The rapid development of the internet as well as the emergence of new technologies such as smart devices leads to an exponential growth of data that hold useful information for companies. To face this trend new methods were developed, which allow to analyze large amounts of data in short time. This enables to investigate topics in a broader context, what again offers interesting new insights. Among the different data types that can be analyzed, especially patents represent an important information source for companies that hold unique technological information. Therefore, analyzing patents can reveal research, technology, and innovation activities in industries, which enhance a company’s decision making in relation to its R&D activities by better understanding its complex environment. This makes the patent analysis an indispensable task for companies. In this article, we aim to show case the ease and value of data-driven patent analysis. Already simple methods such as counting or connecting single patent information reveal through different visualization various insights in a business environment and improve its understanding. Towards this goal, we provide four case studies based on patents stemming from the fields of stem cells, lithium-based batteries, antibiotics, and personalized medicine. Thereby, each case features different data mining techniques to present readers a broad range of application examples.