Identifying patent conflicts: TRIZ-Led Patent Mapping

This paper presents a novel method of patent mapping for visualising conflicts between patent claims that incorporates the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). The method uses TRIZ engineering parameters as the criteria for evaluating dissimilarities between patent claims, producing a visualisation based on Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) that can be compared with legal judgments.The advantages of the method are that it (a) reduces evaluation complexity by transforming claim-to-claim comparisons into claim-to-criteria comparisons, and (b) provides a means of comparing judgment standards between different legal authorities in mechanical engineering terms. Reliability and validity of the method are tested through focus groups using a case study on aircraft seats. The scope of the method is limited to the field of mechanical inventions.