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Understanding the link between research done at universities and the implication for industrial applications is a recurrent topic in innovation. Non-Patent Literature (NPL) citations found in patents have been seen as a tool to examine this relationship. The study shows that for certain technology sectors NPL citation plays no role as universities do not research in this area or innovation does not require scientific knowledge. For those sectors in which NPL citation plays a more important role, like patents of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, bibliographic data of cited NPL may be used to understand the geographical and institutional origin of these documents to have a clearer idea of knowledge flows between universities, research institutions and firms. NPL is shown to be mostly developed by universities and research institutions whereas firms are normally behind patents, reinforcing patents as an indicator of industrial knowledge development and NPL as an indicator for academic knowledge development. Technological landscapes should consider both to assess possible links and similarity among both. In the case of 3D printing both NPL and patent literature (PL) developments show to share a common long run trend, evidenced by a cointegration relationship, showing that for this specific technology both innovative actors: universities and firms play an important role in innovation development.

Legal status information is a critical component of many patent searches, particularly those conducted in industry. Although most major patenting authorities can provide reasonably comprehensive data on their own national legal status, this may not enable the user to obtain a complete picture of where patent rights are in force. Many smaller countries have a mechanism to recognise patent rights previously granted by other jurisdictions; however, the public information sources on these extensions are poorly controlled and difficult to access. A review is provided on the various means by which extra-territorial extensions may be obtained, and of the quality and quantity of public information which can be retrieved.

The literature on patent analysis is quite extensive, containing a wide variety of studies. The idea has been widely discussed in the literature in recent years as innovation and globalization have increased in frequency in studies. The literature does not contain any research that integrates content analysis with bibliometric mapping analysis, despite the fact that a number of studies have been conducted on the subject. Hence, within the parameters of this study, a bibliometric mapping analysis of 1006 papers covering “patent analysis" and indexed in the Web of Science database, as well as a content analysis of the 50 most cited papers, was conducted. Therefore, this paper aims to determine the common words, keywords, journals published, authors, and universities of affiliation of 1006 studies, focusing on the 50 most cited studies. The study shows that “technology" is most frequently used as a word in summary and keywords. The reason for this can be explained by the fact that technology has the greatest impact on patenting. This study provides authors working in this area with a guide that identifies journals, institutions, authors, and works with high efficiency in patent analysis.

The exploration of mycelium material as an alternative to petroleum-based or leather products in textiles is gaining momentum, evident in the extensive research documented in the literature. This study, part of the MY-FI project funded by the EU, is focused on developing a bio-based mycelium material for fashion and automotive prototypes. The objective is to offer a comprehensive view of the patent landscape, identifying key contributors and technologies while assessing the mycelium material's potential in fashion and automotive applications. The analysis categorized patents according to biofabrication processes, wet processing, and applications in fashion and automotive sectors, pinpointing areas demanding further exploration. In the analysis, approximately 5000 patents were evaluated and 28 were identified in the PatSnap© platform to be the most relevant ones. The patent searches identified the main players and indicated that the area of mycelium-based material is a growing field where new players are constantly identified and willing to enter this emerging market. Predominantly, the USA, EU and China have been leading the way in protecting inventions and the number is expected to increase. By delving into this research, product creators can discern the field's potential and grasp associated risks.

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a laboratory test that allows the evaluation of the presence of infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic processes of nonspecific origin. The ESR test using the Westergreen 1 h method remains in evidence due to its easy execution, reliability, and low cost; on the other hand, the assay has some limitations, such as its low sensibility and relative delay in providing results. The aim of this study was to analyze the amount of patent applications related to the ESR test, the profile of applicants, the temporal evolution of the types of claims, the predominance of claims by applicants, and applicants by patent family. Based on five guiding research questions, combined searches (keywords and International Patent Classification - IPC) were conducted in the Espacenet patent database considering the period from 1950 to June 2023. Of a total of 310 documents, 185 were selected for analysis. Results showed that 89.2 % of the filed patents were classified as IPC G01 N, and 10.8 % as IPC A61B, with an expressive growth of claims (69.7 %) related to automated systems for analysis of ESR along the period. Health Institutions represented 63.8 % of the applicants; 57.8 % of the applicants were from Asian countries; and 28.1 % of the applications belong to a patent family. The results indicate technological advance over the decades, especially in automated systems, contributing to the improvement of ESR analyses in a shorter time. Considering the importance of the ESR test in different settings, including low- and middle-income countries, there is a need to develop new technologies related to the test in other regions, and engage applicants from Educational Institutions involved in scientific research.

The present study analyzed the trends in patenting in the field of Precision Agriculture (PA) since the late 1970s, when the potential application of microprocessor‐based technology started to show its dramatic effects on agriculture. The patenting activities analyses conducted focused as first on the evolution of the terms that historically have been used to indicate the common principles linked to the concept of precision agriculture, to mine relevant keywords within massive datasets such as patent documents. Then, the rationale was to impose a sorting approach based on different criteria: (i) field of application (Positioning and Guidance Technologies; Information and Communication Technologies ICT; Measuring Technologies; Reacting Technologies); (ii) sensory technology (Positioning; Optical; Electro-chemical; Mechanical); and (iii) farming practices (Sowing; Fertilization; Protection; Irrigation; Harvest).

The number of grants collected included 2003 results, with an enormous increase in the number of precision agriculture-related patents registered in the last years. This study emphasizes the central role of ICT and Global Positioning technologies in supporting several measuring and response technologies, highlights the increasing relevance of environmental sensors and image devices, notes the rise of unmanned vehicles in agricultural patents, and underscores fertilization as a dominant subject for patent activity among the farming practices.

This article aims to analyze the technological developments of packages for chilled or frozen products carrying thermochromic visual indicators to inform the cumulative thermal exposure along logistics chains. Thermochromic visual indicators inform the final consumer whether the product is in real and safe conditions for consumption. Through technological prospecting in the Espacenet and Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil patent databases, 75 documents were selected, and their bibliographic and technical data were analyzed through Iramuteq software to identify the technological fields related to these kinds of packages that contribute most to increasing value. Supported by a literature review, we identified “technological clusters” which promote developing products and processes. The value features related to packages were confronted to technologies found, offering a clear vision of those more advanced and those yet incipient from the value generating point of view. Contrary to intuitive conclusions, technologies employing information on means of measuring and/or indicating temperature are the most frequently present in the patent documents analyzed, comparing to ecological and economic functions.

The pharmaceutical industries are including and expanding their product portfolio with biological and biosimilar products due to their rampant demand and profitability. The products with marketing approval through the biological license application (BLA) are listed in the Purple Book published by the USFDA and their concerned patent numbers. The purpose of the present article is to review innovations listed in the purple book to understand a gross innovative and technical picture behind the approved biologicals.

More than ninety patents on biological products listed in the purple book are reviewed in the present review article, and gist inventions are briefly presented. The patents are clustered using the text-mining approach to simplify the review. The text-mining approach of natural language processing (NPL) simplifies the review process. The patents were clustered based on their technical similarity of innovation through the hierarchical clustering technique of text-mining. Fifteen such clusters were identified, and each cluster's patents were systematically studied to extract actual innovative steps. Innovations for new products, new processes, and improving product quality hold a significant share in these clusters. The review throws the spotlight on innovations of Low acidic species for improving product quality; Cell culture composition for product yield optimization; novel products for arthritis, psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and cancer; method for modulating the lysine variants and galactosylation; controlling damage to disulfide bonds; controlling the lactate and host-cell protein level during the production; method for anti-TNFα antibodies; injectors for biologicals; etc. The present work provides complete landscaping of patents on the biological products listed in the purple book. The present work also demonstrates the application of text mining for reviewing a large pool of patent datasets. It also allows us to understand continuously updating patent data, like in the case of Purple Book.

Most scientific publishers require authors to submit their manuscripts with a text reporting their parallel activities which might be considered as Conflicts-of-Interest (COI), including patent-related ones. The patenting activities that are disclosed by authors or institutions as COI in articles within Conflicts-of-Interest Statements (COIS) are generally analyzed in the literature either within small datasets or using non-systematic methodologies. This study proposes methods for assessing COIS presence and their main features across biomedical topics and journals, particularly with respect to the patent filing details that may be disclosed herein. These methods have been established and tested in the freely available PubMed database by searching the literature indexed herein during the period 2011–2022. However, when comparing the results of such searches within PubMed and a selection of journals’ websites for a specific topic (such as COVID-19), COIS appear unevenly available and searchable in PubMed owing to the varying practices that each journal implements. Thus, COIS appear a possibly underestimated source of patent information but the search and analysis of COI disclosures in biomedical literature requires well-designed and controlled strategies for identifying the relevant evidences for a given scope, such as prior art analysis and legal or strategic evaluation of patenting activities.