Explore the Innovative Fulerums of Patented Technology: A Perspective of Technology Embeddedness

Technological interdisciplinarity and integrative development have been issues of academic discourse for some time; several studies have contributed to the investigation of techno-society and technology development. Nevertheless, the interdisciplinary technology present in patents remains insufficiently explored. This study examines a patent interdisciplinary application utilizing the USPTO database of patent documents from 2001 to 2014. The findings identify distinctive structural configurations of various technical fields and the ecology of their collaboration. This study presents the interdisciplinary embeddedness of a patent citation network which suggests a technological proximity for incubating innovative capacity. The technological positions of brokerage perform a critical fulcrum for interdisciplinary innovation, which strategizes several innovative capabilities. Meanwhile, technological push and pull promote the process of endogenous, exogenous, and heterogeneous innovation and technology evolution. Thus, this study addresses policy implications for firms and authorities interested in sustaining innovative capabilities.