Xref: utzoo misc.legal:13465 sci.electronics:9475
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!psuecl!peg
From: peg@psuecl.bitnet (PAUL E. GANTER)
Newsgroups: misc.legal,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Patents
Message-ID: <77724@psuecl.bitnet>
Date: 13 Jan 90 15:47:43 GMT
References: <1311@corpane.UUCP> <25871@cup.portal.com>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Engineering Computer Lab, Pennsylvania State University
Lines: 20

> The next step would be to do a patent search.  There are a couple dozen
> places around the U.S. where patent collections are available to the
> public.  They're listed on the inside cover of a magazine called the
> OFFICIAL GAZETTE, which you can find at any large university library.
> The magazine is published by the Patent Office, and has abstracts from
> all newly-issued patents.  You can almost do a patent search in a large
> collection of the Official Gazette, but it's much better to go to a
> patent library.  They will be able to tell you how to do the search.

Apparently most large university libraries have patents on microfilm and
partially on CD-ROM.  Here at Penn State, we have a nice computer system
that will search the CD-ROM's in various ways, giving you patent numbers
to refer to and occasionally brief descriptions.  I recall reading that
some idiot was stealing microfilms of patents from universities around the
country, so I assume most other universities have the films (note: an "idiot"
because you can buy the microfilms at fairly low cost).

Good luck!

Paul