Patent and Product Information

• For one-on-one database search assistance contact:  your Subject Librarian.    Research Guides
• For quick assistance contact: Ask! US   LWC Information Services Reference Desk, 1st Floor West. Phone: 404-894-4530 or 1-888-225-7804

• Patents and Trademarks
• Patent search examples  (USPTO and EPO)
• Additional, detailed patent and trademark information
• Patents Searching Tutorial (Georgia Tech) http://www.library.gatech.edu/search_locate/techres/patentsearching.wmv
• How to Conduct a Preliminary Patent Search computer based training module (USPTO PTDLP) http://www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl/CBT/
• Conducting a Patent Search at a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL): A Seven Step Strategy  http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/step7.htm
• Product information.
• Handbooks such as Knovel and ENGnetBASE, Command chart and Boolean search strategy, Compendex & Inspec Engineering Databases, NTIS Technical Reports Database, all subject guides.
• Business, industry and consumer databases and resources.  Includes an ABI/Inform search example.
• Boolean logic search strategy hints, listed after database commands comparison chart
• Standards. Standards and specifications database search example

• Foreign Patents and Treaties http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/treaties.htm
• Rights granted by a United States patent extend only throughout the territory of the United States and have no effect in a foreign country.
• In most foreign countries publication of the invention before the date of the application will bar the right to a patent.
• The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industry Property, a treaty adhered to by 140 countries, including the U.S., provides that each country guarantees to the citizens of the other countries the same rights in patent and trademark matters that it gives to its own citizens. The treaty also provides for the right of priority in the case of patents, trademarks and design patents. On the basis of a regular first application filed in one of the member countries, the applicant may, within a certain period of time, apply for protection in other member countries. These later applications will be regarded as if they had been filed on the same day as the first  application.
• USPTO's web page for Patent Cooperation Treaty information http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapps/pct/index.html
• Patent Cooperation Treaty.  PCT Applicant's Guide   http://www.wipo.int/pct/guide/en/index.html.PCT Forms.
• Foreign Patent offices. http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/other.html
• Right to Exclude.  U.S. Patent
• A patent is a grant of a property right by the government to the inventor giving him/her the right to exclude all others from making, using, or selling the invention for the life of the patent. What is granted is not the right to make, use, offer for sale, sell or import, but the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing the invention without the permission of the inventor.
• If a patent is infringed, the patentee may sue for relief in the appropriate Federal court. Infringement of a patent consists of the unauthorized making, using, offering for sale or selling any patented invention within the United States or United States Territories, or importing into the United States of any patented invention during the term of the patent. The patentee may ask the court for an injunction to prevent the continuation of the infringement and may also ask the court for an award of damages because of the infringement.
• The claims are the legal portion of the patent. The courts will look solely at the claims during an infringement suit.
• See various patent guides for how to keep good records.
• Customs & Border Protection (U.S. Customs) can try to prevent the importation of goods which violate a patent if directed to do so by an exclusion order issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The Customs Service can assist patent owners in attempting to determine if imports of infringing goods are taking place (for a fee).  http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/publications/ipr_2edoc/v1/ipr.doc
• New, Useful, Nonobvious.  U.S. Patents
• Patents must be new, useful and nonobvious. Any public use or sale in the United States or publication of the invention anywhere in the world more than one year prior to the filing of a patent application on that invention will prohibit the granting of a U.S. patent on it.
• What cannot be patented: Laws of nature, physical phenomena, abstract ideas, literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works (these can be Copyright protected http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/), inventions which are: not useful (such as perpetual motion machines) or offensive to public morality.
• Inventions must be:  Novel. Nonobvious. Detailed; adequately described or enabled (for one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention). Every step must be described. Claimed by the inventor in clear and definite terms.  Useful.  The invention must work as described.
• Length of Terms. U.S. Patents
• Utility and plant patents issued since June 8, 1995 expire 20 years from the date of application with the payment of maintenance fees. Utility and plant patents issued prior to June 8, 1995 expire 17 years from the date of issue with the payment of maintenance fees.
• Design patent expire 14 years from the date of issue. Patents are not renewable. Under special circumstances, a patent term may be extended.
• The maintenance fee must be paid at the stipulated times to maintain the patent in force. After the patent has expired anyone may make, use, offer for sale or sell or import the invention without permission of the patentee, provided that matter covered by other unexpired patents is not used.
• The terms may be extended for certain pharmaceuticals and for certain circumstances as provided by law.
• "Patent pending."  The protection afforded by a patent does not start until the actual grant of the patent. "Patent pending" means that an application has been filed with the Patent and Trademark Office and is being examined. No patent has yet been issued. It is illegal to use the terms "patent pending" or "patent applied for" when there is not a pending application, or when the application has been denied.
• Published U.S. Patent Applications. Domestic Publication of Patent Applications Published Abroad (from American Inventor's Protection Act of 1999).  Selected U.S. patent applications  are searchable in the Pre-Grant Publication Full-Text database located at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html.  This database only includes data on Published Applications in accordance with the 18 month pre-grant publication rules. Pending patent applications where the applicant has elected to not publish prior to grant remain confidential.  The database consists of the full text of US published applications (including new utility and plant).
• Patent protection lost.  If the inventor fails to pay the periodic maintenance fees, the patent will expire.  In addition, other factors can contribute to loss of patent protection (e.g., a patent can be held invalid or unenforceable by a court).
• Applicant Must be the Inventor.  U.S. Patents
• According to the law, only the inventor may apply for a patent, with certain exceptions. The patent law provides for the transfer or sale of a patent, or of an application for patent, by an assignment and may transfer the entire interest in the patent. The assignee becomes the owner of the patent and has the same rights as did that of the original patentee. Patents can also be licensed exclusively or non-exclusively.  In most foreign countries a patent is granted to the person who first applies, rather than to the one who actually is the inventor.
• Georgia Tech.  Patent filings for inventions developed at Georgia Tech are handled by outside attorneys through the Office of Technology Licensing in the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) http://www.gtrc.gatech.edu/otl.html
• Trade Secret
• Trade secrets may consist of any formula, pattern, physical device, idea, process, compilation of information or other information that both: (1) provides a business with a competitive advantage, and (2) is treated in a way that can reasonably be expected to prevent the public or competitors from learning about it, absent improper acquisition or theft.
• Types of U.S. Patents
• Types of patents
• Utility Patents.  A person/people who invents or discovers any new and useful and nonobvious process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new, useful and nonobvious improvement thereof, may obtain a utility patent. The word "process" is defined by law as a process, act or method, and primarily includes industrial or technical processes. Business methods are examples of a process statutory class. The term "manufacture" refers to articles which are made, and includes all manufactured articles. The term "composition of matter" relates to chemical compositions and may include mixtures of ingredients as well as new chemical compounds http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/what.htm.
• Design Patents.  Design patents are granted to any person who has invented any new and nonobvious ornamental design for an article of manufacture. The design patent protects only the appearance of an article, but not its structural or functional features, http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/design.htm.
• Plant Patents.  A plant patent can be granted to anyone who has invented or discovered and asexually reproduced any distinct and new variety of plant, http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/plant/index.html.
• Fees and Forms. U.S. Patents
• Fees.  The current USPTO fee schedule is available at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fees.htm.
• Forms.  Forms  such as the declaration, small entity status, and provisional patent application are available on the Patent and Trademark Office's home page at http://www.uspto.gov/web/forms/.
• Foregin Patents Forms. PCT Forms. Patent Cooperation Treaty Forms. WIPO.   http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/forms/index.htm
• Provisional and Nonprovisional Patents. U.S. Patents
• Nonprovisional patents. Most of the patents applied for each year are for nonprovisional utility patents.Non-Provisional Application for a Patent A non-provisional application for a patent is made to the Assistant Commissioner for Patents and includes a written document which comprises a specification (description and claims), and an oath or declaration, a drawing in those cases in which a drawing is necessary, and the filing fee. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/applica.htm
• Provisional patents.  Claims and oath or declaration are not required for a provisional application. Provisional application provides the means to establish an early effective filing date in a patent application and permits the term “Patent Pending” to be applied in connection with the invention. To be complete, a provisional application must also include the filing fee, and a cover sheet specifying that the application is a provisional application for patent. Applicant would then have up to twelve months to file a non-provisional application for patent as described above. The claimed subject matter in the later filed non-provisional application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date of the provisional application if it has support in the provisional application. Provisional applications are not examined on their merits. A provisional application will become abandoned by the operation of law twelve months from its filing date. The twelve month pendency for a provisional application is not counted toward the 20 year term of a patent granted on a subsequently filed non-provisional application which relies on the filing date of the provisional application. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/applica.htm
• Portions of this page are excerpted from United States Patent and Trademark Office web pages and from the USPTO's General Information Concerning Patents located at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/index.html

• New and Detail.  The invention must be new. The patent document is often the first place an invention is described. Patents can be useful for cutting edge technology. Also, the patent must be written in enough detail that another person, skilled in that area, could reproduce the invention. Therefore, the invention will be described in great detail. Inventions are often patented before they are advertised or published in journals or books.

• Inventors.   Inventors use patents to perform patentability searches.
• Companies.   Companies use patents to insure they do not infringe on existing patents as they launch new product lines.
• Investors.   Investors use patents to estimate the intellectual assets of a venture.
• University and Industry Researchers.   University and industry researchers use patents to see what others have done to solve a particular design need.

Historical and Genealogical Researchers.   Historical and genealogical researchers use patents to learn of the development of a technology or of a historical figure's accomplishments.

• European Patent Office   http://www.european-patent-office.org/
• The European Patent Office (EPO) is the outcome of the European countries' collective political determination to establish a uniform patent system in Europe.  The EPO grants European patents for the contracting states to the European Patent Convention (EPC), which was signed in Munich on 5 October 1973 and entered into force on 7 October 1977.
• The following states are currently members of the European Patent Organisation:  AT Austria, HU Hungary,  BE Belgium, IE Ireland, BG Bulgaria, IT Italy, CH Switzerland, LI Liechtenstein, CY Cyprus, LU Luxembourg, CZ Czech Republic, MC Monaco, DE Germany, NL Netherlands, DK Denmark, PL Poland, EE Estonia, PT Portugal, ES Spain, RO Romania, FI Finland, SE Sweden, FR France, SI Slovenia, GB United Kingdom, SK Slovakia, GR Hellenic Republic, TR Turkey. A number of other countries are expected to become members in due course. Extension states are AL - Albania, HR - Croatia, LT - Lithuania, LV - Latvia and MK - former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
• Patent offices of the EPO member states.
• Espacenet via the EPO.  Four databases are listed on this service.
• Search hints.

• Georgia Tech Library.  The Georgia Tech Library, a USPTO Depository Library, has a full collection of United States patents (1790+ ). Call 404-385-0226 for hours of availability of the CASSIS CD-ROM system and the full text patents.
• USPTO Depository Libraries. A Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) receives and houses copies of U.S. patents and patent and trademark  materials, makes them freely available to the public, and disseminates patent and trademark information.
• Library's Patent Home Page. Patent Subject Guide.  http://www.library.gatech.edu/research_help/subject/index.php?/patents
• USPTO's CASSIS U.S. Patents Index, 1790+ The CASSIS Patents BIB database contains searchable bibliographic information for utility patent grants issued from 1969 to the present.  The CASSIS CD-ROM system provides a more powerful search engine than is available through the USPTO patents web search engine.  Location: Information Services Desk, 1st Floor West.  Contact your Subject Librarian for assistance searching the USPTO CASSIS system or the advanced USPTO PubWest searching system.
• USPTO U.S. Patent Database, Full-Page Images.  1790+.   Full text searchable back to 1976.http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
• The USPTO Web Patent Database is now searchable in five-year blocks back to 1976, and in one additional block covering the years 1790-1975.
• The full text of a patent includes all bibliographic data, such as the inventor's name, the patent's title, and the assignee's name, as well as the abstract, the full description of the invention, and the claims; all of the words (text) in the patent are searchable from 1976 to present.  Current US classifications have been added to the Full-Text Database in place of issue classifications.
• However, the 1790-1975 block contains only patent numbers and current US Classifications, and thus will produce search results (hits) in only those two fields.  Patent full-page images have been added back to 1790.
• Retrieve free full U.S. patent images.
• USPTO. How to Access and View Full-Page Images.  Instructions for accessing full-page images in TIFF format are at http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/images.htm
• Other free sites for printing patents
• pat2pdf.org.  Covers all U.S. patents and published patent applications.  Allows for multiple searching
• Patent Fetcher. Covers U.S. Patents and published patent applications
• espacenet. Search "worldwide patents" for largest range of document.
• Google.  Covers U.S. patents. Example: type "patent 5676543"
• Patent Web Resources. http://www.library.gatech.edu/search_locate/techres/patentsweb.htm
• Handouts available at the reference desk 1st floor west: Patents and Trademarks.  Georgia Tech Library Patents & Trademarks Research Guide
• Patent Subject Guide.
• Espacenet via the EPO.  Esp@cenet search hints.
• Foreign Intellectual Property Offices Web Sites.  Foreign patent office web sites http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/other.html.  Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Applicant's Guide.

• Patent database search examples (slides)
• Patent database search examples (USPTO & EPO).
• Additional, detailed patent and trademark information slides, with additional search examples.
• Patents Searching Tutorials
• How to Conduct a Preliminary Patent Search CBT module
• Patent Search at a Patent and Trademark Depository Library: A Seven Step Strategy
• USPTO. Keyword Searching. Keyword searching is a quick way to obtain patents on a topic (class/subclass searching is the preferred method of searching).  USPTO patent web page searching hints:
• Boolean operators are “AND” “OR” “ANDNOT.”
• Phrase searching uses quotation marks (") such as “Hair Dryer.”
• Field Searching is possible, such as  (ABST/("hair dryer")) OR (TTL/("hair dryer")).
• Truncation uses the $ sign, such as heat$.
• USPTO. Class/Subclass Searching
• Class/Subclass searches are more comprehensive than keyword searches.
• Class/Subclasses searches can retrieve fewer irrelevant patents than keyword searches.
• Hints for web USPTO searches: classification searches use the format ccl/class/subclass, such as 427/2.31 or 427/3A, or (ccl/427/$ ) AND (ISD/11/1/1997->5/12/1998).
• The Library's  CASSIS CD-ROM (1790+ ) and the USPTO Web Patent Database both provide current, up-to-date searching of patent classes and subclasses.
• USPTO. Cited Patents
• Conducting cited patents searches is another way to focus a search or find similar patents. Search the patent numbers mentioned in the patent document itself --
• "References Cited" (earlier patents) and
• "Referenced By" (find later patents which cite the original patent number).
• USPTO. Classification Guides
• The Manual of Classification is used to determine the appropriate U.S. patent classification. Classes/Subclasses are hierarchical. The print (paper) version, located behind the reference desk on the 1st Floor West, may be easier to use than the online version at http://www.uspto.gov/go/classification/
• Ask at the Reference/Information Services Desk 1st Floor West for the location of patent guides.
• The Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System is available online and in paper copy (1st Floor West reference desk).
• Classification Definitions are online and in microfiche.
• USPTO.  Public PAIR.  File Wrapper.
• Public PAIR  Search PAIR for publically available patent file wrappers.  PAIR is the Patent Application Information Retrieval system that displays information regarding patent application status. “Public PAIR” only displays issued or published application status. Track the status of a public patent application as it moves from publication to final disposition, and review documents in the official application file.   As new applications, not covered by confidentiality laws, become eligible for publication 18 months after they are filed, they will be added to the database.  The patent file wrapper contains the prosecution history of the application, from its filing to the granting of the patent. File Wrappers contain application papers, all Office actions, as well as correspondence from the applicant/attorney of record. http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/pair
• "Order Copies of U.S. Patent and Trademark Documents."  Public PAIR file wrappers are only available from mid-2003 forward.  File Wrappers from earlier years must be requested from the Office of Public Records - it includes all correspondence, arguments, etc.  "To Place an Order via Telephone, Mail, Fax, or E-Mail."  Refer to the "Fee Table"  for a listing of documents, definitions, services, and fees.
• USPTO.  Assignments.
• Search Patent Assignments.  http://assignments.uspto.gov/assignments/q?db=patPatent assignment search help   http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/help_assignments_p.htm
• Advanced searching. PubWEST (USPTO). Georgia Tech faculty/staff and students: for information about a database which offers advanced searching capabiliites (complex Boolean searching, multiple search statement lines, and proximity operators), contact your Subject Librarian; your Georgia Tech Subject Librarian can assist you with searching the USPTO's advanced PubWEST search system.  The PubWEST system uses powerful BRS search software -- proximity operators, field searching, manipulation of previous search statement lines, etc.  Available databases include USPT (full text of most patents 1971+), USOCR (Optical Character Recognition to scan patent copies 1920-1970 and 1971-1976 that are missing from the USPAT file), PGPub (utility applications that have been pending for 18 months), JPAB (English language abstracts of unexamined Japanese patent applications, Oct 1976+), and EPAB (published documents from the European Patent Office, selected EPO member countries, USPTO, and the World Intellectual Property Organization; dates vary).  The PubWEST system is made available to the Georgia Tech Library through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program (PTDLP).
• USPC to IPC, Classification Concordance, Patents  http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/
• University of Michigan & Google Inc. (MBooks) digitized the Annual report of the Commissioner of Patents 1845-1871.
• The USPTO can provide a preliminary recommended Class and Subsclass.
• Miscellaneous patent handouts and trademark handouts.

• European Patent Office (EPO)
• Espacenet®.  Free online patent search in over 30 million documents (EPO member states and worldwide database).
• Esp@cenet® manual.  Provides tips for searching.
• Espacenet®.  Search options.
• Quick Search. Search with keywords, or for persons or organisations
• Advanced Search. Search using any of the available fields
• Number Search. Search using publication, application or priority number
• Classification Search.
• The European Classification system (ECLA) is used by the EPO for carrying out patent application searches. It is built on top of the International Patent Classification system (IPC), and is constantly being revised and updated.
• Espacenet via the national offices of the member states. Provides links to European country patent databases.
• Classification Concordance, Patents, USPC to IPC   http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/
• International Patent Classification (7th edition only).  This classification system is administered by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• Free sites for Searching Patents http://www.library.gatech.edu/search_locate/techres/patentsweb.htm
• Espacenet via the European Patent Office.
• Worldwide database.  Coverage, differing years. European Patent Office search   The worldwide database enables you to search for information about published patent applications from over 70 different countries and regions. It is based on the PCT minimum documentation.  The EPO has expanded the coverage of its internal database far beyond the PCT minimum documentation to include data from other countries and other time periods.  (1)  European Patent Office, (2) France, (3) Germany, (4)  Switzerland,  (5) United Kingdom, (6) US, (7) the World Intellectual Property Organization (PCT).    Abstracts: China and Japan.  Bibliographic only: countries ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe.
• Last 24 months. (1) WIPO database and EP database.  Search in the WIPO patent applications published by WIPO  (WO publications) in the last 24 months. Only the bibliographic data of WO patent documents can be searched and displayed.  For WO patents older than 24 months, select the Worldwide database. (2) EP database.  EP database patent applications published by the European Patent Office over the last 24 months (for EP patents older than 24 months select the Worldwide database).
• Japan patent abstracts.  Abstracts of Japanese patent applications - non examined - filed by Japanese applicants since October 1976. From 1998 onwards, it also contains patent applications which priority is not Japanese.
• World Intellectual Property Organization.  WIPO PatentScope Search - International Patent Applications http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/  The Intellectual Property Digital Library Web site provides access to intellectual property data collections hosted by the World Intellectual Property Organization. These collections include PCT (Patents), Madrid (Trademarks), Hague (Industrial Designs), Article 6ter (State Emblems, Official Hallmarks, and Emblems of Intergovernmental Organizations) and others.  Provides a searchable database of published international applications (bibliographic data, abstract and drawing) from the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) Gazette.

• USPTO. The Inventors Assistance Center (IAC) provides patent information and services to the public. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/pacmain.html.
• Patent Attorneys and Agents.  Most inventors employ the services of registered patent attorneys or patent agents. The Patent and Trademark Office maintains a register of attorneys and agents with licenses to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office. https://oedci.uspto.gov/OEDCI/
• Local libraries.
• Local libraries
• USPTO depository libraries http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ido/ptdl/index.html  may have patent information available. A description of the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program is at  http://www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl/.  The Georgia Tech Library is a USPTO depository library.
• Resources for Georgia Inventors. http://www.library.gatech.edu/search_locate/techres/patentinventors.htm
• Resources on the web
• Invention Marketing, Fraud and Scams
• National Inventors' Organizations
• Georgia Inventors' Organizations
• Inventor groups are listed in the yellow pages
• Inventor Promotion Firms.
• Inventors should be careful when using an invention promotion firm. Some are disreputable. Inventors should consider contacting the Better Business Bureau, Chambers of Commerce, and/or the Federal Trade Commission to see if there are any complaints outstanding on the firm before giving them money.
• Federal Trade Commission warning. http://www3.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/invent.htm  Some inventors pay thousands of dollars to invention promotion firms that promise to evaluate, develop, patent, and market inventions...and then do little or nothing for their fees.
• Business plans.  Restrict to subject heading field in Classic Catalog:  New business enterprises planning, or Small business planning, or Business planning.
• General Information Concerning Patents USPTO http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/
• Books.
• To learn how to keep good records and how to write claims, specifications, drawings and other parts of the application see books such as:
• Pressman, David. Patent It Yourself. Berkeley, CA, Nolo Press. Call Number: KF3114.6 .P74. Ask at Reference/Information Services Desk 1st Floor West for latest edition.
• Elias, Stephen. Patent, Copyright and Trademark. Berkeley, Nolo Press. Call Number: KF2980 .E44. Ask at Reference/Information Services Desk 1st Floor West for latest edition.
• Lechter, Michael A.  Successful Patents and Patenting for Engineers and Scientists.  New York : IEEE Press, c1995.  Call Number: KF3114.8 .E54 S83 1995.  Ask at Reference/Information Services Desk 1st Floor West for latest edition.
• Government.  Small Business Administration (SBA) in Atlanta.   Small Business Administration.   The federal government provides help for inventors in obtaining financing (loans, grants and venture capital) as well as help in marketing and setting up their own business.  Grants from National Science Foundation.  Web sites that offer assistance for the inventor http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/dta_txt.htm#RelatedWeb

• Trademarks. Trademarks are words, phrases, symbols or designs, or combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, which identify and distinguish the sources of the goods or services of one party from those of others.
• Trademark slide presentation (USPTO) example
• Trademark Document Retrieval (TDR). "Through TDR, you can view and download any or all documents contained in the electronic file wrapper of all pending trademark applications, as well as many registrations."
• Servicemarks. Servicemarks are the same as trademarks, except that they identify and distinguish the sources of services rather than products.
• USPTO Federally Registered ® Trademarks.
• Federal trademarks generally must be used in interstate commerce.
• U.S. Federal Government trademark information is available at http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
• The USPTO federal trademark full image database (TESS Trademark Electronic Search System) is at http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
• USPTO. Search Trademark Assignments.  Assignment Search Help
• Goods & Services Manual http://tess2.uspto.gov/netahtml/tidm.html.  Manual of Trademark Examining Procedure, Chapter 1400 - Classification and Identification of Goods and Services http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/tmep/1400.htm
• Library's trademark web page. Patent & Trademark Subject Guide. http://www.library.gatech.edu/research_help/subject/index.php?/patents
• States.  Contact the appropriate state agency for state registered ™ or SM trademarks.

Trademark Web Resources. Free Search Sites. http://www.library.gatech.edu/search_locate/techres/trademarkweb.htm

• Knovel  Handbooks. Subject areas include chemistry and plastics, materials science, environmental science, microelectronics materials, electrical engineering, electronic engineering, chemical engineering, systems engineering, food sciences, and mechanical engineering.
• ENGnetBASE. CRC Press' engineering handbooks
• Referex Engineering. (Elsevier) Provides access to the full text of over 300 engineering books, including handbooks, reference books and academic books (materials and mechanical; electronics and electrical; and, chemical, petrochemical and  process). Referex is available through the Engineering Village platform (Inspec/Compendex).
• A large number of handbooks are listed in the Classic Catalog at http://gil.gatech.edu/.

• Brief Business Research Guide is at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/bus.htm, with search examples at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/p3bus.pdf
• Business & Management Research Guides (includes "Databases" left column):  See relevant categories in the Research Guides list.
• General Business & Management, Company Information, Georgia & Atlanta Business, Industry Information, International Business, Statistics, and Legal Resources.
• Business & Management Research Guide
• Company Information
• Georgia and Atlanta Business ResearchGuide
• Industry Information Research Guide
• International Business Research Guide
• Company Directories.
• Associations and Research Centers.  Gale's new Directory platform (Encyclopedia of Associations, Research Centers directory, etc.) will soon migrate to a new online interface.  Temporarily, search the Classic Catalog for print versions.
• Industry Profiles and Rankings.
• Government Information. The Georgia Tech Library is a depository for United States federal government publications.http://www.library.gatech.edu/research_help/subject/index.php?/govinfo
• Consumer and business information through SKS WebSelect's online database of internet resources, such as consumer, career, job, etc.
• Engineering databases.  All Research Guides (left column "Databases").

• ABI/Inform Complete  (1971-) ABI/Inform provides full text for over 1,461 U.S. and international journals covering all aspect of business and management. In addition to the full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for 759 journals.
• ABI/Inform slide presentation search example  http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/p3bus.pdf.
• Brief business subject guide is at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/bus.htm
• Business Source Premier (1984-) Business Source Premier, one of the separately searchable database sub-sets of EBSCOhost, provides abstracts and indexing for over 2,440, as well as full text for over 2,260 business magazines.
• Brief business subject guide is at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/bus.htm, with search examples at http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/p3bus.pdf

• Classic Catalog Search Hints
• Classic Catalog Search Example
• A detailed Classic Catalog Tip Sheet is available.

• Inspec (1896 to present) indexes journals and conference proceedings in control theory, electrical engineering, electronics, physics, computer science, all areas of computing and automation, manufacturing and production engineering, telecommunications, and information theory
• Inspec/Compendex Search Hints.  http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/eintis.htm
• Compendex (1884 to present) indexes individual papers in major journals and conference proceedings.
• Compendex/Inspec  Search Examples.   http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/3ei.pdf
• Search examples for Classic Catalog records
• All Research Guides and All Databases

• Electronic subscription, aggregator and open access journals are linked in the Classic Catalog "Electronic Version: Get fulltext copy. Find It GT" field, with date coverage given after "Available from."  The E-Journal list and the Classic Catalog electronic journal records contain aggregator e-journals with selective coverage and embargo date restrictions (EBSCOhost, ProQuest, GaleGroup, Factiva, Lexis Nexis, etc.).  Check the years (holdings) of the Library's print subscription in the "Library has:" fields (General collection, Storage, Recent issues).

• Standards and specifications are documents that stipulate or recommend minimum and/or optimal levels of performance, quality, conditions and procedures for production, evaluation, distribution, and use of materials, products, and services.  Standards can be set by law. Others are voluntary and are established by societies with particular interest in the field in question.  Specifications are usually narrower in scope than standards.
• Search example for Standards.  http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~bw21/p4stand.pdf
• The Library's print and electronic standards page.  Standards Subject Guide.
• The Library subscribes to full image ASTM and IEEE standards, has access to many free governmental standards
• Selected standards are cataloged in the Classic Catalog at http://gil.gatech.edu/
• Index to standards.  The Library subscribes to a bibliographic IHS database with indexing to identify standards produced by over 730 organizations from around the world at “Databases” “Specs”  (IHS).  IHS’s standards database has a limitation of one simultaneous user.
• “Standards at Tech” “Standards Vendors” or “Society Standards.” Standards Subject Guide.
• Standards which are set by the federal government.
• A selected list of groups of standards or standard producing organizations follows:
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) issues test methods for all kinds of materials, products, systems, etc.  Available full image at “Databases” “Specs”.  Database is limited to one simultaneous user.
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards are available full image at IEEE Xplore  “Quick Links” “Databases” (log-out when finished).  Simultaneous users limitation.
• IEEE Standards Style Manual.   Other style guides.
• Department of Defense. Specifications and Standards
• AGARDographs (Advanced Guidance for Alliance R&D) - selective coverage
• Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI)
• Code of Federal Regulations codifies federal government rules and regulations.  These are set by law and cover a very wide range of subjects, including:  agriculture, energy, financial practices, aerospace, commerce, food and drugs, housing and urban development, national defense, education, environmental protection, public health, telecommunications, transportation, etc.
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• DOE Technical Standards
• European Computer Manufacturers Association
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute
• Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
• National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) (formerly National Bureau of Standards (NBS)) develops national standards to ensure product reliability, to promote public health and safety, to improve the environment, to maintain the national measurement system, etc.  One large set of NIST standards are the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) which deal with computer hardware, software, data representations, ADP operations, and telecommunications. The NIST site contains indexing to and/or fulltext of some Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and Standards Reference Data material.
• National Information Standards Organization (NISO) is a nonprofit association, accredited ANSI to identify, develop, maintain, and publish voluntary, consensus based technical standards for managing information. Most NISO standards and technical reports are available for FREE download at NISO Press Online
• NATO TR (Technical Reports of NATO Research and Technology) - selective coverage
• OSHA
• Building Codes. “Standards & Codes” “Building  Codes”

• Copyright.  A copyright protects the form of expression of a creator against copying.  Literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works are included within the protection of U.S. copyright law.
• Copyright & Fair Use
• Board of Regents Copyright Guidelines
• Obtaining Publisher Permission
• Four Factors of Fair Use
• Topics: Copyright. GT Office of Legal Affairs
• Copyright Policy, Board of Regents  http://www.usg.edu/copyright/ and http://www.usg.edu/legal/copyright/, or at GT course Reserves
• Understanding Copyright

• Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
• Evaluating Internet Research Sources
• Evaluating Web Sites
• Evaluation: Yahoo
• How to Critically Analyze Information Sources
• How to Evaluate Information on the Web
• How to Pick a Search Engine
• Internet Detective
• Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources
• Evaluation Techniques of Internet Resources

• Information Delivery will try to provide loans or photocopies of items not owned by the Georgia Tech Library.
• Electronic interlibrary loan ILLiad forms are at http://illiad.library.gatech.edu/.
• Borrowing & Requesting from other Libraries:  "OPTION 2 - ILLiad Interlibrary Loan System"
• Service is available to currently enrolled students and currently employed faculty and staff.
• Most loans and photocopies are free. However, you would be responsible for any charges in excess of $25.00 per item.
• You can indicate in the ILLiad "Notes" field that you wish to be notified if the item is not free.
• Delivery can range from a few days to several weeks, so allow enough time when requesting material. If you need something in a hurry, indicate a specific deadline. You would still be responsible for charges in excess of the $25 per item limit, even if the material is received after your deadline.

• IEEE Code of Ethics site
• NSPE Code of Ethics site
• ASME Code of Ethics site

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