Computer Sciences  Tags: wendt computer_sciences cs engineering  

What is a Patent?

A patent is a grant of property right by the government to an inventor preventing others from making, using, or selling an invention for a period of 20 years from application date. 

Set up an appointment with Nancy  Spitzer or Amy Kindschi

OR

Drop in at the 2nd floor Reference Desk

Email 

Nancy - spitzer@engr.wisc.edu           Amy - kindschi@engr.wisc.edu

Call

Nancy - (608) 265-9802                  Amy - (608) 262-9405

Wendt Reference Desk                  (608) 262-0696

Wendt - askwendt@engr.wisc.edu

For more information on patents and patent searching, see the full patents' research guide.

USPTO Patent Full Text Database

• Search full text of US patents from 1976 to the present
• Retrieve patent images 1790-present using Patent Number Search or Classification number search
• Search US Patent Applications from same page (use the right-hand box)
• Patent images are in TIFF format (must download a free TIFF viewer, AlternaTIFF)

espacenet

• Worldwide patent database with over 60 million patent documents from 81 countries
• Patent documents in the language of the issuing country, but at least 5 million have a searchable English abstract
• Includes US patents and applications searchable by keyword in title and abstract
• Patent images are in PDF
• Patent data can be exported to Excel (from results and from My Patents List)

Google Patents

• Keyword searching of all US patents from 1790 to present & US applications 2001 to present
• See full patent image with search terms highlighted
• PDF image available
• Can search within a patent

Freepatentsonline.com

• Access to all US patents and patent applications and partial European data
• Free PDF downloading
• Free account features such as RSS feeds 

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)

• Serves the University of Wisconsin-Madison scientific community
• Patents the discoveries of UW-Madison researchers
• Licenses technologies to leading companies in Wisconsin, the United States and worldwide

UW-Madison Graduate School - Intellectual Property policies and procedures

UW Office of Corporate Relations  Connects the resources of the university with the business community

UW College of Engineering Innovation Days Information for students on the Schoofs Prize for Creativity and the Tong Prototype Competition

Wiscontrepreneur  A new grant-funded program to support and enhance entrepreneurial activities throughout the UW-Madison curriculum.