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Need the full-text for a patent?
Espacenet offers free access to more than 80 million patent documents worldwide--most of them patent applications rather than granted patents--from 1836 to today.
Key databases
Patent news
Alltop - Top Patent News
EPO President's Blog and EPO news
The European Patent Office (EPO) President shares his thoughts on current issues. Please also see patenting issues and press releases for information on patenting and IP issues that are making the news.
USPTO Director’s Forum Blog
VentureBeat: Tech news that matters
Founded in 2006, VentureBeat is the leading source for news and perspective on technology innovation.
- AMD is considering splitting itself in two to take on Intel
- Facebook’s newest deep learning system makes samples of images that humans think are real 40% of the time
- Why every entrepreneur should consider a Mini-IPO
- European regulators spell out demands in antitrust case against Google
- The CMO’s Dilemma: Bringing Formula 1 to America (podcast)
WIPO Magazine
Keeping lab records
Data management services @ Stanford
"The main goal of Data Management Services is to assist Stanford University's researchers with the organization, management, and curation of research data in order to enhance its preservation and access now and into the future. This site will help you create and carry out a data management strategy that will preserve your valuable research data for future sharing and reuse."
Selected links
Selected books
About patents
What is a patent?
"A patent is an intellectual property right granted by the Government of the United States of America to an inventor “to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States” for a limited time [usually 20 years] in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.
There are three types of patents.
- Utility patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
- Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.
- Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant."
Why search for patents?
Anatomy of a patent & patent number guide
Two excellent handouts by Michael White, Science and Engineering Library at Queens University, Kingston Ontario, Canada.
General information about patents
Key documents for chemists
For more information about patents and patents in the chemical enterprise, please see the ACS Committee on Patents and Related Matters (CPRM) website
Patent families
Patent glossaries and terminologies
Featured terminology
WIPO Pearl: Find over 90,000 technical terms in 10 languages validated by experts in this free terminology database. Integrated into PATENTSCOPE which has over 43 million international and national patent documents. Depending on your browser settings, the video opens in a new tab or window. By World Intellectual Property Organization.
Patent law history
Selected books on patents in the Stanford Libraries
Latest books in the SU Libs on patents
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Reto M. Hilty, Kung-Chung Liu, editors. 2015
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Reto M. Hilty, Kung-Chung Liu, editors. 2015
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Arne Markgraf (Hrsg.). 2015
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David Segal. 2015
Patent classification
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is an extension of the IPC and is jointly managed by the EPO and the US Patent and Trademark Office. It is divided into nine sections, A-H and Y, which in turn are sub-divided into classes, sub-classes, groups and sub-groups. There are approximately 250 000 classification entries. By EPOfilms.
Patent classification schemes
Applicants for national or international IP protection are required to determine whether their creation is new or owned/claimed by someone else. To determine this, huge amounts of information must be searched. International classifications facilitate such searches by organizing information concerning inventions, trademarks and industrial designs into indexed, manageable structures for easy retrieval.
For guidance on how to perform a preliminary patent search using patent classification codes, please see the Seven Step Strategy that was developed by the Patent and Trademark Resource Center. For more details, please see the USPTO > Patents > Patent Classification page.
- Browse by Class Numbers and Titles
- Browse alphabetical index of subjects to find specific classes and subclasses of the classification system
Patent databases
International patent databases
U.S. patent databases
Canadian patent database
Japanese patent database
Search in English or Japanese.
People's Republic of China patent database
Search in English or Chinese.
Subject databases
The databases below include patents that fit within their scope of coverage.
Scopus offers a patent search of over 24 million records from WIPO, EPO, USPTO, JPO and the UK. Do your search and after you have results, look for "view patents results" above the search result list. When you select it, Scopus will open another window with only the patents. A partial preview of the abstract is available by mousing over the patent title. Links will take you from Scopus to the patent repository where the full text can be downloaded.
Patent offices
Silicon Valley Office
Permanent Silicon Valley Office will open in San Jose City Hall in early 2015
The San Jose City Hall will be home to the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Silicon Valley office in mid-2015 after renovations and technical infrastructure updates are completed to accommodate USPTO business. This landmark building, built in 2005, reflects the city's stature in the valley and stands as a symbol of the area's cultural roots and technological savvy. The Silicon Valley, known as one of the most prodigious and innovative entrepreneurial communities in the country, was selected as our west coast presence to assist the USPTO in fostering and protecting innovation.
Selected patent offices and organizations
Below is a list of selected patent offices and organizations. For a comprehensive list, please see Directory of Intellectual Property Offices (from WIPO)
Cooperative efforts
- the European Patent Office (EPO)
- the Japan Patent Office (JPO)
- the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO)
- the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO)
- and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
- Assisting individual countries and regions to use IP for economic development
- Coordinating with IP offices to develop technical infrastructure to share work, data and knowledge
- Cooperating with member states to build respect for IP
- Building multi-stakeholder partnership platforms to address global challenges.
- WIPO Green is an interactive marketplace that promotes innovation and diffusion of green technologies by connecting technology and service providers with those seeking innovative solutions. It supports global efforts to address climate change through the skills and technologies available via its network and online database.
- WIPO Re:Search is a consortium through which public and private sector organizations around the world share valuable intellectual property and expertise with the global health research community. The aim is to promote the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in the fight against neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis.
Patent searching
Library tutorials and videos
- Guide to Patent Searching
- Patent Searching on the Internet - For inventors, researchers, students and enthusiasts
- Patent Application Searching - For inventors and innovators
- Patent Statistics -Learn how to find patenting activity to assist in evaluating industries, companies, and areas of technology
Database supplier tutorials and support
WIPO Guides
Below are selected patent publications from the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Books for patent searchers
Resources for advanced users
Inventors & Inventions
What is an invention?
"An invention is a novel and useful idea relating to processes, machines, manufactures, and compositions of matter. It may cover such things as new or improved devices, systems, circuits, chemical compounds, mixtures, etc. It is probable that an invention has been made when something new and useful has been conceived or developed, or when unusual, unexpected, or nonobvious results have been obtained and can be exploited.
An invention can be made solely or jointly with others as coinventors. To be recognized legally, a coinventor must have conceived of an essential element of an invention or contributed substantially to the general concept.
An invention, although unpatentable for various reasons, may still be valuable and important - for example, trade secrets and technical "know-how" encompassing proprietary information of a valuable and confidential nature.
Agencies sponsoring research at Stanford usually require reports of all inventions, whether or not they are considered patentable."
The printing press
Printing press from 1811, exhibited in Munich, Germany. "The 15th-century invention of the printing press with movable type by the German Johannes Gutenberg is widely regarded as the most influential event of the modern era." Source: Wikipedia - Timeline of historic inventions.
Selected Resources
New books on Inventors in the Stanford Libraries
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Nathan R. Kozuskanich. 2015
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Alwin Schönberger ; mit einem Vorwort von Brigitte Ederer ; und Beiträgen von Regina Adler [and six others].. 2015
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Henry Hemming. 2015
New books on Inventions in the Stanford Libraries
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David Segal. 2015
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Kevin Ashton. 2015
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Ryszard Klempous, Jan Nikodem, editors. 2015
Innovation
VentureBeat: Tech news that matters
Founded in 2006, VentureBeat is the leading source for news and perspective on technology innovation.
- AMD is considering splitting itself in two to take on Intel
- Facebook’s newest deep learning system makes samples of images that humans think are real 40% of the time
- Why every entrepreneur should consider a Mini-IPO
- European regulators spell out demands in antitrust case against Google
- The CMO’s Dilemma: Bringing Formula 1 to America (podcast)
Featured books
Selected resources
Library books on technological innovation
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edited by Benjamin F. Armstrong. 2015
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Charles B. Travis. 2015
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edited by Pamela Burnard and Elizabeth Haddon. 2015
Library materials covering economic aspects of technological innovations
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Adoption of innovation : balancing internal and external stakeholders in the marketing of innovation
Alexander Brem, Éric Viardot, editors. 2015
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под редакцией академика В.Г. Гусакова.. 2015
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edited by Stavros Sindakis and Christian Walter. 2015
Technology transfer
Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing - Innovation Inspiration
The Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing was established in 1970 to transfer technologies developed at Stanford. Video about Stanford's OTL including interviews with inventors and technology transfer professionals. Conversations on the unique environment and interactions here promoting the transfer of great ideas from the laboratories to industry where they can be developed into useful products.
WIPO's multi-stakeholder platforms
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) actively involves a wide range of stakeholders — from civil society, to academia, business, and more — in order to ensure that all members of society benefit from intellectual property.
Library materials on "Academic-industrial collaboration"
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edited by Thomas J. Allen (Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Rory P. O'Shea (Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, University College Dublin). 2014
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Shiri M. Breznitz. 2014
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