Decompose
Break the product into shell, structure, material, algorithm, connection, control, sensing, communication, and user-interaction features.
Patent-Map Guided Innovation
Use patent information to create, not only to avoid infringement.
Ma Su's methodology treats patent databases as maps of human invention. By decomposing products, abstracting technical problems, searching across fields, and rebuilding technical-feature combinations, teams can generate patentable options before R&D or drafting becomes expensive.
Common mistake
Patent search is often used too late.
Many teams search patents only to check whether an idea is already disclosed. That is defensive and narrow. Used earlier, patent information can reveal where the real technical gap is and which structures from other fields may be transferred into the current product.
Better use
Patent information can guide invention itself.
The point is not to copy prior art. The point is to understand technical problems, compare features, identify empty spaces, and generate new combinations that are technically coherent and legally protectable.
Workflow
From existing product to patent layout.
Abstract
Translate each feature into the function it performs and the technical problem it solves.
Search
Search by technical problem across adjacent and distant fields, not only by product name or industry keywords.
Recombine
Replace, migrate, invert, simplify, or combine technical means to produce multiple patentable alternatives.
Outputs
What the methodology produces.
- Technical-feature decomposition table
- Technical problem abstraction map
- Cross-field patent search strategy
- Alternative technical feature library
- Patentable solution shortlist
- Portfolio filing roadmap
中文说明
专利地图引导式创新，不是查重，而是用人类已有技术启发新的组合。
核心做法是先像审查员一样拆解技术特征，再把每个特征背后的功能和技术问题抽象出来，然后用抽象后的技术问题跨领域检索，寻找可以迁移、替换、组合的技术手段，最终形成不同层次的专利方案和布局建议。
Apply the method