Title: Strategic planning for technology development with patent analysis

Authors: Shang-Jyh Liu, Joenson Shyu

Addresses: Institute of Management of Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. EPISTAR Corporation, Hsinchu, Taiwan

Abstract: Patents contain much technological information. This paper demonstrates that patent analysis facilitates a unique scheme for technology development. Two cases are employed to illustrate the effectiveness of a patent database. The first case provides strategic planning for developing Light Emitting Diode (LED) material technology. The second case, involving Thin Film Transistor (TFT), displays that the development trend in related patents corresponds to the technology roadmap in the industrial sector. To reduce the uncertainties of solely employing patent data, this study also incorporates academic journal findings and industrial information. Results presented herein demonstrate that patents can function not only as a map for tracking the technology trajectory, but also a guidepost for technology planning and forecasting.

Keywords: patent; TFT (Thin Film Transistor); LED (Light Emitting Diode); strategic planning; Taiwan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1997.001689

International Journal of Technology Management, 1997 Vol.13 No.5/6, pp.661-680

Published online: 17 Aug 2003 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article