Modeling innovation by a kinetic description of the patent citation system

Gábor Csárdi, Katherine J. Strandburg, László Zalányi, Jan Tobochnik and Péter Érdi

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2007, vol. 374, issue 2, 783-793

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 patent data we extract an attractiveness function, A(k,l), which determines the likelihood that a patent will be cited. A(k,l) shows power law aging and preferential attachment. The exponent of the latter is increasing since 1993, suggesting that patent citations are increasingly concentrated on a relatively small number of patents. In particular, our results appear consistent with an increasing patent “thicket”, in which more and more patents are issued on minor technical advances.

Keywords: Innovation; Patents; Citation network; Preferential attachment; Aging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:374:y:2007:i:2:p:783-793

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2006.08.022

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