Technology mapping

Landscaping tells you who filed what. Mapping tells you how the technology itself is put together.

In simple words

Breaking a technology into its functional components and mapping existing patents, publications and products onto each component, so gaps and dependencies become visible.

Think of it as

An exploded diagram of a field, with owners written on each part.

Why it matters

It is how you find the component that everyone depends on and only one company owns - and how you decide whether your own R&D should attack that component or route around it.

A simple example

Mapping an electric drivetrain into motor, inverter, thermal management, control software and charging interface will usually show very different ownership concentrations in each.

Common mistake

Mapping only patents. Standards documents, published applications and academic literature often reveal the dependency before the patents do.

Where it comes from

Analytical practice, not a statutory concept