Innovation serves as the primary engine driving economic development. As fundamental units of the socioeconomic system, the innovation investments of individual enterprises not only form the cornerstone of their long-term development but also play a crucial role in shaping the global innovation landscape. A direct manifestation of corporate R&D capabilities lies in both patent quantity and quality. However, patent quality cannot be assessed unidimensionally—metrics such as citation frequency, grant ratio, technological scope, and number of claims (权利要求数) collectively define patent quality standards.
Patent citations refer to references made by subsequent patent applicants or examiners to prior patents, indicating technological linkages between inventions. Originating from the Science Citation Index (SCI), patent citations construct a knowledge network akin to academic literature references. Around February 1947, the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) pioneered listing relevant prior art in granted patents to evaluate patentability. Today, patent citation information generally derives from two sources:
- Disclosures by inventors during applications, typically cited in the "Background" section of patent specifications to articulate technological distinctions and demonstrate novelty. For instance, the U.S. patent system mandates applicants to submit an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) disclosing all relevant prior art encountered during prosecution; non-compliance risks invalidation.
- Additions by patent examiners during substantive review. Examiners conduct prior art searches to assess novelty and non-obviousness, incorporating citations that reflect the closest existing technologies within the invention's domain.
Patent citation data serve at least two critical functions:
- Tracing technological trajectories and knowledge flows. Since Narin (1994) introduced bibliometrics into patent analysis, citations have been recognized as objective indicators of knowledge linkages. Citations between patents imply knowledge reuse, while citation networks reveal innovation dynamics and cross-sectoral knowledge diffusion patterns.
- Evaluating innovation quality and value. Innovation measurement requires moving beyond quantity to assess quality. Given significant heterogeneity in patent value, raw counts offer limited insights. Citations provide a robust proxy for gauging patent significance and inventive merit.
The seminal work Patents, Citations, and Innovations by Adam Jaffe and Manuel Trajtenberg establishes methodologies for analyzing technological evolution and patent value through citation networks.
CnOpenData has systematically organized UK Patent Data into a dedicated repository, offering comprehensive datasets to support related research.
Data Features
- Contains detailed information on both citations made by patents and citations received by patents.
- Records current legal status (法律状态) of all patents.
Time Coverage
1985 to December 31, 2024
Field Specifications
Sample Data
UK Patent Basic Information Table
UK Patent Citation Table
UK Patent Cited Table
UK Patent Literature Citation Table
UK Patent Transactions Table
UK Patent Classification Table
Update Frequency
Annual updates