Research Guides: Patents and Trademarks: Basic Information, Tutorials, etc.

Patent & TM Librarian

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Contact:

Patent & Trademark Librarian
Learning Lab, STEM Library
Rm 2403E Kirwan Hall
University of Maryland
College Park MD 20742-7011

301-405-9152 [try email first, but voice mail also goes to email]

Patent Expiration Date Calculator

This calculator provides a best estimate of the expiration date of a utility, plant, or design patent, based on a comprehensive list of factors than can be found in USPTO records. Download Calculator

Before relying on an expiration date, individuals should always carefully inspect all relevant documents available through the USPTO, court records and elsewhere, and consult with an attorney.

Helpful Sources

https://ptrca.org/handoutsPatent and Trademark Resource Center Association "Handout Central"

Patents Guide by Mike White. Queens University, Ontario.

End-User Patent Searching Using Open Access Sources by Pat LaCourse. Engineering and Science Librarian. New York State College of Ceramics.

Patents Guide: "Help for Researchers". British Library

"Patents, Copyrights, & Trademarks" , by National Paralegal College. Extensive guide; made for a college audience but recommended to us by a teacher of advanced middle school students.

Patent & Trademark Resource Center (contact Jim Miller, PTRC Rep)

The STEM Library is the College Park Patent & Trademark Resource Center

STEM Library (formerly known as EPSL - Engineering & Physical Sciences Library) was designated a Patent Depository Library by USPTO in January 1984. It was renamed a Patent & Trademark Depository Library in 1990, and then a PTRC in October 2011

Getting Started

How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search

The U.S. Government grants a patent 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." A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, which identifies the source of goods or services of one party from those of another. A copyright protects works of authorship, such as writings, music, and works of art that have been tangibly expressed. See: www.uspto.gov/trademarks-getting-started/trademark-basics/trademark-patent-or-copyright

WIPO Tutorial on Using and Exploiting Patent Information This World Intellectual Property Organization tutorial has 3 sections: Patent Basics, Patent Search and Retrieval, and Patent Analysis. "Each section contains interactive tutorials followed by story-based exercises to help you put the theory into practice."
World Intellectual Property Organization's Guide to Using Patent Information A helpful guide that includes a brief overview of what patents are, how they are used, and the basics of searching.
European Patent Office "Searching for Patents"
Introductory presentations on patent information and patent practice
Intellectual Property Awareness Assessment Tool To promote knowledge and provide personalized training resources for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and inventors.
Patent Basics (formerly "General Information Concerning Patents"

Patent Search Aids

Cooperative Patent Classification (in Espacenet) Search by Cooperative Patent Classification codes directly; or search by "keywords" to find CPC codes most commonly given to patents that have those keywords. Esp@cenet also allows search by International Patent Classification (IPC). IPC numbers are similar to CPC but not as specific - use IPC for broader search, CPC for more precise search.
USPTO's Classification Search Page USPTO's Classification Search allows browsing and search by CPC codes only. To search by keywords or phrases in definitions of CPC classes, type "cpc scheme" plus words in the site search at upper right corner of uspto.gov; for example: cpc scheme saw blade. For more precise and detailed word search for the best CPC codes, use Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) "keyword" search at http://worldwide.espacenet.com/classification?locale=en_EP
USPTO Patent Classification site and links Information and links to the new Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), indexes of rough CPC equivalents to old US Patent Classification (USPC), Concordances for USPC and IPC (International Patent Classification), Indexes to the old USPC, Classification Orders (revisions in the old USPC), and more.
Index to the United States Patent Classification System USPC classification uses a very limited number of words to describe classes; sometimes you need to figure out "patentese"/"legalese"; but it can be useful as an alternate classification system, or for historical patent searches.
Publication Date: NO LONGER UPDATED as of about 2013
Cooperative Patent Classification (information and background) website by EPO - USPTO Modeled on European Patent Classification (ECLA), but has more finely divided subjects than either ECLA or US Patent Classification (USPC). Search the CPC Manual at worldwide.espacenet.com under "Classification"
Publication Date: Archive (January 2013) - present
International Patent Classification search Search and Browse IPC codes, for use in Esp@cenet, Depatisnet, Japan's IPDL, US, and other databases. IPC looks like the new CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification), but has much broader categories. Use CPC for more precise searches.
Subject-matter Index of Patents for Inventions Issued by the U.S. Patent Office from 1790 to 1873 by United States Patent Office See online version at ptrca.org/history
Call Number: EPSL T223.D7A45 (print copy in storage; check with STEM Library staff) - BUT there are online alternatives.

Historical, Regional, and Specialized patent lists Scroll to bottom for Utility and "X-patents". Almost 10,000 US patents were lost in the 1836 fire, and only 2622 recovered or partially recovered ones are in patft.uspto.gov. Records of titles and inventors survived, from multiple copies elsewhere

Patents for beginners by David Pressman and Richard Stim
Call Number: EPSL Reference KF3114.6.P738 2000

Trademark Search Aids

Trademark Information Network - USPTO Videos explaining US trademark searching and how to file an application
Design Code Manual for Trademarks (online version)
ID Manual (Acceptable Identification of Goods & Services) Search for precise wording of USPTO's official list of goods and services - to put in the "Goods and Services" box in the trademark application
TESS Help (very detailed instructions, about 50+pages) tmsearch.uspto.gov has specific help at each stage of your search, with hot links from field codes that take you to the necessary parts of a 50+ page search manual. Use this manual mainly for a detailed overview, and to get a sense of how complex a search is possible. TESS can also do very simple Google(R) style searches, both in New User and in Structured or Free Form (Advanced) search options.
Global Brand Database (WIPO) Help WIPO's Global Brand Database is about 3 times larger than USPTO's TESS, and appears to include all US trademarks. But TESS seems to have the more complex search engine, and better help links

Entrepreneurship/Business Links

UMD Innovation Website Links to "Innovation Fridays" sessions and other MTECH and Dingman Center programs. The emphasis is on business plans, marketing, customer focus, etc.
USPTO's "Inventors' Resources" Links to basic information on patents and trademarks; fees, general guides, scam prevention, local resources, etc.
Small Business Administration Nuts and bolts information on business plans, loans/funding, training, contracting and more
SteveBlank.com For startups and entrepreneurs; links to "Lean Launch Pad" and related information
Bplans (Palo Alto Software)
Business plans, starting, pitching, funding, how to, ...