Accession Number:

AD1030705

Title:

Do Military Personnel Patent

Descriptive Note:

Technical Report

Corporate Author:

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA MONTEREY United States

Personal Author(s):

• Bladen,Shane A.

Report Date:

2016-12-01

Pagination or Media Count:

87.0

Abstract:

This study identifies individual characteristics correlated with successful innovative behavior among all Marine Corps officers who accessed between 1990 and 2000. To measure innovation, it determines if an individual has ever received a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO. Based on identical first and last name matches plus other assumptions, it identifies 20 officers with existing patents in the USPTO database of inventors. Using personnel data from the Marine Corps, it finds that officer inventors are more likely to be younger when they access, are less likely to be married, and serve slightly less time than non-inventors. However, these differences are not significant in a standard regression analysis. The most significant correlate of patenting is an officers initial pistol score. The findings broadly suggest that pistol scores are likely a proxy for unobserved ability that is correlated with patenting. We recommend the study be expanded beyond the initial scope to identify more officer inventors and other correlates of patenting.

Descriptors:

• patents
• Patent applications
• personnel management
• regression analysis
• commerce
• military personnel
• public policy
• statistics
• active duty
• inventions
• Marine Corps personnel

Subject Categories:

• Information Science
• Economics and Cost Analysis
• Personnel Management and Labor Relations

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE