Patent Analysis as a New Scholarly Research Method

Abstract

As time progress, changes in human perception, thinking, and performance are inevitableand the same is true in research methods. There are many research methods accepted andadopted under qualitative and quantitative research umbrella and many new researchmethods are added by many researchers at different point of time. Such new systematicresearch methods provide or open a new avenue to succeeding researchers and provide anexpanded opportunity to see things differently. The process ofresearch always focuses oneither development of new knowledge or analysing and interpreting the existing things in anewer way. In this paper, we are proposing and forwarding a new qualitative researchmethod called ‘Patent Analysis’. This method focuses on analysis, description, andinterpretation of a chosen patent in any area in a systematic way. Such analysis process ofthe patent might lead to the development of new concepts or theory. The procedure of patentanalysis contains an evaluation of the patent in terms of its advantages, benefits, constraints,disadvantages, effectiveness, and future value. Further, the use and applications of patentanalysis in the organizational strategic decisions on foreseeing the new technologies are alsodiscussed