Patent Information

The Barker Engineering Library has the "Official Gazette of the U.S.
Patent And Trademark Office: Patents" (REF ZT223.A252), which provides
abstracts of patents.  The latest five years are at Barker and earlier
years, at RSC.

Barker will do a quick search at the reference desk which will provide
10-15 citations.  Barker is the library that collects most patent
information Barker also has a number of books describing the patent
process.  Look in Barton under the subject heading "Patents."

If you think you have come up with a new device and wish to obtain a
patent, you may want to consider doing a full patent search.  The
purpose of this lengthy and complicated process is to make sure that
your idea is unique and does not infringe upon any existing patents.
The Computerized Literature Search Service of the MIT Libraries will
do a search for a fee.  To make an appointment telephone 253-7746.

The Boston Public Library (BPL) in Copley Square has the facilities to
allow individuals to perform their own patent searches.  BPL has
copies of the patents, unlike the MIT Libraries, which have no copies
of patents.  For directions to BPL, please telephone 536-5400.
They have the following patents:
          U.S.       - ALL
          British    - ALL
          World      - ALL
          European   - ALL
          German     - up to 1939
          Canadian   - #816353 - #121893  (up to 1988)   

The MIT Technology Licensing Office in Building E32-300, 253-6966, can
help with getting a patent for an invention.