 |
An Information Resource for Today's IP Attorneys ADVERTISEMENT |
This Issue, we continue with our Five Part Series by
Dr. Edward Funk:
The Interface of Technology and the Patent Process
Chapter 2-Attorneys and Corporate Inventors- Memos of Invention
of Invention
This chapter proposes a novel method for patent searches that organizes both the patent and technical literature into a "Two Tree" framework to allow patent attorneys to clearly understand the state of the technology.
Everyone knows how to find the Patent Office site at www.uspto.gov, but not everyone uses this resource effectively. The "Quick Search" is the common place to start. The searcher needs to choose two key terms and this will have a major influence on what patents are found. A little knowledge of Boolean algebra helps in terms of the definition of AND, XOR, and OR. The patents can be listed chronologically or by relevance. The later term is related to the number of times the key word appears. In the language of artificial intelligence, this is a one-level-deep search, and it is the logical approach – "breath before depth".
A refined search focuses on searching the manual of classification for the various classes and subclasses that might be relevant to the search and other key words. This is a two-level-deep search in AI terms and is aimed at finding all relevant class/subclass groups and exploring those in depth. The PTO site is very user friendly and there are several clear books such as "Patent Searching Made Easy" by David Hitchcock. There is the other major web site for patents, by IBM. www.patents.ibm.com. One usually starts at the PTO site and the main advantage of the IBM site is that it covers patents back to 1971.
There is, of course, more than using the Internet. The scientific literature often gives direction that helps in a patent search. Most major universities have first-class on-line search programs that cover all the scientific literature.
-Edward Funk, Ph.D.
DECEMBER 2005 EDITION - FEATURE ARTICLE: RIE
Chapter 1-Attorneys and Corporate Inventors- Memos of Invention
Scientists and engineers are taught to maintain laboratory notebooks as an important first step in the invention process. They know, but often don’t follow carefully, the rules of including a reasonable description of an experiment and the data, an idea with a diagram, or a possible new process or device. The lab book usually has some coffee stains that give some authenticity. The book is signed by a colleague who usually signs about 100 pages with a single date. More on this later, but this is the beginning, even if somewhat flawed, beginning of the invention process....
.
Request a Brochure | Unsubscribe | Request an Expert
IPExperts.com
Address : 114 Clarkson Executive Park | City: St. Louis | State: MO | Zip: 63011
email: info@ipexperts.com
tel no.:800-442-5191
web: http://www.ipexperts.com
© 2004 Technical Assistance Bureau, Inc. All Rights Reserved
To verify this E-Letter is in compliance with the FTC CAN-SPAM requirements, CLICK HERE
Archive
(click on the topic you wish to read)
» A Good Expert is Hard to Find
» On the Use of Experts for Patent Enforcement and Defense
Look for these Upcoming Articles
» The Interface of Technology and the Patent Process - Chapt. 3 -5
» Breaking the Daubert Challenge
Visit us on the Web
See how IPExperts.com can answer all your needs
A Division of Technical Assistance Bureau, Inc.