Most inventions are a solution to a problem. Most problems have several solutions, to persuade one that your idea is better one needs to know what alternatives are.
A prior art/ state of the art search allows one to:
Provisional – not examined, placeholder patent
Nonprovisional – examined – three types
Databases: Remember to look at both patent and non-patent literature
To review the basics of patents, and inventor and entrepreneurial resources, look at the US Patent and Trademark Organization (USPTO).
Search and display U.S. patents 1790 to the present using the technology that powers Google Book Search, with the ability to scroll and zoom in on text and illustrations.
A worldwide, open-access, free patent informatics resource. Search and retrieve the full-text of millions of patent documents from US, Europe, Australia and WIPO, their status and counterparts up to 70 countries. Free PDF downloads for US, Australian, PCT and European patent documents.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) PATENTSCOPE Search Service enables users search fulltext of over 1.6 million published international patent applications.
Nexis Uni provides access to more than 17,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis. Nexis Uni includes: 1) full-text access to thousands of news sources (primarily newspapers, magazines and journals) in the U.S. and abroad back to the 1970s; 2) aggregated economic data - including company financial information, and SEC filings and reports - on businesses, corporations, and industries in the U.S. and abroad; 3) full-text legal documents, including U.S. Federal and State court cases, federal and state agency regulations, Shepard's Citations to Supreme Court cases (back to 1789), and law reviews from the late 18th century to present.
[Access is limited to current WPI students, faculty and staff. Access is not available for walk-in or non-affiliated users.]
Connect with the world’s scientific knowledge and find the answers you need to advance your scientific research. Access journals and patents across multiple disciplines and identify chemical substances and structures, names, and properties, including CAS Registry Numbers®. In addition, take advantage of the included structure drawing tool, powerful visualizations, a retrosynthesis planner, bioactivity data, and more. With an easy-to-use search interface, get started quickly and complete your research tasks with confidence. *Use the Open CAS App Switcher (top left corner) to also access CAS Analytical Methods and CAS Formulus® on the CAS SCIFINDER DISCOVERY PLATFORM.
Current WPI faculty, staff, and students must create their own SciFinder username and password before they can access the database. You must use a campus IP (i.e be on campus or using VPN) when you create your account, and you must use your @wpi.edu email address when you register. SciFinder will email to this address instructions for completing your registration. Non-WPI email addresses will not be accepted.
**Click on REGISTRATION to begin.
For more detailed information Click here
A few sample non patent databases:
Abstracts from the Compendex database, which includes the electronic version of Engineering Index, with links to full text articles, patents, standards and handbooks in scientific, applied science, technical and engineering disciplines. Comprising journals, conference proceedings, dissertations, standards, books, and recently preprints, Compendex content is sourced from thousands of publishers from around the world, including major engineering societies such as IEEE, ASME, SAE and ACM.
Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, features smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research. Scopus delivers the most comprehensive overview of the world’s research output in the fields of Science, Technology, Medicine, Social Sciences, and Arts & Humanities. As research becomes increasingly global, interdisciplinary and collaborative, Scopus helps ensure that crucial research from around the world is not missed.
Google search for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports on all topic areas. Use to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, prepublication repositories and universities.
Various business databases such as: IBIS, Gale, PRoquest, Business Source Elite and Nexus Uni
The Art of Patent Searching
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