MIND (Méthode pour Inspirer, Innover et Inventer en Conception)
Descriptive
In a Technological Intelligence approach, the use of patent citations enables inventive trajectories to be detected. This work, complemented by the methods of problem solving, creativity and innovation developed by the Mechanical Engineering and Design Department (IMC) in the I2M laboratory, allows to understand the inventive dynamics of the field thanks to the technical information contained in the patents.
Applied to the case of ocean thermal energy, this approach highlights strategic opportunities by identifying the most influential patents in the field as well as the actors and inventors carrying these technologies.
The trajectories are then analyzed using IMC methods. The identification of energy resources, the main function, the functional decomposition and the evolution trends allow a more exhaustive analysis of the trajectories and facilitate their understanding. The objective is to provide the engineer with a key to understanding the technological field.
Structure the way to seek information. Target the relevant patent (s). Extract relevant knowledge from patents. Deduce the possibilities of system evolution from the evolution trends
References:
Valverde, U., J. P. Nadeau, D. Scaravetti, and J. F. Leon. 2014. “Innovation through Pertinent Patents Research Based on Physical Phenomena Involved.” Procedia CIRP 21: 515–520
Valverde, Ulises, Jean-Pierre Nadeau, and Dominique Scaravetti. 2017a. “A New Method for Extracting Knowledge from Patents to Inspire Designers during the Problem-Solving Phase.” Journal of Engineering Design, 28.6 (2017): 369-407.
Valverde, Ulises, Jean-Pierre Nadeau, and Dominique Scaravetti. 2017b. “Finding Innovative Technical Solutions in Patents Through Improved Evolution Trends.” In TRIZ - The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving: Current Research and Trends in French Academic Institutions, edited by Denis Cavallucci, Cham, 2017. 1-42.