In the market environment, accurately identifying competitors' technological expertise and pinpointing their technological weaknesses can help companies gain a firm foothold in product development and market layout. Faced with a vast sea of patent information, the "patent map" is a powerful tool to solve this problem. Next, let's explore in plain language how patent maps can help companies accurately capture the technological weaknesses of their competitors.

1、 Unveiling the Mysterious Veil of Patent Maps

The "patent map" is not a complex and obscure technical chart, but more like a "navigation map of patent information", which systematically organizes and deeply analyzes various information scattered in the global patent database, such as patent application time, technical field, inventor, legal status, etc., through charts, tables or text, and then forms a set of practical tools.

If patents in a certain industry are regarded as a forest, the patent map is like a "guide map" of this forest. It can clearly indicate "which area (technical field) has the most dense trees (patents)", "which tree (core patent) is the thickest", and "which areas have gradually withered trees (patent invalidation)". With this chart, companies can quickly gain insights into the industry's technological landscape, especially the technological status of their competitors.

2、 Exploring weaknesses in patent maps

Precise Attack in Five Dimensions

The "technological weaknesses" of competitors refer to the "blank areas", "weak areas" or "breakthrough points" that exist in their technological layout, such as insufficient patent coverage in a certain niche field, approaching expiration of core patents, slow technological iteration speed, etc. Patent maps can visually present these 'weaknesses' from multiple dimensions.

（1） Technology distribution heatmap: Identifying the opponent's' technology gap '

The technology distribution heatmap uses different colors to indicate the number of patents in each sub technology direction within a certain field. Red often represents a large number of patents (mature technology, fierce competition), while blue represents a rare number of patents (blank technology, many opportunities). Enterprises can quickly identify "technological gaps" that their competitors have not yet entered through the use of charts.

However, it should be noted that not all 'blue areas' are true technological gaps. Some regions may be overlooked due to high technical difficulty or low market demand. Therefore, enterprises also need to make comprehensive judgments based on industry trends and their own technological capabilities. For example, if the demand for "low-temperature optimization" technology is high in the northern market and companies have accumulated relevant low-temperature technology, then this blank area is worth exploring in depth.

（2） Patent Legal Status Table: Grasping the "Patent Expiration Period" of Opponents

The validity of a patent needs to be maintained by paying an annual fee and has a protection period. The patent legal status table will provide detailed information on the "valid", "invalid", "rejected", "pending" status of each patent, as well as the "expiration time" and "expiry time". Through this table, companies can identify the core patents of their competitors that are "about to expire" or "have already expired", and seize the "technology usage window period".

There is also a situation where some competitors may render their patents invalid due to reasons such as "forgetting to pay annual fees" or "patent rejection". Enterprises can directly analyze the technical solution of this expired patent and make improvements based on it without worrying about infringement issues.

（3） Technology lifecycle curve: Locking in the opponent's' technology stagnation period '

Technology, like products, has a lifecycle of "germination growth maturity decline". The technology lifecycle curve displays the development trend of a certain technology direction with "time" as the horizontal axis and "number of patent applications" as the vertical axis. During the growth period, there is an increase in patents, rapid technological iteration, and an upward trend in the curve; In the mature stage, patents are stable, technological development slows down, and the curve tends to flatten. In the decline stage, patents decrease and technology stagnates, and the curve shows a downward trend. Through this curve, companies can determine whether their competitors' technology has entered a "stagnation period" and thus find opportunities for breakthroughs.

（4） Patent Applicant Collaboration Network Diagram: Discovering Competitors' 'Technology Dependence Zones'

Many technological research and development require multi-party cooperation, such as collaboration between enterprises and universities, research institutions, or cross licensing between enterprises. The collaborative network diagram of patent applicants displays the "co applicants" of a certain patent through nodes and lines. Among them, the larger the node, the more patents the applicant has participated in; The thicker the line, the closer the cooperation between the two parties. Through collaborative network diagrams, companies can discover whether their competitors are "dependent on external cooperation" and thus identify their "technology dependency zones".

Example: Competitor F has applied for numerous patents in the field of "artificial intelligence speech recognition", but from the cooperation network diagram, 70% of F's core patents are jointly applied with a certain university G, and the core technology solution of the patent comes from G's research and development team. This indicates that F highly relies on G's technical support in the core algorithm of speech recognition. At this point, companies can actively collaborate with university G to acquire similar technologies or develop speech recognition technologies that do not rely on G algorithms, avoiding being "choked" by the cooperation between F and G.

（5） Patent Family and Layout Table: Identifying Competitors' 'Regional Vulnerabilities'

Patents have "territoriality", meaning that patents applied for in country A are only protected in country A, while patents not applied for in country B are not protected in country B. The patent family and layout table will indicate the "family patents" of a core patent (i.e. patents for the same technology applied for in different countries), as well as the "layout country/region". Enterprises can find the "patent loopholes" of competitors in a certain region through charts, thus flexibly layout the market.

If the core patents of competitors have applied for same family patents in China, the United States, and Europe, but have not been applied for in Thailand and Malaysia in Southeast Asia. We can produce products equipped with this technology in Thailand and Malaysia without paying patent fees. At the same time, companies can also apply for relevant improvement patents in these areas, which in turn restricts the entry of competitors.

3、 How to create or obtain a patent map

（1） The simplified version meets the initial requirements

If a company only wishes to have a preliminary understanding of its competitors' technological situation, it can use a free patent database to create a simplified patent map:

Step 1: Clarify the goal

For example, if you want to explore the technological weaknesses of competitors in the field of "smart bracelets", you need to determine technical keywords (such as "smart bracelets", "heart rate detection", "sleep monitoring"), patent classification numbers, and competitor names.

Step 2: Collect data

Develop a search strategy, conduct searches in the patent search database, and export relevant patent data (including patent number, invention name, abstract, legal status, application time, etc.). Filter the data and remove irrelevant patents.

Step 3: Create a chart

Use Excel to organize data, such as using a "bar chart" to display the number of patents in different technical directions, using a "line chart" to show patent application trends, and using a "table" to indicate the legal status of patents. These simple charts are the most basic patent maps.

This method is low-cost and easy to operate, but the data range is limited and the analysis depth is insufficient, making it suitable for preliminary research.

（2） Customized version meets deep requirements

If a company has a need for in-depth analysis (such as covering global patent data and identifying technological gaps based on industry trends), it can commission a patent agency to produce customized patent maps. Customized patent maps have the following advantages:

01 Comprehensive data

Being able to obtain patent data from major countries around the world, including Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, etc., to avoid missing key information.

02 In depth analysis

Not only will it create charts, but it will also provide specific suggestions based on technical principles, market demand, and legal risks, such as "how much research and development funds are worth investing in this technology blank area" and "how to quickly implement the technology after the patent expires".

03 Save Time

No need to assign a dedicated person to study patent retrieval and analysis, one can directly use the deliverables of professional institutions.

4、 Patent maps need to be combined with practical applications

Although patent maps can help businesses identify competitors' technological weaknesses, they are not a "panacea" and should be used with the following two points in mind:

01

There is a certain delay from patent application to public disclosure, so the patent map reflects competitors' "past technological layout" rather than "future research and development direction". Enterprises also need to make comprehensive judgments based on industry trends, competitors' new product releases, and other information.

02

After discovering the technological gaps of the opponent, it is not enough to just stay at the level of "knowledge". It is also necessary to evaluate one's own technological capabilities and market demand, and develop practical and feasible research and development plans. Otherwise, it will be just talk on paper.

The patent map is like a "technical scout" for a company, able to quickly identify competitors' weaknesses in complex patent information. If enterprises can make good use of this tool, they can not only avoid the fiercely competitive red sea, but also make precise efforts in technology research and development, achieving "overtaking on the bend".