• Patent Offices
• Guides to Searching and Applying for Patents
• Patent Databases
• Additional Internet Resources
• Books in Dibner Library

Patent Offices

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Provides information about U.S. patents and trademarks.

Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Patents, trademarks, copyright, and current regulations for Canadian intellectual property.

European Patent Office
Has a searchable database of over 30 million patent documents. Covers patent and trademark law.

Japan Patent Office
Contains notices, publications, and an Industrial Property Digital Library

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
An organization that supports and promotes the protection of international intellectual property

Guides to Searching and Applying for Patents

Intellectual Property: Patents
Information on different types of patents, patenting an idea or invention, licensing a patent, and more. Provided by FindLaw.

New York Public Library Patents Guide
Contains a description of their patent collections and searching tools.

Patents at MIT
A guide developed by MIT libraries providing general information on patents, and where and how to search for them.

Tutorials
A list of patent search tutorials.

Patent Databases

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Patent Database
Full text and images are available from 1976 to date. Patent numbers only are available from 1790 to 1975.

Department Of Energy Patent Database
Search, retrieve, and browse records of patents and patent applications owned by DOE or its contractors or assignees.

DNA Patent Database
A collection of DNA-based patents and patent applications issued by the United State Patent and Trademark Office. Full-text versions of patents available.

FreePatentsOnline.com
Provides fast, free patent searching, with features such as PDF downloading, search management functions, collaborative document folders, and more.

Google Patent Search
Search over seven million patents.

PatSnap
Access to more than 30 million worldwide patents. View patents bibliography information, legal status, and other information side by side with the actual patent. Basic accounts are free.

Additional Internet Resources

Ask the Inventors!™
Includes answers to the most popular invention questions, a list of resources to help new inventors get started, and advice on how to bring your invention to market.

Bitlaw
A comprehensive Internet resource on technology law, containing over 1,800 pages on patent, copyright, trademark, and Internet legal issues. Provided by the law firm of Beck & Tysver.

Intellectual Property Law and Technology
Articles, Reports and Other Information on Intellectual Property from BRINT Institute.

Patent Alert
Sign up for free email updates about inventions recently patented in the United States.

Patent Information Users Group
A not-for-profit organization for individuals interested in patents. You can join an email discussion list for questions relating to patent information.

Selected Books in Dibner Library

Patents handbook: a guide for inventors and researchers to searching patent documents and preparing and making an application
Call Number: T339 .C347 1995

Protecting your ideas: the inventor's guide to patents
Call Number: T339 .B92 1999

Inventing software: the rise of "computer-related" patents
Call Number: QA76.754 .N5 1998

Successful patents and patenting for engineers and scientists
Call Number: KF3114.8.E54 S83 1995