Quantitative analyses on claim structures of patent applications filed by market leaders in the fields of analyzing and diagnostic devices

The present study investigates relationships between claim structures of patent applications and market shares of analyzing and diagnostic devices in Japan. In consequence, average numbers of total independent claims of patent application filed by firms whose market shares are in the top positions in their respective markets are significantly greater than those of firms whose shares are 10% or smaller in their respective markets. This result indicates that the number of total independent claims, which is one of important factors for the competitiveness of patent, strongly correlates with high market share.