Advanced Search
MyIDEAS: Login

Mapping Technological Trajectories as Patent Citation Networks. An application to Data Communication Standards

Contents:

Author Info

  • Roberto Fontana

    () (University of Pavia)

  • Alessandro Nuvolari

    () (Eindhoven University of Technology)

  • Bart Verspagen

    () (Eindhoven University of Technology)

Abstract

We use patent citation networks to study the dynamics of technical change in Ethernet, a standard for data communication. We first consider the evolution of the broad technological system of local area networks (LANs) and we identify the most significant inventions within the specific subfield of Ethernet. Then we analyse the structure of connectivity of patent citation networks to reconstruct the main technological trajectories in this subfield. Our results suggest that these technological trajectories are characterized by the presence of a number of interconnected technological environments which cluster following an engineering logic. These clusters include the most significant patents related to 'milestones inventions' in the evolution of the LAN technology. Thus, our analysis of the structure of connectivity in patent citation networks seems appropriate to capture both the cumulativeness associated to the development of a specific technology and the significant discontinuities that punctuate the trajectory, as well as the technological interrelatedness characterising large technical systems.

(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Download Info

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
File URL: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/documents/sewp166.pdf
Download Restriction: no

Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex in its series SPRU Working Paper Series with number 166.

as in new window
Length: 58 pages
Date of creation: 02 2008
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:sru:ssewps:166

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Jubilee Building G08, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9SL
Phone: +44 (0)1273 686758
Fax: +44 (0)1273 685865
Email:
Web page: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru
More information through EDIRC

Related research

Keywords: Technical systems; Technological trajectories; Patents; Network analysis; Data communications;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
as in new window
  1. von Wartburg, Iwan & Teichert, Thorsten & Rost, Katja, 2005. "Inventive progress measured by multi-stage patent citation analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1591-1607, December.
  2. Roberto Fontana & Lionel Nesta, 2004. "Product entry in a fast growing industry: the LAN switch market," SPRU Working Paper Series 126, SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex.
  3. Roberto Fontana, 1999. "Twinning Networks: Co-Evolution and Competition of System Component Technologies in the Local Area Network Industry," SPRU Working Paper Series 31, SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex.
  4. Mina, A. & Ramlogan, R. & Tampubolon, G. & Metcalfe, J.S., 2007. "Mapping evolutionary trajectories: Applications to the growth and transformation of medical knowledge," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 789-806, June.
  5. David, Paul A. & Bunn, Julie Ann, 1988. "The economics of gateway technologies and network evolution: Lessons from electricity supply history," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 165-202.
  6. William Lehr, 1996. "Compatibility Standards And Industry Competition: Two Case Studies," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 97-112.
  7. Bart Verspagen, 2007. "Mapping Technological Trajectories As Patent Citation Networks: A Study On The History Of Fuel Cell Research," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(01), pages 93-115.
  8. Thomas Grebel & Jackie Krafft & Pier-Paolo Saviotti, 2006. "On the Life Cycle of Knowledge Intensive Sectors," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 97(5), pages 63-85.
  9. Michael L. Katz & Carl Shapiro, 1994. "Systems Competition and Network Effects," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 93-115, Spring.
Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

Citations

Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
as in new window

Cited by:
  1. Marianna EPICOCO (GREThA, CNRS, UMR 5113) & Vanessa OLTRA (GREThA, CNRS, UMR 5113) & Maïder SAINT JEAN (GREThA, CNRS, UMR 5113), 2012. "Mapping the scientific knowledge of the Green Chemistry community (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA 2012-10, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée.
  2. Epicoco, Marianna, 2013. "Knowledge patterns and sources of leadership: Mapping the semiconductor miniaturization trajectory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 180-195.
  3. Cristiano Antonelli & Jackie Krafft & Francesco Quatraro, 2010. "Recombinant Knowledge and Growth: The Case of ICTs," Post-Print hal-00448649, HAL.
  4. Ramlogan, Ronnie & Consoli, Davide, 2008. "Knowledge, understanding and the dynamics of medical innovation," MPRA Paper 9112, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  5. Bekkers, Rudi & Bongard, René & Nuvolari, Alessandro, 2011. "An empirical study on the determinants of essential patent claims in compatibility standards," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1001-1015, September.
  6. Barberá-Tomás, David & Jiménez-Sáez, Fernando & Castelló-Molina, Itziar, 2011. "Mapping the importance of the real world: The validity of connectivity analysis of patent citations networks," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 473-486, April.

Lists

This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.

Statistics

Access and download statistics

Corrections

When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sru:ssewps:166

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Russell Eke).

If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.

If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.

If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.