Abstract: In the era of knowledge-based economy, the patent barriers are getting more and more serious for enterprises when they enter the market, the space for the development of their technology is getting smaller and smaller. Therefore systematical innovative methods are badly needed to guide the enterprises to design around patents and achieve better technology market without infringement on the basis of existing patents’ technology advantages. The function trimming of TRIZ is applied to building the function model of existing patent obeyed to rules of patent infringement judgment and then the designer constructs trimming model of existing patent according to rules of patent infringement judgment and identifies the problems or gets solution of patent design around existing patent. The invention principles, standard solutions and effect in TRIZ are applied to solving the problems and then a conception is gotten. The integrated process for designing around patents though function trimming and patent infringement judgment greatly increases the possibility of design-around. The spiral bevel gear milling machine is analyzed as a case study by above integrated process.

Key words: Function trimming, Gear milling machine, Patent design around, TRIZ