Form and Function: Design Patents and the Dynamics of Technology Re-Emergence

In this paper, we build on the technological re-emergence literature with the re-examination of the technology lifecycle and the linear progression suggested by theories within the literature, while emphasizing the distinction between technological form and function. Dominant design typically describes the stabilization of functional components as the primary driver of technological selection, however, we propose that design-based inventions challenge this model by exhibiting cyclical patterns of re-emergence. Leveraging theories of technological emergence and re-emergence, we argue that design preferences can drive the re-use of older technologies long after a new dominant functional design has been established. Our analysis of USPTO design and utility patents between 1998 and 2010 demonstrates that design-based inventions exhibit higher variance in backward re-use, suggesting that technological evolution may be more multidimensional than previously understood. Our study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the lifecycle and re-emergence of technologies by demonstrating the effect of design on technological re-use, offering a novel perspective on the dynamics of technological evolution.