Abstract:This paper reviews the present situation of the most representative patent analysis methods based on Subject-Action-Object (SAO) ternary structure. The study involves the main content of SAO ternary structure research, the patent analysis process based on SAO ternary structure, and its application. Results show that, 1) The research of SAO ternary structure including the independent study of S, A and O, the study of pairwise combination, and the study of their interrelationships. 2)The patent analysis process based on SAO ternary structure consists of data preprocessing, SAO ternary structure extraction, SAO ternary structure post-processing, and chart interpretation. 3)Patent analysis methods based on SAO ternary structure improves the comprehensiveness, in-depth and accuracy of patent analysis from four aspects: Expansion of the coverage of research words, construction and analysis of SAO ternary structure network, optimization of SAO ternary structure extraction method, and classification research of SAO ternary structure. Non-classification relation extraction is its challenge. 4)Patent analysis methods based on SAO ternary structure tracts the development of scientific research and predicts its frontiers in patent intelligence analysis, analyzes product requirements, structure and functions to provide design concepts in innovation design, classifies patents, mines technical information, and displays them to recommend inventive knowledge in patent management system, manages intellectual property rights and organizes implementation strategies in enterprise management. Broadening its application fields is one of the development trends and hot topics.