How to Do a Patent Search
U. S. Patent and Trademark Offices: Full-Text Database now offers all US patents issued since 1790, in the form of searchable patent numbers and current US classifications hyperlinked to full-page images of each page of each patent.
The Delphion Intellectual Property Network (IPN) has evolved into a premier Web site for searching, viewing, and analyzing patent documents. The IPN provides you with access to a wide variety of data collections and patent information including...
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United States patents
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European patents and patent applications
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PCT application data from the World Intellectual Property Office
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Patent Abstracts of Japan
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INPADOC family and legal status data
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IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletins
To Patent... Or Not to Patent
Insights from Inventors Concerning the Patent Process and Need for Secrecy... and Alternatives to the Patent Process including "Giving it away".
Rules for Unconventional Research by William Beatty See also William Beatty's post on Alternatives to Patenting Free Energy Inventions
Levitron: An Amazing Invention and a Patent Failure... or Who Really Invented Levitron "....So today, having failed to make a deal with Harrigan, the Sherlocks are collaborating with Chieffo to produce alternatives to the Hones's product, which they intend to market in May 2000, when Harrigan's patent expires. After hearing this story, people wonder why Harrigan's patent didn't protect Harrigan's rights. The answer is a lesson for all patent holders: A patent only protects its owner as long as the owner enforces it...." A sad tale of paranoia and alleged duplicity and greed.
Technology Shareware Proposal
Why I Don't Patent! "I make money, to continue doing what I'm driven to do (inventing practical energy solutions), immediately by selling books and kits, instead of spending thousands of dollars and years of time getting a patent.
"After you read the rest of this page, read the above statement again, it will make more sense. Not to say that patents aren't good, they just aren't good for inventors in my situation. And interestingly enough, several very good inventors have seen what I've accomplished and are switching to my methods....my 'not patenting' philosophy actually gets the technology onto the market, whereas THOUSANDS of energy products registered in the patent office are NOT on the market...."
"....I did not take out the patents to make money but only to document and demonstrate what the inventive little individual can accomplish, and to prove documentably the socioeconomic existence of such unique industrialization lags. Now that I have proven that an individual can be world-effective while eschewing either money or political advantage-making, I do my best to discourage others from taking patents, which almost never `pay-off' to the inventor...." Buckminster Fuller
Alternatives to Patents
- "....Unlike patents that have 17 year lives, proprietary agreements have infinite lifetimes without cost to anyone...."
A Proprietary Secrecy Agreement and a Non-Disclosure Agreement
Institutes for Inventors
Wal-Mart Innovation Network (WIN) "....The Innovation Institute was established in 1979 to carry on the research function of the Experimental Center for Innovation at the University of Oregon. The Center was one of the first three innovation centers in the United States and it was part of the National Science Foundation's experiment to test various incentives for stimulating industrial and product innovation in the United States. The Oregon center was unique in the NSF experiment in that it was the only center to focus on assisting independent and small business inventors. Dr. Gerald G. Udell was the Principle Investigator for the Oregon experiment and served as the director of the center from 1974 until the completion of the experiment in 1980. It was there that Dr. Udell developed the PIES (Preliminary Innovation Evaluation System) used by the WIN Innovation Center today (see below). Equipped with a background in product development at General Electric, Dr. Udell started work on the PIES format immediately upon assuming leadership of the Oregon center in late 1974...."
The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates those inventors who have turned their ideas into accomplishments. We foster an enthusiasm for asking—and answering—the questions that change lives. Learn how our acclaimed awards and outreach programs inspire the next generation of inventors, and explore our unique Invention Dimension.
Groups, Associations and Alliances for Inventors
United Inventors Association Inventor Resource Internet Pages
"The mission of the UIA is to provide leadership, support, and services to inventor support groups and independent inventors. Membership is extended to these as well as to others who provide reputable service and support to the inventor community. The Inventors’ Awareness Center is the inventor education and advocacy program of UIA and is presented in detail under the section “Red Flag Warnings.”The UIA is sponsored by the Academy of Applied Science."
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