ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE：To understand the current situation and existing problems of Blumea balsamifera industry in China ， and to provide reference for its sustainable development . METHODS ：With the keywords of “B. balsamifera ”“Ai Pian ”“Ai Fen ”， etc.，through the patent platform of SooPat and Baiten ，the patent data of B. balsamifera that had been published from Jan. 1989 to Dec. 2019 were collected. The International Patent Classification （IPC）was used to sort out and count the patent information of B. balsamifera，to understand the development status of B. balsamifera industry in technology and research field ，to analyze the existing problems and to explore the development trend of B. balsamifera industry in China so as to put forward corresponding suggestions. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS：A total of 690 patents related to B. balsamifera were collected ，mainly invention patents，of which the authorization rate was 27.39％，the effective rate was 17.97％，and the failure rate was 55.22％. Top 10 applicants with the largest number of applications had a total of 165 applications，accounting for 23.91％ of the total number of applications. Top 10 applicants were 4 enterprises，3 natural persons and 3 colleges and universities. The patents of B. balsamifera were mainly distributed in Guizhou ，Shandong，Anhui，Guangdong，Guangxi and Hainan ，accounting for 81.01％ of the total patent applications of B. balsamifera . The patent technology field of B. balsamifera had expanded from traditional Chinese medicine to daily chemical products ，health care and physiotherapy and other daily consumer good fields. From the perspective of patent intensity，the number and quality of patent applications were not coordinated ，and there were many meaningless patent applications，and the conversion rate was low. It is suggested that China should strengthen the research on B. balsamifera and its more compatible medicinal materials ，promote the innovation ，development，transformation and upgrading of B. balsamifera industry；strengthen the systematic and in-depth research on B. balsamifera，improve the quality and conversion rate of patent xiexiaoli13@126.com technology，and revitalize the development of B. balsamifera industry； expand multi-party cooperation ， strengthen the E-mail：fulai.yu@163.com research on patent core technology ，build the strategic alliance of intellectual property rights of B. balsamifera industry，and realize the high quality development of B. balsamifera industry.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To perform a bibliometrics analysis on patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China, aiming to provide references for the development of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Based on SooPAT, a patent database, the patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China was collected. With bibliometrics methods, the annual distribution of type, quantity, classification and content of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The number of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment devices reached its peak in 2012 and 2013 in China. The A61N in patent and utility model patent were the most, which were mainly related to electrotherapy, magnetic therapy, radioactive therapy and ultrasound therapy, etc. The main content was acupuncture treatment devices and meridian treatment devices. The 24-01 in design patent was the most, involving fixation devices used by doctors, hospitals and laboratories, etc.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Currently the majority of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture is therapeutic apparatus, while the acupuncture diagnosis devices are needed.</p>