Getting the most out of Patent information on the Internet
Nicola Harrison reviews the best patent information sites on the Internet
Nicola Harrison reviews the best patent information sites on the Internet
Patents can be an extremely valuable source of detailed technical information. The principle behind the issue of a patent is that an inventor gets a certain amount of legal protection for his or her original idea in return for making information about the device, process or technique available to the public.
A recent article by Emma Turner in 'Free Pint' [01] discussed a number of patent information sites which are available on the Internet. These sites, several of which include freely available searchable databases, have substantially increased the ease with which patent information can be accessed by almost anyone at any time.
The Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library (EEVL) [02] contains descriptions and links to over sixty useful patent and standards information sites on the Internet. A selection of the most important and interesting sites are reviewed here.
The Patent Searching Tutorial [03], written for patrons of the Patent and Trademark Depository at the Richard W. McKinney Engineering Library, the University of Texas at Austin, gives a step-by-step guide to carrying out a simple invention search. There is also available online an article on 'Patents and Patent Searching' by Alice K. Kawakami [04].
As Turner points out in her article, for really thorough searches of the patent literature, for example before applying for a patent, it is advisable to use patent agents and patent information specialists. The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents [05] has a website with a directory of members, listed by region.
Patent agents are trained in the art of drafting patents and must also
be experts in intellectual property law. An interesting description of
their work can be found at the Higher Education Careers Services Unit
(CSU) PROSPECTS guide to graduate jobs website. [06]
Anyone considering patenting their own invention might find the
Intellectual Property Creators Home Page [07] a
useful
starting point. It deals with American patent law, but many of the
issues discussed on the site are relevant in other countries as well. It
provides advice for inventors as well as information on patent law. There
are discussion forums for proposed changes in patent legislation. It
is also worth checking out the Patent Avoidance Library [08]
which includes several documents and articles giving the case against
the use of patents by individual inventors.
Patents are legal documents, so some of the language used in them may be unfamiliar to scientists and engineers who wish to use them for research. A glossary of the terminology used in patents can be found on the Intellectual Property Creators Home Page [09].
Front pages of patent documents generally contain substantial bibliographic information, which is an important resource in its own right. For example, the names of inventors on patent applications make it possible to find out who is working in particular fields, allowing researchers to determine who they might wish to collaborate with on projects.
By far the most useful single item in the bibliographic details is the
International Patent Classification (IPC) code. These codes are
applied by
patent specialists and define the precise technical areas covered by the
invention which is described in the patent. Several codes may be
applied to a single invention if appropriate.
Use of IPC codes when searching patent databases will substantially reduce the number of irrelevant 'hits' obtained. Additionally, the success of a search is no longer dependent upon the searcher's choice of keywords corresponding to those used by the writer of the patent. They are particularly useful when looking at patents in foreign languages. A searcher may not speak Japanese, for example, but by use of the IPC code and drawings contained in a Japanese patent they should be able to determine whether the patent is sufficiently relevant to their enquiries to be worth getting a translation of.
A full list of IPC codes can be found in the International Patent Classification (Sixth Edition) [10], provided by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). It is easy to browse through the listing of codes and there is extensive cross referencing between related topics which is helpful when searching for codes relating to particular subject areas.
If you don't know the IPC code for a particular area, the easiest way to find it might be to start with an ordinary keyword search, and then look on the front pages of relevant patents found by your search for the IPC codes assigned to them. Make a note of these codes and check them on the IPC listing to make sure they describe the aspects you want to search for.
Some countries use their own classification codes in addition to the IPC
codes. The website International Patent Classification by Walter
García-Fontes of Barcelona includes a less detailed overview
of IPC codes as well as a listing of Standard Industry Codes (SIC)
[11].
Sites such as Esp@cenet [12] and the IBM
Intellectual Property Network [13] allow searching
by IPC codes.
There is a wide variety of Internet sites offering free patent
information. However, there is still a role for commercial companies such
as Derwent
Information [14], MicroPatent
[15] and Direct Patent Ltd [16].
All of these provide patent information to subscribers and will customise
the selection of documents to subscribers' individual requirements.
The advantage these companies have is that the searching is done by
experienced specialists who are familiar with the patent system, so they
work quickly and are much more likely to be able to find all the
information related to a particular topic. Commercial companies can
also provide translations and summaries of documents which are easier to
use than original documents.
Among the sites which offer free information, there are some which provide a wide range of patents from particular countries. Examples of these include:
IBM Intellectual Property Network [17] is a database of US as well as World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and European Patents and some published applications from 1974 onwards. These can be searched by keyword and patent type or by patent number. Translations of Japanese patent summaries are also provided. Free information includes patent abstract, claims and drawings as well as information on related patents and IPC classification codes. Full text of the patents can be ordered through the site.
The USPTO Web Patent Databases [18] includes a searchable database of full text US patents from 1976 with all information and links to cited reference patents. No images are available. Simple and Boolean searches can be made.
Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) Patent Database [19] includes 75 years of patent descriptions and images. Searches can be performed on both English and French language Canadian patents. Database entries include images, abstract, claims, classifications and references.
Esp@cenet [12] provides a database of published GB patent applications. The database can be searched using publication number, application number, priority number, publication date, applicant, inventor, IPC classification or keywords from its title. Bibliographic data, front page drawings, claims and description are provided in pdf format.
Some patent sites deal with specific research areas or particular organisations. Examples include:
The Fullerene Patent Database [20] includes a database of fullerene related US patents with links to abstracts with references and classification codes. There are links to information on nanotubes and Buckyballs.
The NASA Patent Abstracts site [21] includes
abstracts of patents with drawings and bibliographic details which are
available in pdf format. Patents from 1995 to the present are available.
Of course, not all inventive ideas are workable or commercially viable. Two of the stranger ones are the Wacky Patent of the Month [22], devoted to recognising selected inventors and their remarkable and unconventional patented inventions, and IBM has its own gallery of obscure patents (voted for by users of the site) [23].
Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library includes reviews of patents web
sites of particular relevance to engineers. Large commercial
companies are listed, but the majority of the sites listed by EEVL are
selected because they include substantial free information. These
sites all have been selected, evaluated and described by subject
librarians. The EEVL Catalogue of quality Internet resource can also be
browsed, using "patent" as a resource type [24].
Nicola Harrison is EEVL Services Assistant.
