Exploring New Business Fields from the Core Technology by

“Stepwise Conception” Method

Izumi TsuzukiHIT Service Institutee-mail: izumitzk@nifty.com

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This presentation is based on the research of Osaka B Group of 3i Study Group 4th Period (2016.8 - 2017.7) I am one of the members of the Group.Other Members: Shizuyo Takaishi (Daikin Industries, Ltd.), Kazuko Asakura (Panasonic Corporation),Ryoma Ueno (Taoka Chemical Co., Ltd.), Toshihiro Sauchi (R&C IP Law Firm), Tetsuya Deguchi (Shinko Research Co., Ltd.), Kaoru Watanabe (KRI Inc.)

IntroductionBased on the research conducted at the 3i Study Group with some

additional research.

• Organized by INFOSTA (Information Science and Technology

Association, Japan). • 4-5 subgroups. • Each subgroup : 5-8 members； the study theme for a period of

1 year.

• To propose ways in which a person in charge of patent

information can conceive of a new product proposal or uses.• Normally： search results, news, patent maps → the idea.• In this presentation: an analytical method leading up to a new

product proposal～a method of Stepwise dispatch support using co-occurrence words– with not only patent and literature information but also Web

information etc. 2

Various methods for new product ideas

• From sales information ... Collect needs

• Newspaper · Internet website information · · · grasping trends

• Methods to create new ideas～examples:– At the meeting

• Brainstorming →KJ method by Prof. Jiro Kawakita

– Osbourne checklist

– Mind Map

– PMI method

– SCAMPER method

– Six · Hut method

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Search for new products / new businesses from patent and literature information• From patent and literature search

– Search with KW / classification etc.– Read the documents– Get hints from the same classified patents– Extend ideas from classifications that were

concurrently assigned to specific patents (not used for search)

– Cited patents/citing patents, cited literature

• From the news– Search by keywords

Search for promising areas from their core technologies

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What we did• Search for new products / new projects from

patents / literature

• Conventional method

– Use KW and classification related to core technology =result depending on known KW etc.→ The range of ideas of new products / new businesses is limited

• Alternative and easy way to create new ideas?

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ResultsKW related to core technology, survey by classification

For patent search professionals?

• What can the patent search professionals do using their skill for concept of new products based on core technology?

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Stepwise Conception

Taking as an example the microlens: the core technology of real Company K.

Company K• Established: September 22, 1978

• Capital: 150 million yen

• Business description: Designing and manufacturing of microlens units (applied to mobile phones, smartphones, PCs, game machines, others)

• Number of employees: 326

7Microlens unit for mobile phones / smartphones

Difference between our Stepwise Conception and conventional method

• Conventional Method

• Stepwise Conception Method

Micro-lens

Known words

Results

・Expanding the idea by using co-occurrent words

Unexpected ideas

・Limited to the range of existing

knowledge of the investigator.

・Difficult to deal with broad

concepts, e.g.

"social problems"

"environmental problems"

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Stepwise Conception• Pay attention to co-occurrent words which may lead to new

products and new businesses by expanding keywords step by step.

• You can think from a wider range by skipping ideas.• Capture core technology in many ways, the ideas may come

to you.• Possible to search for the deployment destination of

technologies that other people are not paying attention to.

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Search, analysis, select KW from co-occurrence

Search, analysis, select KW from co-occurrence

Search, analysis, select KW from co-occurrence New words →

New ideas

Tools

Kind of information

Database, Search tools

Pick-up tools of words/phrases,Drawing

PatentOrbit IntelligenceULTRA Patent

Literature JDreamIIIJST Thesaurus mapPat-mining

NewspaperDatabases of Nikkei,Zaikei newspaper

Pat-mining

Social media Twitter, BlogsMieruka Engine (=Visualization Engine)

Information on the Web

GoogleGoogle Suggest（keygram） 10

Orbit Intelligence

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By Patent information(Orbit Intelligence)

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· Search by "Microlens“· 674 items after 2016 · Rectangular TreeMap of technical concept (Concept treemap)

3D DISPLAY CAMERA CAPTURED IMAGE COLLIMATING LENS COLLIMATOR LENS CONVEX LENS CURVATURE RADIUS DEFOCUS DICHROIC MIRROR DIGITAL CAMERA FOCAL LENGTH FOCAL PLANE FOCUS FOCUS DETECTION PIXEL・・・・・・・・・・・・・LIGHT FIELD CAMERA・・・・・・・・・・・・・

•

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2nd searchAnaly-

sis

Search by microlens

• Pick up the KW for the second search: • LIGHT FIELD IMAGE, MICRO IMAGE, OPTICAL SYSTEM, PHOTOELECTRIC

CONVERSION, SPATIAL RESOLUTION, SPHERICAL LENS, etc. (these seem likely to lead to technologies, applications and products).

• The second search was conducted →Analyzed and 2nd list of KW for the 3rd search.• COLLIMATING LENS, DICHROIC MIRROR, INFRARED LIGHT SOURCE, LIGHT

SOURCE MODULE, LIGHT SOURCE UNIT, NEGATIVE REFRACTIVE, NMGAIN, PARAMETRIC OSCILLATION EFFECT, PHOTOELECTRIC CONVERSION, SPATIAL RESOLUTION, etc.

• The 3rd search was conducted and analyzed.• →3rd list of KW.• →Pick up the KW for the new product ideas.

3rd searchAnaly-

sis

SelectKW

Analy-sis Select

KW

Ideas for products

Example of product proposalby Orbit Intelligence

• From the first analysis:

– Light field camera

• From the third analysis:

– Drone (UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE)

– UNMANNED AIRCRAFT

– 3D camera

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By ULTRA Patent

・Japanese interface, but covers a number of overseas patents・The patent applications of U.S. were selected

・Search by Microlens,・417 records after 2016

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Analysis of U.S. Patent applications

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・1st search "Microlens" U.S. Patent applications after 2016: 417 records・Select KW→Conduct the 2nd

search→Analysis・Select KW→Conduct the 3rd

search→Analysis

1st

1st

2nd

2nd

3rd

3rd

Proposal of new products/technology area for the company

· Near infrared camera· Projection mapping· Head mounted display· Heads-Up Display Device· Endoscope

· Displayed KW in the patent map are mainly technical terms.· Those are sometimes useful to conduct the next search.· The title and abstract, etc. will be useful to find candidates for new products.· How can we find the appropriate KW for the next search steps?

-Extract words that lead to usage and technology.-Words concerning materials and means are not good for the next search.

· Candidates for the new products / new businesses for the company are often found in the patent documents, not in the analysis (frequently not shown on the patent maps) 17

Method using scientific articles by JDreamIII

• JDreamIII : A search system of scientific and technical literature information

• About half of which is literature from countries other than Japan.

• Provider : JST (Japan Science and Technology Agency)

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JDreamIII – Method 1

• Search by Microlens• Download the latest 50 records.↓• Load into Pat-mining,• Keywords which may lead to new

products were selected: “application, technology, research, development, proposal”.

• These words and “microlens” were analyzed by “inter-keyword / relationship analysis” of Pat-mining.

• The following words were selected from the displayed words that may lead to new product ideas.– Camera, sensor, imprinting, diode

laser (semiconductor laser), femto-second laser

• Using these words, search again with JDreamIII

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Checking the results, the following new product candidates were selected.· High throughput biosensor· Light field camera (plenoptic camera) · Ultra thin mobile camera · Portable holoscopic 3D camera

JDreamIII - Method 2 ～utilize the thesaurus map～

Co-occurrence wordsRelaledTerms

optical system

optical field lens arrayimage processing

polydimethylsiloxane

camera array ↓micro lens array

wide field viewcurvature radius

imaging lithography photoresist lens lens system

wavefront sensor

reflow method

computer simulation

laser beamoptical system

focal length ↓ micro optics

Shack -Hartmann sensor

coupling efficiency

mold three dimensionrefractive index

resolution lens

lab-on-a-chipintegral imaging

opening photosensor focusing image ↓

microlens

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・Thesaurus map: Online thesaurus and co-occurrence words.・Originally displayed in Japanese; translated into English on this slide.・First words: microlens, photosensor, image

=Thesaurus term

With the thesaurus map of JDreamIII

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Selected ideas for new

products

PhotosensorImage

(Microlens NOT microlens array) OR

photosensor OR image

Search with JDreamIII(Publication year: 1970)

Drone

Panoramic

camera

Infrared

camera

Stereo

camera

Unmanned

aerial

vehicle

Wearable

camera

Pat-mining “Word analysis”

Microlens

With the JST thesaurus map,co-occurrence terms were found

*The above figure is cited and modified from 3i final report meeting material

Method using newspaper information

• Analysis Tool: – Pat-mining (Produced by Wise Patent Service)

• Information source:– Nikkei Telecom (Newspaper)

22*The above figure is cited from 3i final report meeting material

microlens

Results of using newspaper information

· The first keywords (Company K‘s strengths ) :“microlens”, “aspherical lens”, “precision mold”

· By using co-occurrence words at three search stages:Drone related businessIntraocular lensFresnel lens, etc.

· Drones and intraocular lenses will lead to solutions to social problems such as help in case of disaster and aging populations.

23*The above figure is cited from 3i final report meeting material

• Information sources:

① Blogs, BBS: Last 4 months

② Twitter: Last 4 days

• Analysis tool: Visualization Engine (Produced by Plus Alpha Consulting)

A method using social media information

The word used first

Extract from map → expand24*The above figure is cited from 3i final report meeting material

scope

microscope

Results of using social media information・Text mining tool (visualization engine) on blogs and Twitter・ First keyword: small lens・By expanding the co-occurrence word “microscope “ further:

Twitter: medical related wordsBlogs and BBS: beauty related

・Short-term challenges, business areas which come up in daily life were picked up. Extracted

business area

Capsule endoscope

Skin diagnosis camera with smart-cooperation,Scalp scope

25*The above figure is cited from 3i final report meeting material

Small lens Scope Microscope Treat-ment

Blog, BBS

Blog, BBS

MicroscopeScalp diagnosis

Skin diagnosis

Dentistry

Cancer

Infertility

Method using web information

• Information source: Web information

• Analysis tool: Google Suggest

• 32/5000

• Jōhō sōsu: U~ebu jōhō bunseki tsūru: Gūgurusajesuto

• Information source: Web informationAnalysis tool: Google Suggest

26*The above figure is cited from 3i final report meeting material

Microlens

Microlens

Inkjet

Nanoprinting

Light field camera

Smartphone

Image sensor

Lens

Hard thin film

Medical relations

Semiconductor laser

Confocal microscope

Results of using the web

• We tried a stepwise idea method with “microlens” as the first keyword.

• By processing two stages:

– light field camera

– two-photon microscope

– confocal microscope→medical care,

• useful for social problems such as aging societies.

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Difference from conventional method (Summary)○： Stepwise conception is better than Conventional method

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Stepwise conception Conventional method

Coverage of Search ○Possible to expand

coverage by increasing

the steps

Already proposed by

someone and its

surroundings

Information source ○No particular limitation

(applicable to SNS too)

There is no particular

limitation (application to

SNS is difficult)

Election of new products

/ new project candidates △

Depends heavily on

knowledge of candidate

elector (more difficult than

conventional method)

Depends on the knowledge

of the candidate elector

Technical application

accuracy of elected

candidates

△Those with low

application accuracy are

also extracted

As other companies have

already focused on,

application accuracy is high

Attractiveness of elected

candidates ○

Possible to obtain new

candidates which are not

focused on by others

Difficult to find entirely new

candidates because of the

awareness of others

Others ○

By connecting with social

problems etc., you can

explore new products and

new businesses that will

contribute to the solution

Summary and future challenges• “Stepwise Conception method” ～a new method for

searching new products / new projects was proposed. • Patent and literature information:

– The appropriate keywords for the next search step• Extract words that lead to usage and technology.• Words concerning materials and means are not good.

• Social media information:– Not only professional words.

• Candidates of the new products / new businesses– Often found in the patent documents, not in the analysis.– Frequently those are not shown on the patent maps.

• By this method, it is possible to search for new products and new projects from a wider range by skipping ideas.

• To refine this method : organize the following points– Methodology for keyword selection to expand– How to select new products / new businesses from candidates

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•

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Thank you!

Izumi Tsuzuki e-mail: izumitzk@nifty.comHIT Service Institute