Sheets underlying a workshop on patent searching, Eindhoven University of Technology

1. Patent search instruction
0ZK00 / 0ZS12 Intellectual property rights
TU/e, 15-10-2014
l.osinski@tue.nl, TU/e IEC/Library
Available under CC BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

2. “Cars are so yesterday. Bikes are the future”
[ http://vimeo.com/43038579 ]
The invisible bicycle helmet

3. Where to look for information Database selection
In specialized databases:

Google

Google Scholar

Derwent innovations index

Espacenet

Google patent search [ Google filter or limiter ; coverage ]

Scifinder [ chemical ]

…

4. How to search for information Use of buttons*

Synonyms: invisible bicycle helmet, invisible bike helmet

Phrase searching: “invisible bicycle helmet”

Truncated searching: invisible bi* helmet*

Boolean searching: invisible AND (bike* OR bicycle) AND helmet*

Field searching: Haupt AND Alstin in Inventor

Searching with classification codes
* See help information in each database

5. What to search Problem definition

Known item searching vs. subject searching

Clear and specific formulation of question
•
‘bicycle helmet’ is too general and/or wrong
•
‘invisible’ is irrelevant and/or too restrictive

Question translation (specialist terms)
•
airbag
•
head protection, body part protection
•
patent classification codes

6. Search tips Summary

If you don’t know what you’re looking for you don’t know what you find!

Searching is ‘exact match’

Watch specialist terms (classification codes) in retrieved patents and use them for further searching

Proceed step by step = search term by term

Take numbers for a guideline
•
Short of records: extend your search by using broader terms, by using truncation, by omitting and’s or by adding or’s (synonyms)
•
Too many records: limit your search by using more specific search terms, by omitting truncation, and or’s, by adding and’s & not’s or by searching in fields

Neither be satisfied or dissatisfied too soon

Start in time and keep track of what you’re doing

7. 1.
Website IEC/Library [TU/e]: http://w3.tue.nl/nl/diensten/bib/
2.
Video The invisible bicycle helmet: http://vimeo.com/43038579
3.
Overview specialized databases: http://w3.tue.nl/en/services/library/digilib/retrieval_systems/type/patents/
4.
Derwent innovations index: http://w3.tue.nl/nl/diensten/bib/digibib/zoeksystemen/a_z/dii/
5.
Espacenet: http://nl.espacenet.com/
6.
Google patent search: https://www.google.com/?tbm=pts&gws_rd=ssl
7.
Coverage Google patents: https://support.google.com/faqs/answer/2539193?hl=en#
8.
Scifinder: http://w3.tue.nl/nl/diensten/bib/digibib/zoeksystemen/a_z/scifinder-scholar
9.
IPC Classification codes: http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en/
URL’s of mentioned webpages (in order of appearance)