Patent Landscape Analysis

We provide an engineering resource for developing patent landscape analyses of high quality.

  • We use QPAT by Questrel which provides a unified database of world-wide patents covering over 80 patent authorities
  • We include incisive engineering commentary
  • We may combine this with Freedom to Operate (FTO) analyses

See an example of a patent landscape report developed for marketing our own portfolio of patents: Patent Landscape Analysis for Servers and Data Centers.

Example Graphics

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure1. Total server patents by company

Here we see the distribution of server patents by company. IBM, HP, and Hitachi dominate the overall space. If we drill down to examine a key technical domain, liquid cooling, we see fewer patents and a different pecking order.

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2. Patents in the liquid cooling domain

If we drill down further to see recent patents relating to 3D packaging, we find just a few patents and again, a different pecking order.

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 3. Patents in the 3D packaging domain

 

Breakouts by International Patent Classification code

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 4. Breakout of server patents by most frequently occurring IPC codes

In this case, the graph shows that the bulk of the patents relate to digital computing, data processing, interconnections, and specific applications like banking, shopping, and e-commerce.

 

Patent Timelines

Timelines are useful to see how patent activity is trending. In Figure 5 we see that activity in the virtualization arena has dramatically increased since 2,000. Note that the bar for 2009 represents approximately one third of a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 5. Trend of virtualization patents

 

Selected Critical Patents

For example, see Table 1.

#

Patent No

Issued

Assignee

Title

1

US7444526

20081028

IBM

Performance conserving method for reducing power consumption in a server system

Claim 1. A method for managing power in a data processing system having at least one processor component and a memory component, comprising: determining a power budget for the system; determining a predicted level of activity for the processor and memory components; based on said predicted level of activity, allocating a corresponding portion of the power budget to the processor and memory component, wherein allocating the portion of the power budget includes allocating each component its corresponding standby power and a pro rata share of the system power available for dynamic powering based on the expected levels of activity; determining an activity limit for each processor and memory component based on the corresponding allocated portion of the power budget; and monitoring the activity of the processor and memory components and, responsive to determining activity in excess of a component's corresponding activity limit, constraining the activity of the component.

2

US7081684

20060725

HP

Converting heat generated by a component to electrical energy

Claim 1. A system for utilizing waste heat to provide power to a plurality of electronic devices in a data center, said system comprising: a plurality of racks, each of said plurality of racks housing at least one data center component configured to generate heat energy during operation thereof; a plurality of converters for receiving the heat energy generated by said at least one data center component in each of the plurality of racks, wherein the plurality converters are configured to convert the heat energy to electrical energy, and wherein the plurality of converters and the electronic are attached to each of the plurality of racks; and a power supply operable to be recharged through receipt of the electrical energy converted by the converters, and wherein the power supply is configured to deliver the electrical energy to the electronic devices.

Table 1. Selected critical patents in the energy efficiency domain

 

Engineering Commentary

We add value through expert commentary, where we summarize key results or opinions. These are backed up by published reports or detailed analysis.

Example: Comparing liquid cooling versus air cooling

" A typical air blower for a blade server can achieve 2,000 watts of cooling at a flow rate of 325 cubic feet per minute. Water cooling can achieve ten times the cooling at 20,000 watts and 5 liters per minute; this flow rate can be easily achieved using the physical geometries involved. "

Example: The need for energy efficiency in data centers

" Energy efficiency is becoming more critical. The EPA has estimated that national energy consumption by servers and data centers could nearly double in another five years to more than 100 billion kWh, representing a $7.4 billion annual electricity cost (Electronic Design, September 2008). Energy consumption in data centers is currently estimated at 20% of operating costs, and power equipment plus cooling equipment add an additional 24% (www.apcmedia.com)."

Example: The limited reach of through-silicon-via (TSV) technology, and an alternative approach invented by Salmon

" TSVs, or through silicon vias, are the current hot topic in semiconductor packaging. We think they will be a critical enabler of stacked die configurations. However, we also believe that they will have a limited role, appearing only in high volume consumer products where the substantial added cost can be justified. An alternative method has been proposed that does not require redesign of the integrated circuit chips, a huge advantage. This can be further explored under the Salmon Patent Portfolio. The proposed solution also enables a much shorter time-to-market. Simple or complex combinations of memory, processors, and logic can be assembled today, having advanced performance and robust manufacturing technology, using existing chips with no re-design. The conventional chip packages are eliminated, the performance is increased and the cost is reduced. Comparing this approach to TSVs, and considering the huge costs associated with redesigning all of the chips in a system, 80% of the benefits will typically be obtained for 10% of the costs and 10% of the waiting time."

Conclusion

We develop quality patent landscape reports with an emphasis on engineering. The details and formats of each report can be tailored to the client. We have expertise in semiconductors, electronic packaging, and a broad range of electrical engineering and systems engineering domains.