Interdisciplinary Research in Law: Strategies for Database Selection:
patent research
Marty Witt&Dana Neacsu
Read your research question
Before filing for a patent, how comprehensive your preemptive
research should be?
• Clarify your question (break it into smaller concepts, if necessary)
Do you need contextual information? (literature search)
Can you go for the primary source (the filing or the standard)?Where do you start?What is your jurisdiction?
More preliminary meta-researchdomestic law research
1.Free of charge databases?2. Fee-based databases? How do you choose?
Who publishes them?Where can you access them?
Finding US patents•Google’Patent’Search’•Espacenet‘•US Patent and Trademark Office
Patent Research
Doing the research!
1. Free-of charge databases
•Google’Patent’Search’ (all patents)
•Espacenet‘(Worldwide and European patents)
•WIPO (International Patents)
•US Patent and Trademark Office
2. Use fee-based databases• WestlawNext (Patents & Applications)• Derwent Innovations Index
Patent Research – Let’s Search for a Patent1. Google Advanced Patent Search
(http://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search)“All documents available through Google Patents originate from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)” (cite).
2. European Patent Office Espacenet (http://worldwide.espacenet.com/advancedSearch?locale=en_EP)Three types of search:1) Worldwide – collection of published opinions from 90+ countriesIncludes select information from over 90 patent-granting authorities (cite). It includes patent applications filed or granted from the countries listed here.2) EP – complete collection including full text of European published applications3) WIPO – complete collection including full text of PCT published applicationsPCT stands for the Patent Cooperation Treaty.
3. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) PATENTSCOPE (http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/)PATENTSCOPE includes “43 million patent documents including 2.5 million published international patent applications (PCT)” (cite) with complete details available here.
4. United State Patent and Trademark Office(http://patft.uspto.gov/)Two types of search1) PatFT: Patents (full text from 1976)2) AppFT: Applications (published since March 2001)
Finding Standards
A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines, or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes, and services are fit for their purpose.’
• The important thing to remember is that standards change. Make sure you pay attention to when the standard was created and if it has been updated. For research purposes, you may be interested in historical standards.• Where?• • IEEE–Standards Association• • NISO–National Information Standards Organization• • W3C–World Wide Web Consortium
Questions?
Marty WittEmail: [email protected] NeacsuEmail: [email protected]