Lim Sung Min, Go Eunji
Department of Clinical Research on Rehabilitation, Korea National Rehabilitation Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2024 Apr 23;2024:2204071. doi: 10.1155/2024/2204071. eCollection 2024.
Several studies have assessed the safety and efficacy of acupuncture, but none have reviewed patent trends related to acupuncture as an intervention. This study analyzed trends in patents for the development of acupuncture-related technologies in Korea.
The Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) was searched for information on acupuncture-related patents registered until August 11, 2021, without any limit on the search period. Only acupuncture and electro-acupuncture were included in this review. The current status, contents, and technological characteristics of the relevant patents were analyzed systematically to identify the overall status of acupuncture-related patents.
Overall, 126 patents were identified from the KIPRIS database, of which 93 were unrelated to the research topic and were excluded. Finally, 33 patents were assessed. Interest in the development of acupuncture technology has increased steadily over the past decade. Patent applications reached their peak in 2018 with six instances, while patent registration peaked in 2019 with seven instances. The interval between the application and registration of an individual patent was 14.3 months (449 days). Twenty-two acupuncture-related patents were for acupuncture (66.6%) and 11 for electro-acupuncture (33.3%). The technical specifications for the patents included acupuncture devices (30.3%), acupuncture manufacturing methods and equipment (36.4%), and electro-acupuncture devices (33.3%).
Acupuncture-related technology currently focuses on technological advancements for the safe and effective delivery of stimulation. The findings demonstrate trends toward new diverse and complex technological advancements for acupuncture devices, manufacturing methods and equipment, and electro-acupuncture devices.
多项研究评估了针灸的安全性和有效性，但尚无研究综述与针灸作为一种干预措施相关的专利趋势。本研究分析了韩国针灸相关技术发展的专利趋势。
检索韩国知识产权信息服务中心（KIPRIS），获取截至2021年8月11日注册的针灸相关专利信息，检索期限无限制。本综述仅纳入针灸和电针。系统分析相关专利的现状、内容和技术特征，以确定针灸相关专利的总体情况。
总体而言，从KIPRIS数据库中识别出126项专利，其中93项与研究主题无关，予以排除。最终评估了33项专利。在过去十年中，对针灸技术发展的兴趣稳步增加。专利申请在2018年达到顶峰，有6项申请，而专利注册在2019年达到顶峰，有7项注册。单个专利的申请与注册间隔为14.3个月（449天）。22项针灸相关专利是关于针灸的（66.6%），11项是关于电针的（33.3%）。专利的技术规范包括针灸设备（30.3%）、针灸制造方法和设备（36.4%）以及电针设备（33.3%）。
针灸相关技术目前侧重于安全有效刺激传递的技术进步。研究结果表明，针灸设备、制造方法和设备以及电针设备呈现出新的多样化和复杂技术进步的趋势。
