Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 4-5 / 2023

ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744

PDF (Ukrainian)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/4-52023.289639

Submitted     2023-04-05
Accepted      2023-06-19
Published      2023-10-25

Global patent activities survey in the field of welding for the period of 2013−2022

Iryna Bernadska
Ph.D. (Technics), registered patent attorney of Ukraine, E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1323-0289

Abstract
This study is an example of the application of IPR methods in R&D management. The purpose of this article is to describe the global situation and trends of patenting in the field of welding. In Ukraine, such a study put through for the first time.

Based on the results of a series of searches using IPC indexes, an analysis of the worldwide patent statistics in the field of welding for 2013−2022 was accomplished. The overwhelming dominance of China was revealed among the countries in which patent applications are filed. China’s share for 2013-2022 was almost 83 % and continues to grow rapidly. The USA has a second rate with 4.3 %, and Japan is third with 3.1 %. Ukraine, having its share as of 0.06 %, ranks 15th among almost 50 countries. The top 10 applicants in the field of welding are manufacturing companies that surpass most countries in the world in terms of their patent activity. Five of them are Japanese, two each from the USA and China, and one is Korean. The R&D sector among the first hundred applicants is mainly represented by Chinese universities. There are only three European companies in the top
100 applicants, namely Siemens, Bosch, and Fronius.

An itemized peculiar structure of research and developments in the field of welding was determined and compared with the proper structure of scientific research conducted at the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute (PWI). It is typical that in the global dimension, the greatest efforts are focused on patenting universal devices and processes that can be used in various welding methods (44 %), followed by electric arc welding in all its variety of applications (12.2 %), and then laser welding and related technologies (7.5 %). Meanwhile, in the structure of scientific research of PWI, a prominent place is occupied by electric arc welding technologies (37.0 %), followed by the creation of new substances for the manufacture of rods, electrodes, materials, or environments used in welding (15.6 %).

On a practical aspect, exploitation of IPR methods in R&D activities is needed not only to determine the freedom to operate of the results of scientific research and newly developed technologies, but for operational and medium-term planning of R&D activities, to determine the place of any scientific institution among other research centers, enterprises, and companies which belong to a certain industry.

Keywords: patent statistics, patent search, prior art, Espacenet, IPC

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