Basic indicators of innovation activities from Puerto Ricans : a patent-based analysis

Patents reflect the current inventive and innovation development in modern technology. Since this kind of document have become more available through electronic databases, the studies and interest for use patent indicators with other research related data to explore and depict technological profiles and general characteristics of innovative activity of countries, industries or companies, have been growing. This paper examines the profile of Puerto Rico patent activity during the period 1975-2004. Both, one-dimensional and multidimensional indicators have been used to analyze patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) where at least one inventor is from Puerto Rico. A particular type of factor analysis –Correspondence Factor Analysis (CFA) – to analyze and present the patenting profile of a thirty years period has been used.