Subject Librarian
Office Phone: (90-212) 338 13 27
Room Location: 1st. Floor, No: 106
Patent Information
Introduction
Patents are defined as "A licence to manufacture, sell, or deal in an article or commodity, to the exclusion of other persons; in modern times, a grant from a government to a person or persons conferring for a certain definite time the exclusive privilege of making, using, or selling some new invention." (Oxford English Dictionary 2nd edition)
Patent literature is a rich source of technical and research data much of which is never published or disclosed elsewhere. In addition, patents and patent applications are often published earlier than academic papers.
There are generally 4 types of patents:
- UTILITY Patents: Utility Patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or compositions of matters, or any new useful improvement thereof. This is the primary type of U.S. Patent.
- DESIGN Patents: Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture.
- PLANT Patents: Plant patents may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plants.
- REISSUE Patents: Reissue Patents are granted if there is a substantial error or errors in the original patent.
Patent Searching Sites
Several databases are available for searching for patent information.
Not all patents full text can be accessed freely. Some Patent material cannot be easily printed.
Selected Patent Resources
Patent Organisations
- European Patent OfficeEurope network of patent databases. Use esp@cenet to search for patent information.
- Intellectual Property Office of New ZealandThis site provides access to the NZ Trade Mark database and an Information Library of documents maintained by the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.
- IP AustraliaIP Australia grants patents, trade marks and designs, within Australia.
- UK Patent OfficeThe UK Patent Office provides links to patent, trade mark, design and copyright process and policy.
- US PatentsGives full text and images of US Patents from 1975.
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)WIPO is responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among States.
- T.C. Türk Patent Enstitüsü (Turkish Patent Institute)The Turkish Patent Institute provides effective protection and widespread usage of industrial property rights ensuring that Turkish industry and technology plays a leading role in global competition.