Patents

Definition
Finding patents
How to find patents on the web
How to find patents in UNE databases
Selected eBooks and other resources
Citing a patent
Patent tutorials

Definition

"A patent is a right granted for any device, substance, method or process which is new, inventive and useful. A patent is legally enforceable and gives the owner the exclusive right to commercially exploit the invention for the life of the patent." (IP Australia)

Examples Some Australian inventions are legendary - Cochlear's bionic ear, the Hills hoist, Victa lawn mower and the Sunshine stripper harvester. Read a synopsis of some well-known Australian inventions and view an image of the technical illustrations.

Finding patents

To find patents search by number, keyword, personal or organisation name, or by classification. Older patents can often be downloaded freely, but current patents need to be purchased.

Each country governs its own patent procedures.
IP Australia administers patents in Australia.
WIPO - the World Intellectual Property Organization lists international offices.

Each patent goes through an appliation process prior to being granted. When you search for patents you may find:

patent applications
granted patents
lapsed patents

How to find patents on the web

Australian Patents

AusPat - Search Australian patents dating back to 1904.

IP Australia - IP Australia is the government organisation that administers patents, trademarks and designs in Australia. There is a lot of general information on this site - how to search; examples; how to apply etc.

Aussie inventions now just a click away - media release by the Innovation Minister announcing AusPat as the database of patent records back to the first Australian patent. Also includes some examples and innovative case studies.

Patent Lens

Patent Lens is a worldwide, open-access, free full-text patent informatics resource. Search and retrieve the full-text of more than 9 million patent documents from US, Europe, Australia and WIPO, their status and counterparts in up to 70 countries.

You can try a quick search or an advanced search.

Google Patents

Google Patents - Search over 7 million patents.

Other Patent searching resources

Espacenet - Espacenet offers free access to more than 70 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today.

GB Espacenet - developed by the European Patent Office and covering patents granted by the UK Patent Office since 2002.

InventNET - run by a non-profit group of independent inventors, this site gives advice on everything from patent law and software to marketing your invention, classified ads, newsletter, online forum, web links and inventions for sale.

USPTO - United States Patent and Trademark Office provides full text of granted patents since 1976 and full-page images since 1790.

How to find patents in UNE databases

LexisNexis - select 'Find a Source' then select the 'Patent Law' tab.

SciFinder Scholar - you must register to use SciFinder Scholar. Once you have connected to SciFinder select 'Patent'. You can search by Patent Number, Assignee Name or Inventor Name. Useful for chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacy, pharmacology, chemical engineering and agricultural chemistry.

Scopus - Scopus provides access to 21 million patents from 5 patent offices (US, UK, Japan, Europe, and WIPO).
Perform a keyword search and then Limit to Document Type - Patent.

Web of Science - Go to 'Cited Reference Search'. This allows you to find journal articles which have cited a particular patent. Enter the patent number in the 'Cited Work' field or the first listed inventor or patent assignee in the 'Cited Author' field.

Selected eBooks and other resources

eBooks

Drug discovery and development.

Patent laws for scientists and engineers.

Books

Fox, B. (2009). Patents: A guide. Ormond, Vic: Hybrid Publishers. Law Library, Call no. 346.940486/F791p/2009

Park, J. H. (2010). Patents and industry standards. Northampton, Mass: Edward Elgar. Law Library, Call no. 346.0486/P235p

Ma, M. Y. (2009). Fundamentals of patenting and licensing for scientists and engineers. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific. Dixson Library, Call no.
608/M111f

Docie, R. L. (2010). The inventor's bible: How to market and license your brilliant ideas. Berkeley, Calif: Ten Speed Press. Law Library, Call no.
658.8/D637i/2010

Journals

Australian official journal of patents

Bentham Science Publishers - Open Access journals including Recent Patents on a range of topics - nanothechnology, drug discovery, gene sequences.

Citing a patent

How to reference a patent using the Harvard Referencing style (Author-Date).
The title may be more of a descriptive title rather than a formal title.

Material Type	In-Text Example	Reference List Example
Patent	(Cookson 1985)	Cookson, AH 1985, Particle trap for compressed gas insulated transmission systems, US Patent 4554399.
Patent: Retrieved From a Database	(Mccallum 2008)	Mccallum, JM (2008). Method for and composition of excipient suitable for use in herbal formulations and formulations derived therefrom, Australian Patent AU 2008100919. Available from: SciFinder Scholar. [8 December 2010].