Patent resources
Patents are granted by governments to inventors to provide them with temporary protection for their inventions against exploitation by others. In exchange, patentees disclose details of their inventions. (See the UK Patent Office definition - What is a patent?)
Although principally intended as legal documents to protect an invention, patents can provide a valuable source of technical information.
Resources
- British Library Key patent databases
- EspaceNet A searchable database of worldwide patents.
- DEPATISnet A database hosted by the German Patent Office providing copies of German patents and many foreign patents.
- Delphion Intellectual Property Network This service provides access to a number of patent databases upon registration. Payment is required for access to full text documents.
- US Patents and Trademarks Office Patent Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases Provides full-text of patents from 1790 to present. Indexed fields of US Patents are searched from 1976 onwards. Images of patents from 1790 are available and can be searched for by patent number or current US classification. There is another interface to this site via Eng ineering Village.
- Japan Patent Office Industrial Property Digital Library (IPDL) is a free site which provides access to the PAJ Patents Abstracts of Japan database.
- SurfIP A searchable patent database with coverage of far-eastern patents.
- Canadian Patents Provides full text from 1978 onwards. Bibliographic details and diagrams are available from 1920 onwards.
- European Patent Office European Publication Server The official site for publication of European Patent Office specifications. Specifications from 2004 onwards are on the site and earlier material will be added.
- Patent Cooperation Treaty PCT Advanced Search Contains images of specifications from January 1997.
- Derwent Innovations Index A database of international patent information. Details of 20 million patents from 1963 onwards are included. The service is made up of three sections: Chemical, Engineering and Electrical and Electronic. These may be searched simultaneously.
Several other databases, including SciFinder, include some patents in their coverage.
Organisations
- UK Patent Office. This Office is responsible for intellectual property (patents, trade marks, designs and copyright) in the UK.
- BUBL LINK Catalogue of Selected Internet Resources - Patents and Inventions Provides links to a range of relevant resources.
- Chartered Institute of Patent Agents This site includes a regional directory of Patent Agents.
- International Patent Classification. IPC codes define the technical areas covered by an invention. They can be essential in searching for patent information.
- Manchester Central Library's PATLIB is part of the PATLIB UK, a group of public and academic libraries which aims to supply regional access to patent information. It has a good collection of patents and patent-related materials,and also hosts regular Patent Clinics which offer advice.
- Patents and Designs Journal - Recent issues of the UK Intellectual Property Office's journal available as PDF files.
- World Intellectual Property Organization
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