UW Engineering Library Collection

Patents and Trademarks

The UW Engineering Library is a depository for the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which means that the library houses the print gazettes,tools-guides, and brochures to the public who are interested in patent research. It is important to note that the role of the library and its staff is to make available the materials and information to conduct research. They are not licensed to do any searches nor are they authorized to provide any legal advice. The library and staff are not liable for the outcome of the research or for the results of any appplications for patents.

To begin with, there are three kinds of patents:

Utility Patents, which consist of "new and useful process, machine, article of manufacturer, or compositions of matters, or any new useful improvements thereof"
Design Patents, which are "a new, original, ornamental design for an article of manufacture"
Plant Patent, which is "granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plants"

Research in patents and trademarks is not a difficult process but it is a time consuming one, and is a process best approached methodically. Keyword searching is not the most effective way to search nor is it the most thorough way to search the USPTO's patent database. The first step towards a productive search is to gain a basic understanding and facility of the Index to the US Patent Classification System. This tool will provide the controlled vocabulary to do a comprehensive search. A good way to approach a search is to be as descriptive as possible and to come up with as many synonyms for an item as possible. It is also important to review the definitions of terms to gain a better idea of how a term is used within the patent classification system. For more specific, step-by-step advice, visit the Engineering Library's link to patent research.

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