Linkage of Patent and Design Right Data: Analysis of Industrial Design Activities in Companies at the Creator Level

In addition to technological superiority (functional value), attention to design superiority (semantic value) is increasing as a source of competitiveness in product markets. In this research, we have created a linked data set of utility patent and design patent information from the Japan Patent Office to evaluate design patent data as a source of understanding design innovation. First, machine learning was performed on a classification model to disambiguate the same inventor / creator on patent right/design right applications using data from applications from the Japanese Patent Office. By interconnecting the inventor's and creator's identifiers estimated by the learned classification model, we identified design creators who also created the patented invention. Next, an empirical analysis is conducted to characterize the design created by a utility patent inventor. It was found that about half of design patents are found to be created by the same individuals who are involved in the relevant utility patents. However, the division of labor between designers (creators of design patents) and engineers (inventors of utility patents) is advancing, particularly in large firms.