Classification of Innovative Companies in Chinese Sporting Goods Manufacturing Industry - Analysis Based on Patent Application

This study attempts to analyze the types of Innovative Companies in Chinese sporting goods manufacturing industry through quantitative research methods. After analyzing the number and structure of patent applications of Chinese sporting goods manufacturing enterprises since 1980s, the study make classification of Chinese sporting goods manufacturing companies through Centroid clustering method. The results show that Chinese sporting goods manufacturing companies can be divided into design-oriented and utility model-oriented innovative company, and comparing with foreign counterpart companies´ patent applications in China, without enough technology accumulation, Chinese sporting goods manufacturing companies are still in the stage of imitating and improving advanced technology.