劉國讚、張文娟發表文章

A new indicator to evaluate the quality of patent claims of additive manufacturing applicants in the US and EP

World Patent Information, Vol.80, March 2025, 102335.

Abstract

The quality of patent application claims determines a patent's scope of protection and legal value. This study defines a new indicator based on claims structure to measure claim coverage, evaluate individual patents, and compare the strengths and weaknesses of competitors' patent portfolios in additive manufacturing technology. The new indicator's credibility is verified by comparing literature indicators.

Claim drafting is highly influenced by the official fees and legal regulations of national patent offices. Seven main additive manufacturing companies were selected to investigate their claim drafting strategies when applying for European patents while claiming priority in the United States. The indicators are shown on 2D maps of individual patents and patent portfolios. The ATT indicator is defined by independent claims representing attack strength, the DEF indicator is defined by dependent claims representing defense ability, and the TOT indicator is the sum of both. These indicators also represent the technical value of the patented invention, because more claims can be drafted for an invention with a wider range of technologies or more embodiments. 3D Systems and Stratasys make good use of domestic claim regulations to obtain higher patent values in the United States and Europe while minimizing fees.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S017221902500002X