dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaModeling innovation by a kinetic description of the patent citation system
| Authors | Gabor Csardi, Katherine J Strandburg, Laszlo Zalanyi, Jan Tobochnik, Peter Erdi |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0508132 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0508132 |
Abstract
This paper reports results of a network theory approach to the study of the United States patent system. We model the patent citation network as a discrete time, discrete space stochastic dynamic system. From data on more than 2 million patents and their citations, we extract an attractiveness function, $A(k,l)$, which determines the likelihood that a patent will be cited. $A(k,l)$ is approximately separable into a product of a function $A_k(k)$ and a function $A_l(l)$, where $k$ is the number of citations already received (in-degree) and $l$ is the age measured in patent number units. $A_l(l)$ displays a peak at low $l$ and a long power law tail, suggesting that some patented technologies have very long-term effects. $A_k(k)$ exhibits super-linear preferential attachment. The preferential attachment exponent has been increasing since 1991, suggesting that patent citations are increasingly concentrated on a relatively small number of patents. The overall average probability that a new patent will be cited by a given patent has increased slightly during the same period. We discuss some possible implications of our results for patent policy.
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"abstract": "This paper reports results of a network theory approach to the study of the\nUnited States patent system. We model the patent citation network as a discrete\ntime, discrete space stochastic dynamic system. From data on more than 2\nmillion patents and their citations, we extract an attractiveness function,\n$A(k,l)$, which determines the likelihood that a patent will be cited. $A(k,l)$\nis approximately separable into a product of a function $A_k(k)$ and a function\n$A_l(l)$, where $k$ is the number of citations already received (in-degree) and\n$l$ is the age measured in patent number units. $A_l(l)$ displays a peak at low\n$l$ and a long power law tail, suggesting that some patented technologies have\nvery long-term effects. $A_k(k)$ exhibits super-linear preferential attachment.\nThe preferential attachment exponent has been increasing since 1991, suggesting\nthat patent citations are increasingly concentrated on a relatively small\nnumber of patents. The overall average probability that a new patent will be\ncited by a given patent has increased slightly during the same period. We\ndiscuss some possible implications of our results for patent policy.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0508132",
"authors": [
"Gabor Csardi",
"Katherine J Strandburg",
"Laszlo Zalanyi",
"Jan Tobochnik",
"Peter Erdi"
],
"categories": [
"physics.soc-ph"
],
"title": "Modeling innovation by a kinetic description of the patent citation system",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0508132"
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