Patents copies

The avaHabHity of citation searching tools is on the increase. A citation database for U.S. patents was first built by Search Check, Inc., which coHected aH U.S. patent citations back to their first appearance on patent copies in 1947. This database was subsequentiy made avaHable for on-line... 

Another useful publication issued by the Chemical Abstracts Service is Directions for Abstractors and Section Editors of Chemical Abstracts This 52-page, indexed booklet contains much information about the nature, style, and form of abstracts and about nomenclature, spelling, forms, and abbreviations. While these directions are intended primarily for the producers and editors of abstracts, they have proved their helpfulness to users of abstracts and to chemical writing in general. They contain special sections devoted to abstracting (1) organic papers and (2) patents. Copies can be obtained from the Chemical Abstracts Service for 25 cents each. 

A thorough search of United States chemical patents since 1907 can be made in any good library by the use of Chemical Abstracts. The tables and Figure 1 inspire confidence in such a search. But it is a laborious and tedious method, especially since one must order and wait for the pertinent patent copies in order to complete the study. 

It is not wise, however, to rely solely on abstracts or abridgments for the collection of patent art. The patent copies themselves should be examined. 

Pressure-sensitive copying paper containing 431 was recently patented (1650). 2-Thiazolyldiazonium chloride enters in the composition of synthetic fibers with ion-exchange properties (1551). 

An abridged copy of U.S. Patent No. 5,131,727 is provided in Figure 1 to illustrate the elements of an issued U.S. patent. The covet or front page of a U.S. patent (Fig. la) must foUow the form requinements placed on issued patents by the U.S. PTO. Specifically, the front covet discloses the inventor in two locations, A and C. The first named inventor is generally used as a head note. A, for the patent. A given patent may often be referred to in an informal sense by this inventor s name. 

Has a search of the prior patents and Hterature been done and copies of the search results or the pubHcations been attached ... 

The Certificate of Correction. Another mechanism for correcting the patent is the "Certificate of Correction," which is essentially a petition filed by the patentee to correct minor errors in the patent produced either by the U.S. PTO or inadvertentiy by the appHcant. Unlike the Notice of Errors, a Certificate of Correction does result in an additional pubHcation from the U.S. PTO, and anyone requesting a copy of a patent in which a Certificate of Correction has been filed will also obtain the Certificate of Correction. A Certificate of Correction reflects amendments made during the examination of the patent which were entered by the examiner but not found within the issued patent. The omission of such amendments can be in the body of the patent or in the patent claims. The Certificate of Correction may also be used to correct errors in the issued patent which were not present in the patent appHcation when it was filed. If the error was caused by the patent appHcant prior to or during examination, the patent appHcant bears the cost of filing and... 

These amendments to the appHcation can be made in English. The Examiner reviews the appHcant s submissions and issues a final written opinion on the patentabiHty of the appHcation. At this time, the appHcant must pursue national filings within those national and regional patent offices in which the appHcant intends to obtain protection. Copies of the PCT patent appHcation and written opinion are then distributed to the National Patent Office by the World International Patent Office (WIPO). 

Documentation abstracts, useful as they are, may also prove inadequate for final decisions, which would make it necessary for the searcher to obtain and examine copies of full patent specifications. Although the increasing availabihty of sets of full specifications on CD-ROM at modest cost is making it easier for searchers to have in their collections copies of those specifications they might need to consult, the necessity to go beyond computer output, whether to abstracts or full specifications, is stiU one of the bottlenecks of computer searching, and therefore an area in which significant new developments are hoped for. 

The following is a copy of the provisional and complete specifications provided by tbe original patentee. The patent has now expired. Further examination of the bodies in question has shown that a few unimportant details require correction —... 

While the tripartite countries of the more developed regions of the world have their own patent laws, and while they honor each other s property protection rights, some countries do not. Patent pirates in these countries freely copy (pirate) innovator drugs and drug products that are under patent protection in the United States and elsewhere without compensating patent holders. India is perhaps the worst pirate offender,... 

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