Blockchain Technology Innovation & Patent Development Strategy Insights from Patents

©2019 TechIPm, LLC All Rights Reserved www.techipm.com
Blockchain Technology Innovation
& Patent Development Strategy
Insights from Patents
January 16, 2019
Alex G. Lee (alexglee@techipm.com)

©2019 TechIPm, LLC All Rights Reserved
Contents
-Blockchain Patent Landscape for Innovation Leadership
-Blockchain Technology Innovation Insights from Patents
Drones/Autonomous Vehicles
Healthcare
Augmented Reality
Data Monetization
Manufacturing/3D Printing
IoT
SCM
Game
Fintech/Trading
Government
Legal
Cyber Security
Retail/Smart Appliance

-220 Prospective Blockchain Startups
-220 Prospective Blockchain Startups Patent Landscape
-220 Prospective Blockchain Startups Patent Activity v. Fundraising
-Startup Patent Strategy & Management
-Startup Patent Strategy & Management Best Practice
-Blockchain SW Patent Development Strategy
-Claim Drafting for Maximum Quality & Value
-Blockchain SW Patent 101 Rejection Example

Blockchain Patent Landscape for Innovation Leadership
To find blockchain technology innovation leadership for the US market,
patents in the USPTO database are searched using relevant blockchain
keywords. Total of more than 1200 published patent applications
regarding blockchain innovation are identified as of 3Q 2018.
IBM is the leader in blockchain patent application followed by, Bank of
America, Mastercard, Wal-Mart, TD Bank, Intel, American Express,
Accenture, Cognitive Scale, Inc., and Coinbase. It is interesting to find
innovation leadership of Wal-Mart (a retail giant) and Intel (a
semiconductor chip manufacturing leader) in blockchain technology
innovation.

Blockchain Patent Landscape for Innovation Leadership
The identified blockchain patents are further classified by key
technologies for blockchain applications: security, transaction,
cryptocurrency, database, smart contract, blockchain network, consensus,
decentralized application, and AI. Technology regarding security is
identified as the top blockchain technology in blockchain technology
innovation.

Blockchain Technology Innovation Insights from Patents
Drones/Autonomous Vehicles
US20170285633 illustrates that a blockchain can be used to track drone
control activity and to resolve disputes of control.
US20180202822 illustrates a decentralized fleet control of autonomous
vehicles.
Healthcare
US20180165416 illustrates a system for providing healthcare-related,
blockchain-associated cognitive insights. The system achieves these
abilities by combining various aspects of artificial intelligence in integration
with blockchain. For example, a user may ask, "Where should I eat
today?" If the user has been prescribed a particular health regimen, the
system suggests a restaurant with a "heart healthy" menu.

Augmented Reality
US20180190375 illustrates a dynamic and feedback-based ecosystem that
provides tailored decision augmentation solutions for users such as
augmented reality (AR) experiences and blockchain-based decision
augmentation tokens.
AR experiences assist users in creating and adhering to a specific plan such
as a dietary or lifestyle plan. For example, the augmented reality experiences
allow a user to view restaurant menus, ingredients, beverages, food products,
groceries, supplements, medications or food labels with a unique AR overlay
that modifies and enhances how the viewer sees each item based on the plan
that has been selected and implemented for the user.
Blockchain technology is used to create the conditions for individuals to
monetize their future long-term health by proving adherence to a lifestyle and
by contributing certified data streams that can be used to further enhance the
decision-making process for community members.

Data Monetization
US20140344015 illustrates a big data trading platform for enabling consumers
to monetize their personal data while managing their online privacy. The
platform uses cryptocurrency through blockchain as the means for monetizing
the value of personal data. Trading of data products through blockchain
enables secure transaction of data products.
Manufacturing/3D Printing
US20180094953 illustrates a distributed manufacturing platform that can
connect designers, manufacturers, shippers, and other entities and simplifies
the process of manufacturing and supplying new products. Blockchain records
transactions, executes smart contracts, and performs other operations to
increase transparency and integrity of supply chain.
US2015/0112472 illustrates methods for controlling and monitoring 3D printing
processes remotely.

IoT
US20170046669 illustrates a device-sharing platform (e.g., rental car operation
system) that performs operations consistent with services provisioned to the
shared device based on real-time sensor data indicative of and characterizing
a user's operation of the device.
For example, the provisioned services can be a payment service that enables
a vehicle rented by user to initiate periodic micro-payment transactions that
reflect a real-time instantaneous usage or consumption of vehicle-specific
resources detected by sensors embedded in the vehicle. The sensors can
include a fuel-level sensor configured to monitor the vehicle's real-time
consumption of liquid fuel, sensors to monitor a working speed of the vehicle's
engine, and sensors for monitoring a braking activity of the vehicle.

SCM
US20180167198 illustrates a trust-enabled decentralized system to track
ownership of usage of hardware and/or software assets using a blockchain.
The blockchain is used to ensure that each asset (a manufacturer's product,
for example) is being used only by its registered owner. The blockchain also
tracks certain usage and change information about the asset to prevent illegal
transfer of assets to the grey and black markets.
Game
US20180114403 illustrates gaming consoles support multiple games and a
platform for virtual asset trading. The game's logic executes as a smart
contract. Players can enter into smart contracts to form teams that compete
against each other. Gamers use smart contracts to access and utilize a game
stored in the blockchain network.

Fintech/Trading
US20170161829 illustrates a secure electronic peer-to-peer bond-trading
network for executing trades at mid-market prices and a process for performing
the trades in a secure manner, where users can submit pricing or show trade
orders in a manner such that confidence in the protection of confidential
information is enhanced.
Government
US20180102013 illustrates blockchain technology for the storage of voting
data in an electronic voting system.
Legal
US20180205546 illustrates a secure management of testamentary legal
documents document :verification and securely preserving extrinsic evidence.

Cyber Security
US20170324738 illustrates an Internet security mechanism to provide security
for Internet resources of the Internet by supporting various types of verification
related to Internet resources of the Internet: verification of Internet resource
ownership and verification of Internet resource transactions.
Retail/Smart Appliance
US20180219676 illustrates a blockchain system used to facilitate the control or
management of the smart appliance to restrict unauthorized users from
accessing or using the appliances.

220 Prospective Blockchain Startups
CB Insights: 135 Blockchain Startups That Have Raised Money Through ICOs
Crypto News: Top 50 Blockchain Startups 2017
Forbes: Keep An Eye On These Blockchain Startups Throughout 2018
Investopedia: Top Blockchain Startups to Watch in 2018
Ignite: Top 8 Blockchain Startups to Watch for 2018

Total $1,300

Total $2,400

Total $3,700

220 Prospective Blockchain Startups Patent Landscape

220 Prospective Blockchain Startups Patent Activity v. Fundraising
Company Name No. Patents
Fundraising (ICO)
in $ (Million)
Fundraising (VC)
in $ (Million)
Total Funding in $
(Million)
ShoCard 16 2 2
Digital Asset 14 107.2 107.2
Ripple 14 93.6 93.6
Civic 12 33 2.8 35.8
AlphaPoint 8 17.6 17.6
Chronicled 8 12 12
R3 CEV 8 112 112
Blockstream 4 101 101
BitFury Group 3 90 90
Blockstack 2 52 6.1 58.1
Cambridge Blockchain 2 10 10
Factom 2 15.5 15.5
Veritaseum 2 6.4 6.4
ABRA 1 30 30
Augur 1 5.3 5.3
BigchainDB 1 5.4 5.4
BitGo 1 54.5 54.5
SALT 1 0 0
Slock.it 1 2 2

Startup Patent Strategy & Management

Startup Patent Strategy & Management Best Practice
Nest Labs
Company information
A smart home company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that
manufactures smart thermostats and smoke detectors. Founded in 2010
and acquired by Google for $3.2 billion in 2014.
IP value recognition in M&A
Build up 132 US issued patents (+ pending applications + international families)
in four years
Cf. SmartThings’ acquisition by Samsung for $200 million with no patent
*notice the value difference: $3.2 billion v. $200 million

Strategic development of patent portfolios
Patent fortress for core business
Create 33 US issued utility patents and 28 US issued design patents regarding
smart thermostat
Strategic patent acquisition
Acquired 69 US issued patents and one US patent applications regarding
smart sensors and sensor networks.
Strategic exploitation of patent portfolios
Strategic financing
Utilize 29 US issued patents for patent secured lending from Wells Fargo Bank
*after Series A and B funding, before Series C funding
Strategic patent licensing
Licensed patents for accessing to Intellectual Ventures’ IP for defense
Startup Patent Strategy & Management Best Practice

Blockchain SW Patent Development Strategy
Research patent for technology innovation status & trends
Study ICO white paper for products/services in vertical markets
(Reference https://icowatchlist.com/)
Draft claim for maximum quality & value
Draft specification & claim for avoiding 101 rejection

When the blockchain patent claims are drafted, several factors that can
make the patent high quality and value should be considered. The factors are
(1) claim scope and broadness,
(2) value propositions of a claim’s novelty point (non-obvious inventive departure
from the prior arts),
(3) claim mix (degree to which different kind of statutory claim types
(e.g. apparatus, process, manufactures, composition) are used in a patent),
(4) claim diversity (degree to which different kind of claim formats
(e.g. means-plus-function claim), terminology, arrangement in a given statutory
claim type (e.g. number or order of claim elements) are used in a patent), and
(5) claim setting (degree to which different kind of commercially
significant settings (e.g. component/system or transmitter/receiver) are used in
a patent).
Claim Drafting for Maximum Quality & Value

US9704143 (Cryptographic currency for securities settlement: Goldman Sachs)
Blockchain SW Patent 101 Rejection Example

Blockchain SW Patent 101 Rejection Example

Thank you!
If you have any questions
please contact Alex G. Lee
at alexglee@techipm.com

Blockchain Technology Innovation & Patent Development Strategy Insights from Patents

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