The generation of problem-focussed patent clusters : a comparative analysis of crowd intelligence with algorithmic and expert approaches

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Wodehouse, Andrew and Vasantha, Gokula and Corney, Jonathan and Maclachlan, Ross and Jagadeesan, Ananda (2017) The generation of problem-focussed patent clusters : a comparative analysis of crowd intelligence with algorithmic and expert approaches. Design Science, 3. e16. (https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2017.19)

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Abstract

This paper presents a new crowdsourcing approach to the construction of patent clusters, and systematically benchmarks it against previous expert and algorithmic approaches. Patent databases should be rich sources of inspiration that could lead engineering designers to novel solutions for creative problems. However, the sheer volume and complexity of patent information means this potential is rarely realised. Rather than the keyword driven searches common in commercial systems designers need tools that help them understand patents in the context of the problem they are considering. This paper presents an approach to address this problem by using crowd intelligence for effective generation of patent clusters at lower cost and with greater rationale. A systematic study was carried out to compare the crowd's efficiency with both expert and algorithmic patent clusters, with results indicating that the crowd was able to create 80% more patent pairs with appropriate rationale.

ORCID iDs

Wodehouse, Andrew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9605-3497, Vasantha, Gokula ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5479-6134, Corney, Jonathan ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1210-3827, Maclachlan, Ross ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5581-9529 and Jagadeesan, Ananda ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7341-4093;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)