An entropy-based indicator system for measuring the potential of patents in technological innovation: rejecting moderation

Yi Zhang (), Yue Qian (), Ying Huang (), Ying Guo (), Guangquan Zhang () and Jie Lu
Additional contact information
Yi Zhang: University of Technology Sydney
Yue Qian: Beijing Institute of Technology
Ying Huang: Beijing Institute of Technology
Ying Guo: Beijing Institute of Technology
Guangquan Zhang: University of Technology Sydney

Scientometrics, 2017, vol. 111, issue 3, No 40, 1925-1946

Abstract: Abstract How to evaluate the value of a patent in technological innovation quantitatively and systematically challenges bibliometrics. Traditional indicator systems and weighting approaches mostly lead to “moderation” results; that is, patents ranked to a top list can have only good-looking values on all indicators rather than distinctive performances in certain individual indicators. Orienting patents authorized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), this paper constructs an entropy-based indicator system to measure their potential in technological innovation. Shannon’s entropy is introduced to quantitatively weight indicators and a collaborative filtering technique is used to iteratively remove negative patents. What remains is a small set of positive patents with potential in technological innovation as the output. A case study with 28,509 USPTO-authorized patents with Chinese assignees, covering the period from 1976 to 2014, demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of this method.

Keywords: Patent analysis; Indicator system; Bibliometrics; Technological innovation; Entropy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-017-2337-7

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