Collaborative Patent Generation Platform
Hartstang, Lorenz (2024)
2024
Tuotantotalouden DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2024-11-19
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202410239454
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202410239454
Tiivistelmä
Patent generation plays a fundamental role in the management of patents within technology companies since it deals with the emergence of patents, from identifying a promising invention to filing a respective patent application. The current literature on patent generation often applies a linear and bureaucratic approach to the design of corresponding processes, which carries the risk of functional silos and hindered collaboration, potentially leading to efficiency and effectiveness losses. Consequently, this thesis aims to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of linear and bureaucratic patent generation processes and suggest a framework for an enhanced collaborative patent generation process based on an extensive case study at a Finnish technology company.
The qualitative data for this thesis was collected by analyzing relevant process information from the case company’s intranet, conducting semi-structured interviews with eleven process stakeholders with extensive experience, and actively participating in the case company as an interventionist researcher. Additionally, quantitative data was obtained by analyzing the data of 208 invention disclosures that employees of the case company submitted between January 2020 and June 2024.
The case company’s existing linear and bureaucratic patent generation process was found to be fundamentally functional while having significant room for efficiency and effectiveness improvements across all its phases. In addition, collaboratively created inventions were found to have a significantly higher chance of ending up in a corresponding patent application after the process. The proposed framework for a collaborative patent generation process was found to have significant potential for increasing efficiency and effectiveness by introducing a central collaborative patent generation platform. This platform connects all relevant stakeholders within the process to enable more efficient and effective handling of invention disclosures through collaboration.
These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by offering a new perspective on patent generation through a framework that integrates collaboration-related best practices from idea management to patent generation, fostering a more collaborative environment that supports the dynamic needs of technology-oriented companies. Practitioners can leverage these findings to implement collaborative tools and practices to improve their patent generation processes and gain competitive advantages. Future research could compare different industries or companies to identify universal best practices in patent generation or conduct longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of collaborative practices on patent generation and innovation performance.
The qualitative data for this thesis was collected by analyzing relevant process information from the case company’s intranet, conducting semi-structured interviews with eleven process stakeholders with extensive experience, and actively participating in the case company as an interventionist researcher. Additionally, quantitative data was obtained by analyzing the data of 208 invention disclosures that employees of the case company submitted between January 2020 and June 2024.
The case company’s existing linear and bureaucratic patent generation process was found to be fundamentally functional while having significant room for efficiency and effectiveness improvements across all its phases. In addition, collaboratively created inventions were found to have a significantly higher chance of ending up in a corresponding patent application after the process. The proposed framework for a collaborative patent generation process was found to have significant potential for increasing efficiency and effectiveness by introducing a central collaborative patent generation platform. This platform connects all relevant stakeholders within the process to enable more efficient and effective handling of invention disclosures through collaboration.
These findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by offering a new perspective on patent generation through a framework that integrates collaboration-related best practices from idea management to patent generation, fostering a more collaborative environment that supports the dynamic needs of technology-oriented companies. Practitioners can leverage these findings to implement collaborative tools and practices to improve their patent generation processes and gain competitive advantages. Future research could compare different industries or companies to identify universal best practices in patent generation or conduct longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of collaborative practices on patent generation and innovation performance.