantly different patterns than the CPTO and JPO. Furthermore, using betweenness centrality as an indicator of technology transition, the manufacture and treatment of nanostructures, nanotechnology for materials and surface science, and electrodes were identified as important REE technologies to be protected in Korea. In Japan, the technological areas identified as important for protection were the apparatuses and processes of manufacturing or assembling devices, compounds of iron, and materials. Our study results offer insights into national strategies for REE-related technologies in each country.
AB - Rare earth elements (REE) are needed to produce many cutting-edge products, and their depletion is a major concern. In this paper, we identify unique characteristics of REE-related patents granted from 1975 to 2013 in five large patent offices around the world. Through topic detection and clustering of patent text, we found that purification processes related to oxides, nitrogen oxide, and exhaust gas were highlighted in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and Japan Patent Office (JPO). Molecular sieve, dispersion, and preparation methods involving yttrium, cerium, methane, zirconium, and ammonia were prominent in the China Patent and Trademark Office (CPTO) in the areas of performing operation and transporting. Quadratic assignment procedure correlation analysis was performed for IPC co-occurrence among REE patents in different offices, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office showed significantly different patterns than the CPTO and JPO. Furthermore, using betweenness centrality as an indicator of technology transition, the manufacture and treatment of nanostructures, nanotechnology for materials and surface science, and electrodes were identified as important REE technologies to be protected in Korea. In Japan, the technological areas identified as important for protection were the apparatuses and processes of manufacturing or assembling devices, compounds of iron, and materials. Our study results offer insights into national strategies for REE-related technologies in each country.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11192-014-1382-8
DO - 10.1007/s11192-014-1382-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84937788651
VL - 102
SP - 389
EP - 410
JO - Scientometrics
JF - Scientometrics
SN - 0138-9130
IS - 1
ER -