Patents and Trademarks
Patent and Trademark Searching
We can assist you with preliminary searching for
patents and trademarks. We are not a patent search service
provider. We act as an educational resource for users by providing:
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A basic overview of various patent and trademark
resources.
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An introduction to patent searching.
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Assistance with the
US
Patent and Trademark database, available free via the web.
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An awareness of other issues that affect the patent
process.
Due to the complex nature of this field we
stress that our results should only be considered a starting point for a
more thorough search. Searching is only one part of the patent and
trademark process and further assistance from information specialists
and legal professionals is often necessary.
Call
208-384-4076 to ask questions or make an appointment to discuss
your research needs. Use the resources
listed below to start your patent or trademark research.
Patent and Trademark Resources on the Web and In Print
This page is
designed to assist the independent inventor and small business owner
with the invention and trademark process. Use it as a guide
to help you through the intellectual property maze.
Free
Patent & Trademark Databases
US Patent and Trademark Office Home Page
http://www.uspto.gov
The official site for patents and trademarks with full text and images from 1790 to present. However, prior to 1976 patents can only
be searched by patent number or current US classification. You
can retrieve the entire patent as a scanned image for all dates if you
have installed the required TIFF viewer. The trademark database
contains pending and registered trademarks with images. Trademark
applications can be filed electronically online. Be sure to read
the statement about the limitations of these two databases.
Google Patent
Search (beta)
http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en
Canadian
Intellectual Property Office (full
text images since 1920) http://patents1.ic.gc.ca/intro-e.html
The
British Library's list patent offices around the world.
http://www.bl.uk/collections/patents/polinks.html
Fee Based Patent and Trademark Databases
A selective list of fee based online providers of
intellectual property databases:
More Patent & Trademark Information
USPTO Fee Schedule
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fees.htm
Use for both patents and
trademarks.
Independent
Inventor Resources
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/index.html
A useful introduction to the
basics of patents and trademarks, including current news and links.
Manual
of Classification for Patents
http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/
Patent
Assistance Center
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/pacmain.html
The Center is a telephone
service within the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office for providing
information services to the public concerning any general questions
regarding patent examining policies and procedures.
Basic Facts about Trademarks
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/basic/
This where you will find
information about application forms, contact information, and the
trademark registration filing process and requirements.
Classification
of Trademarks
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/doc/gsmanual/
Trademark Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual
Frequently
Asked Questions About Trademarks
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/tmfaq.htm
Forty plus pages full of
essential information.
Patent
Information Users Group, Inc. (PIUG)
http://www.piug.org/index.php
A not-for-profit organization for individuals having a
professional, scientific or technical interest in patent
information.
Search Tutorials
Patent
Searching Tutorial http://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/patent-tutorial/index.htm
A nicely done overview of a
very complex process provided by the Richard W. McKinney Engineering
Library.
Patents:
what they are and how to find them
http://web.library.uiuc.edu/grainger/resrc/patent/patent2.htm
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign site.
The
7-Step U. S. Patent Search Strategy
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/step7.htm
A brief overview of the search process from the USPTO.
Web
Based Patent Searching
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/howto/guides/patsearch/index.html
University of California at San Diego site.
Top
Invention Assessment Centers & Fee Based Search Services
There are numerous individuals and companies that will provide patent
and trademark searching. These few are affiliated with reputable
nonprofit or academic organizations.
Innovation Institute
http://www.innovation-institute.com/home.htm
Home of the
WIN (Wal-Mart Innovation Network) Program, a cooperative venture of
the Innovation Institute, Southwest Missouri State University, and
Wal-Mart. WIN is an inventor assistance service
that provides
inventors with an honest and objective third-party analysis of the
risks and potential of their ideas and inventions. Contact info:
WIN, Innovation Institute, 852 Highway MM, Everton, MO 65646, USA.
Phone: 1-417-836-5671
UIA Patent
Search Service
http://www.uiausa.com/Default.aspx?page=130
United Inventors Association (UIA) information listed below
Wisconsin
Innovation Service Center
http://academics.uww.edu/business/innovate/
Based at the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, they help small manufacturers,
technology businesses, entrepreneurs, and independent inventors make
new product and market development decisions. Contact info:
The Wisconsin Innovation Service Center, University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater 402 McCutchan Hall, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA.
Phone 414-472-1365 Fax 414-472-1600
Top
Inventor
Websites and Organizations
About.com Guide for Inventors
http://inventors.about.com
A useful Website for the independent inventor - a wide range of resources.
National
Inventors Fraud Center
http://www.inventorfraud.com
The National
Inventor Fraud Center, Inc. is a North Dakota corporation owned by
Neustel Law Offices. Maintains a "Good Guys" and "Bad
Guys" list, current news articles and other useful information
for the independent inventor.
Patent
Cafe
http://www.patentcafe.com
A meta site
that addresses the many needs of the independent inventor. It
includes links to resources like patent databases, invention marketing
information and articles about invention process.
United Inventors
Assocation
http://www.uiausa.com/
UIA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, founded in 1990. Information and
educational materials are free and open to the public. Additional in-depth
materials and services are available to members on the members-only sections of
this site. UIA members include: national and international inventor groups,
individual inventors, entrepreneurs, academia, commercial enterprises, service
providers and non-profit companies.
Top
Articles
Articles
Inventors
Digest
http://www.inventorsdigest.com
Affiliated
with the magazine of the same name but provides much more in terms of
links and resources, advice and contacts. Many articles written by
inventors and experts in the legal and patent field.
So
You Have An Idea
http://www.fplc.edu/tfield/IDEA.HTM
This article
will give you a realistic rundown of what is involved in the patent
process. Written by Thomas G. Field, Jr., Professor of Law at the
Franklin Pierce Law Center, it is one of several publications he has
written for the layperson.
Seeking
Cost-effective Patents
http://www.fplc.edu/tfield/seeking.htm
Another Thomas
G. Field article.
Books
Search the catalog by doing a subject search using the key word
"patent" to
find library materials. Some titles of interest are listed
below:
From
Patent to Profit by Bob DeMatteis, 2005
As you can
tell by the title author Bob DeMatteis thinks there is more to being a
successful inventor than simply getting a patent. He addresses
the issues of inventions and patents as a business and money making
venture.
How to
Register Your Own Trademark by Mark Warda, 2000
Addresses the issues of trademarks, including more recent domain name
developments and provides a wide selections of examples and forms.
Marketing Your Invention by Thomas E. Mosley, Jr., 1997
Patent Drawing Book by Jack
Lo & David Pressman, 1997
Patent
It Yourself by David Pressman, 2000
A Nolo Press
book written by attorney David Pressman. Even if you don't
intend to file your patent by yourself this is a useful book to help
you understand the intricacies of the process. Readily available
at most libraries and bookstores.
Patent Searching Made Easy by David Hitchcock, 1999
Patent Searching for
Librarians and Inventors, Timothy Lee Wherry, 1995
Easy might be a little overly
optimistic but these two books will help you with the mechanics of
searching.
Profit From Your Idea: How to make smart licensing decisions.
2006
Learn about how to license your invention. A Nolo Press publication with 2 CD-Roms.
Stand
Alone, Inventor! by Robert Merrick, 1997
Merrick, an
accomplished inventor, offers his insights on what it takes to
successfully patent an invention and bring it to market.
Will It
Sell?: how to determine if your invention is profitably marketable by James E. White, 2000
A chatty and opinionated book that definitely reflects the author's
personal experience and expertise as an inventor and marketer.
Don't expect to find a dry A-Z approach to inventions in this 300+
page book. His self-promotion Website can be found at http://www.willitsell.com.
Forms
Invention
Disclosure Form
http://www.lightlink.com/bbm/pdisfm.html
A form created
to help you organize your thoughts about your invention and save you
time and money before filing or visiting an attorney.
Inventor
Forms
http://www.ipbookstore.com/forms.asp
A selection of forms from
the Patent Cafe site, many of them dealing with nondisclosure and
noncompete forms. No longer free but still inexpensive.
Nondisclosure
Agreements (NDA)
An article from Nolo press. Also includes a link to an article about non-compete
agreements.
Sample Nondisclosure Agreements
These samples were found posted on the Internet. As with
anything of a legal nature you should consult an attorney to see what is
appropriate for your specific situation.
Inventors
Network
http://www.inventnet.com/nondisclosure.html
MBADesk.com
http://www.mbadesk.com/agreements/NONDISCLOSURE_AGREEMENT.doc
Last Updated:03/13/2008
Author:grr
