Exploring technological applications through LDA-based patent mining: A metaverse ontology construction

The development of the metaverse ecosystem drives technological innovations and economic benefits, which correlate well with patent technologies. Ontology is crucial for formulating strategies and practices in metaverse technology by providing a clear knowledge map to navigate this complex domain. The proposed methodology aims to discover implicit domain knowledge and construct an ontology, allowing for dynamic and efficient visualization of domain knowledge. Clustering analysis categorizes patent technologies into subdomains, while LDA topic modeling structures knowledge properties into an ontology schema. The study analyzes 1967 metaverse technology patents granted between 2020 and 2022 from the InnovationQ Plus database. The research confirms that metaverse ecosystems encompass multiple international patent classifications (IPCs) and the three advanced technology clusters (i.e., immersive technology, AI-based computing networks, and financial security authentication) with their topics. Recent metaverse patent trends highlight applications in autonomous vehicles, entertainment and advertising, and privacy/security protections. This method is applicable for tracking technology trends across various domains.