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Technological evolution seen from the USPC reclassifications

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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate technological evolution from the perspective of the US Patent Classification (USPC) reclassification. Similar to the revisions of the Dewey Decimal Classification, a commonly used library classification scheme, USPC reclassification takes the forms of creating, abolishing or modifying USPC class schedules. The results showed that there exist significant differences among five types of patents based on the USPC reclassification: Patents reclassified to Class 001 (classification undetermined), Patents with Technological Inter-field Mobilised Codes, Patents with Technological Intra-field Mobilised Codes, Patents with Abolished Codes, and Patents with Original Codes. Patents reclassified to Class 001, mostly related to the topic of “Data processing”, performed better than other patents in novelty, linkage to science, technological complexity and innovative scope. Patents with Inter-field Mobilised Codes, related to the topics of “Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing” and “Optical communications”, involved broader technology topics but had a low speed of innovation. Patents with Intra-field Mobilised Codes, mostly in the Computers & Communications and Drugs & Medical fields, tended to have little novelty and a small innovative scope. Patents with Abolished Codes and patents with Original Codes performed similarly—their values of patent indicators were low. It is suggested that future research extend the patent sample to subclasses or reclassified secondary USPCs in order to understand the technological evolution within a field in greater detail.

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Notes

  1. According to the USPTO (2012b), US PGPub documents classified in the USPC are assigned one, and only one, principal mandatory classification, known as the Primary Classification (PR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bio-Industry Communication and Development, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chun-Chieh Wang

  2. Graduate Institute of Library and Information Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Hui-Yun Sung

  3. Department of Library and Information Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Mu-Hsuan Huang

Authors
  1. Chun-Chieh Wang
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  2. Hui-Yun Sung
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  3. Mu-Hsuan Huang
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Correspondence to Mu-Hsuan Huang.

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Wang, CC., Sung, HY. & Huang, MH. Technological evolution seen from the USPC reclassifications. Scientometrics 107, 537–553 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1851-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1851-3

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