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Getting Started on Your Literature Search (PC5198)

Part II13 March 2013

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Outline

• Patent fundamentals & sources

• Bibliography/Reference management software• EndNote• JabRef

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Patent literatureWhy search

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of current technical knowledge found inpatent documents cannot be found anywhere else

Up to

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/pdf/download_en/patents_for_researchers.pdf

80%

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Reasons …

· Avoid duplication of R&D

· Determine patentability of your inventions

· Avoid patent infringements

· Identify key trends in technology development

· Gain business intelligence on competitors’innovative activities & strategies

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A set of exclusive rights given to the patent owner to enable him to prevent others from using, making or selling the invention covered by the patent in a country or region and for a specific period of time, generally not exceeding 20 years, in exchange for the public disclosure of the invention.

What is a patent?

Protection Disclosure

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Intellectual Property

PatentsCopyright

© TM

Trademarks

®Trade secretsUnpublished

Apple® iPad®Google®

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Useful & have some form of practical application?

Obvious?

Patentability

New or different from what is already known?

NoveltyNon-

obviousUsefulne

ss

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Types of patents

Utility

New and useful process, machine, article of manufacture or composition of matter

Design

New, original & ornamental design for an article of manufacture

New & distinct, invented or discovered asexually reproduced plant

Plant

AppearanceFunctional aspects

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Patent application

National patent offices

E.g. • Intellectual Prop

erty Office of Singapore (IPOS)

• United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO)

Regionalpatent offices

E.g.European Patent Office (EPO)

Internationaltreaties

E.g. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) administers 2 international treaties:• Paris Convention

Entered in 1883, 174 contracting states

• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)Entered in 1978, 144 contracting states

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Industry Liaison Officehttp://www.nus.edu.sg/ilo/index.html

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Patent Fields & Sections

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Title

Inventor information

Assignee information

Patent number

Patent filing date

Patent issue date

ClassificationReferenced patents

Abstract

Drawings

Background of the invention

Brief description of drawings

Detailed description of the preferred version of the invention

Claims

Source: Hitchcock (2009)

Cover page

“Claims” is the heart of a patent

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True or False

A patent gives its owner the right to practice the invention

A patent can be sold outright or licensed in exchange for a royalty

A patent owner can rely on law enforcement agencies to automatically prosecute someone who infringes the patented invention

Once the patent term is up, the invention is free for public use

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In-force patent Product X

Independent claim: Step A Step B Step C

Includes Step A Step C

Product Y

Includes Step A Step B Step C Step D Step E

Product Z

Includes Step A Step B Step D Step E

Not infringing

Infringing Not infringing

Possible to obtain a patent with A, B, C, D & E?Source: Ma, MY(2009)

Exclusive right & infringement

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OrPublish

your invention?

patent

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Searching forpatent information

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Published patent applications

Time lag of18 months in most casesPatent application

(Priority date)Publication of

patent application

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Sources of patents· National patent databases

• US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Search Patents > http://patft.uspto.gov/ Two databases:

PatFT: US Patent Full-Text and Image Database (1790 --)AppFT: US Patent Application Full-Text and Image Database (Mar 2001--)

Requires a browser plugin, TIFF

• Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)ePatents, www.epatents.gov.sg/PE/ Coverage: Patent application & issued patents in Singapore

Other national patent databases:www.wipo.int/patentscope/en/dbsearch/national_databases.html

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· Regional/International patent databases

• European Patent Office (EPO) Espacenet, www.espacenet.com

Coverage: Over 70 million patent documents worldwide, including all WIPO PCT applications, entire collection of European patent applications as well as patent applications from over 90 countries

• World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)Patents > PATENTSCOPE, www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/

Coverage: Published patent applications filed under the PCT (144 contracting states) & patent documents of participating National and Regional Patent Offices

Sources of patents

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· Free/Commercial websites

• Google Patents, www.google.com/patents Coverage: US issued patents (1790—present) & published applications

• PatSnap, www.patsnap.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/ Coverage: United States Issued & Application (1876 - current);European Patent Issued & Application (1976 - current); PCT/WIPO (1976 - current); China (1980 - current); Japan (1976 - current); Korea (1983 - current); Norway (2001 - current); and more than 70 countries' patent family documents through INPADOC

Sources of patents

Disadvantage: Time lag in integrating contents from source databases

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Patent classification systems

· International Patent Classification (IPC)Administered by WIPOhttp://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en/

· US Patent Classification (UPC)Administered by USPTO; not compatible with IPChttp://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/

· European Patent Classification (ECLA)Administered by EPO, an extension of the IPChttp://ep.espacenet.com/help?locale=en_EP&method=handleHelpTopic&topic=ecla

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International patent classification

Section G PhysicsClasses G02 Optics

Subclasses G02B Optical elements, systems, or apparatus

Groups G02B 3/00 Simple or compound lenses

Subgroups G02B3/10 . Bifocal lenses; Multifocal lenses

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US Patent Classification

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Combination of keywords & classifications

Perform a preliminary keyword search

Review results for relevance

Extract the relevant patent classes

Search tips

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Demo

USPTO databaseshttp://patft.uspto.gov/

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Assignee or Inventor : last name-first name-initial$ : Right truncation, at least 3 character infront“ ” : Phrase searching

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Quick Search

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Advanced Search

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Searching by Class977/734

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Demo

http://www.patsnap.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/

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PatSnapOne time registration http://linc.nus.edu.sg/record=b2711099

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Full text: US, EP, WO, CN Bibliographic only: JP, KR, NO

Search interface

Boolean: AND, OR, NOTWildcard: ? (single char), *Proximity: ~

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Patent document

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Patent analysis

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Patent analysis

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Patent analysis

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• Adams, Stephen R. (2012). Information sources in patents. Berlin ; Boston, MA.[Call no.: T210 Ada 2012]

• Hitchcock, D. (2009). Patent searching made easy: : how to do patent searches on the Internet & in the library. Berkeley, CA : Nolo [Call no.: T210 Hit 2009]

• Ma, M. Y. (2009). Fundamentals of patenting and licensing for scientistsand engineers. [Call no.: KF3114.85 Ma 2009]

Ebook version @ http://linc.nus.edu.sg/search~S16/i=9789812834201

• Pressman, D. (2009). Patent it yourself: your step-by-step guide to filing at the U.S. Patent Office. Berkeley, Calif. : Nolo. [Call no.: KF3114.85 Pre 2009]

NUS Libraries Patents Guide, http://libguides.nus.edu.sg/patents

Patent resources