Recognition of Emerging Technology Trends. A Case Study based on the Analysis of the U.S. Patent Citation Network

By adopting a citation-based recursive ranking method for patents the evolution of new field of technologies can be traced. Specifically, the laser / inkjet printer technology emerged from the recombination of existing technologies, such as sequential printing and static image production. The dynamics of the citations coming from the different ”precursor” classes illuminate the mechanism of the emergence of new fields and give the possibility to make predictions about future technological development.