1. Networks of Innovation: Visualizing U.S. patent citation networks in R
Soc 359 – Entrepreneurship, Data Expedition
Josh Bruce & Molly Copeland
10/31/2018, 11/5/2018

2. Objectives & Outline
By the end of our expedition, you will be able to:
Explore data using R in Rstudio
Identify components of a patent ego-network
Visualize patent networks with igraph
Describe innovation in a technology area based on patent networks
Outline:
Discussion & background
Using R & RStudio
Patent data in RStudio
Visualizing & exploring data in Rstudio
Poll class: Who has analyzed data with: Excel? SPSS? SAS or STATA? R? Python? Other?

3. Download R: https://cloud.r-project.org/
Click on ‘Download R for…’ the appropriate platform (Mac/Windows)
Click ‘Install R for the first time’
Click “Download R for…” Mac or Windows
Save the installation file, open it, and install like you install any other program.
Download Rstudio:
Click the Green ‘Download” button under the option for RStudio Desktop FREE
Click the correct Installer for Max or Windows
Open RStudio to make sure it installed properly.
Download the data:
Make a folder named Data somewhere you can easily find
Go to this Duke Box folder (login with netid):
Download all 7 files to your new Data folder
Right-click the File “Patent Nets Code” and select ‘Open With’ then ‘RStudio’. If you’ve correctly installed RStudio and downloaded the data, you should see a page of code and notes open in RStudio.
Poll class: who has successfully download R & Rstudio & the data?

4. Ego-network Data
On scrap paper: Jot down initials of up to 5 close friends
This is one ego-network: a friendship network
Draw your ego-network with you at the center, and lines to each friend
Connect friends who are also friends (or maybe just know each other)
Digging right in: We’re going to be working with a specific kind of data: ego-network data (a subset of social network analysis theories & tools); the math can be complicated (luckily computers do most of it for us) but the idea is intuitive
Ego-network exercise

5. Ego-network Definitions
Node – aka vertex – actors
Tie – aka edge – relationship between actors
Ego – focal node; an ego-network is this actor’s network
Alter – all other nodes that aren’t ego
Attribute – features or characteristics of nodes or ties
Source:

6. Ego-network Definitions
Measures:
Size – number of nodes or alters
Degree – a node’s number of ties
Density – number of ties that exist for the maximum that could possible exist
(and many more)
Today, focusing on size, degree, density (but many more ego-network measures possible)
HP: 3 nodes, degree=2, density=1; friend example: 6 nodes, ego’s degree=5, alter =1 or 2 or 3, density is .53
Source:

7. Of course, ego-networks are only a slice of much larger networks, but we won’t get into that today
Source:

8. Not just friendships…
What else could a network represent? (different relationships: kinship, colleagues, classmates, sexual partners, bullying, enemies; different nodes: words in the same book, movies that share actors, countries with em/immigration, papers that cite other research)

9. Patent Citation Networks
Patent applications cite prior patents
What are the nodes and edges in a patent network?
Automatic Alert System
Autonomous Control Processor
Roadway Sensors
Citation
Self-driving Car
Navigation System
Adaptive Lighting System

10. Let’s Dig In Open RStudio
Use the drop down menus to open the “Patent Nets Code” file you already downloaded from Box
Note: R and RStudio are 2 separate things
(R is the engine, Rstudio is the driver’s seat)
Tutorial continues in Rstudio…

11. Networks of Innovation: Visualizing U. S
Networks of Innovation: Visualizing U.S. patent citation networks in R – Day 2
Soc 359 – Entrepreneurship, Data Expedition
Josh Bruce & Molly Copeland
10/31/2018, 11/5/2018

12. Patents – So what? Why is patenting important?
Monopoly on invention (20 years for utility patents)
As of March 2013, US is a first-inventor-to-file system
Other reasons?
What does it cost to patent?
Time – 25.3 years months wait after filing (FY 2016)
Money – typically ~ $12k, easily > $25k
Cost of patenting greatly increases for international registrations
Other reasons include: legitimacy of business, funding attraction (govt and investors), licensing revenue

13. In 2015, Duke made $36.7 million from tech licensing

14. What’s in a patent? Patent number (once granted) Title Abstract Claims
Technology Class (CPC in this case)
Citations
And more!
Focal Patent 1 number =

15. With a partner, complete for network 2 or 3:
Visualize it.
What types of citations are in this network?
What are the values for: Size? Density? Ego’s degree? Highest alter degree?
Choose an attribute of interest to:
Describe in the network (Presence? Avg degree or density for nodes with this attribute?
What does this attribute and its distribution in the network tell you about this area of technology and innovation?
**What can visualizing or describing patent citation networks tell us about innovation?
**What might be some pitfalls or likely problems of these analyses?
Can discuss or jot down thoughts on scrap paper or R comments; even if don’t get network visualized or measured, discuss the final two items
As able with time, discuss student answers to the prompts