Technology has the characteristics of expansibility, relevance and applicability, which can be considered in patent layout.
First of all, it is necessary to form a vertical layout structure around the continuation and in-depth development of technology. The development of a technology is always towards its ultimate performance, which is not as good as the continuous reduction of costs, the continuous improvement of new energy use, the continuous improvement of functions, the continuous improvement of environmental protection and safety, and the continuous improvement of reliability. In the long run, the patent layout should focus on the improvement and change of this technology and be laid out in the depth direction.
Secondly, the patent layout should form a horizontal layout structure around the supporting relationship between different technologies. Any technology is not developed in isolation, but from a related technology group, and there is a wide relationship between technology and technology. The realization and development of a technology needs the support of corresponding technology, manufacturing technology and material technology, and the development of a technology will promote the development of leading technologies. Patent layout needs to consider the coverage of horizontal support and related technologies to reflect the horizontal layout mechanism of technical support and related relations in technical institutions.
Finally, the patent layout should form a branch layout structure around various technical application scenarios. Any technology always penetrates from the known field to the unknown field, and constantly develops new uses of technology, just like a big tree constantly grows new branches.
Second, the product structure
Product is the final application form of technology, which directly reflects the applicability and relevance of technology. The upgrading of products and the in-depth development of technology are mutually promoting and mutually causal. Therefore, while considering the specific technical level and technical institutions, the patent layout must also consider the layout structure around the product level.
Around the product layout, we should form a hierarchical structure from the system composition of the whole product. From the whole chain of product design, manufacturing, assembly, sales, use and value-added services, the technical contents involved can be divided into four levels: mechanism design, process manufacturing, assembly testing and installation and use, and each level includes many sub-layers, as shown in the following figure.
When arranging patents around products, we should highlight the core contents such as key components, key functions, key structures and key technologies. Focus on parts, functions and structures with high degree of innovation, obvious performance improvement and outstanding differentiation characteristics, and focus on technical points that bring high added value to products.
Third, the value structure
One of the goals of patent layout is to obtain high-value patent assets. The level of patent value can be reflected by the obvious benefits in the process of patent litigation, licensing and sale, and also by the scale, geographical breadth and time of market access restrictions on competitors and imitators.
Fourth, the regional structure
Based on the regional characteristics of the patent system, the role that any patent can play is limited to a specific geographical scope. Based on regional differences such as user habits, customs, living environment and business rules, the success of many products is also combined with regional characteristics.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) time structure
There is a time limit for patent application and protection, and the development of technology industry has the characteristics of time evolution. Therefore, time structure is an important consideration for patent layout.
Design time structure of specific patent. There are many time points related to patents, including priority date, filing date, international filing date, publication date, international publication date, national phase entry date, authorization announcement date, divisional application date and so on.
For specific patents, enterprises can flexibly use the above-mentioned time system according to the progress of technology research and development, the research trends of competitors, the dynamic changes of market demand and the process of industrial maturity, enrich the content of patent layout, accumulate the competitive advantage of product differentiation, choose the most favorable opportunity, consume the R&D investment of competitors, and induce imitators to follow up within a certain range.
Design time sequence structure according to industrial process. In the process from technology proposal to industrial realization and even industrial maturity, the specific realization mode, application scenarios, supporting materials and related technologies of technology may change greatly. Therefore, in the process of patent layout, a large number of peripheral patents can be laid out in the early stage, and with the advancement of industrial realization and the follow-up process of competitors, peripheral patents can be gradually laid out, thus extending the protection period of their core technologies in disguise.