unexamined applications 18 months after the earliest filing date. Prior to 2001,
secret until a patent issued.
Abstract: Simple,
non-technical
description of the
invention.
Term adjustment:
Additional days
added to the term
of the patent to
uppersmake up for
processing delays.
Front page: the first page of a patent
document containing bibliographic data.
Selected INID Codes
10  Patent number
12  Document type
21  Application number
22  Date of application
45  Date of patent
51  IPC classification
52  National classification
54  Title of the invention
56  References
57  Abstract
58  Field of search
60  Related application data
65  Published application data
72  Inventor(s)
73  Assignee (owner)
74  Attorney or agent
Patent attorney: Legal
counsel hired by the
inventor to prosecute the
application.
Patent examiner: Official
who examined the
application.
Related U.S. application
Number and date of References: U.S. and foreign patent documents and other publications cited as related prior art by the inventor and patent examiner.
U.S. Patent Classification:
USPC codes represent the
invention. 36/3A is the
code for shoe and boot
USPC codes
consulted by the patent
examiner during the prior art
Representative
drawing selected from the
INID codes: Patent offices use INID codes to identify
bibliographic data on the front page of patent documents.
(See sidebar.) These two-digit codes, which may be enclosed
in parentheses, brackets or circles, came into general use in
the 1970s. INID is an acronym for Internationally agreed
Numbers for the Identification of (bibliographic) Data. Date of Issue
Document number: The prefix US indicates that this is a U.S. patent. The
B2 code indicates that this patent has a previously published application.
Country that issued the patent.
Engineering & Science Library
Document number and date  printed at the top of every sheet.
Drawing sheets: Located after the front page. Drawings are common in patents for electrical and mechanical devices as well as articles of manufacture; chemical and biotechnology patents may or may not include drawings. The patent office selects one representative drawing to appear on the front page of the patent.
Drawings must confirm to drafting guidelines set by the patent office. They must be labeled clearly and provide enough detail for the reader to understand the invention’s design and use.
Types of U.S. patents:
1. Utility patent - protects new and useful:
Products (tool, shoe, toy, etc.)
Compositions (chemical compound, alloy, etc.)  Machines  Processes
2. Design patent - protects new and original:
Ornamental designs for articles of manufacture
3. Plant patent - protects distinct and new:
Varieties of asexually propagated plants.
(Reproduced by means other than seeds, such as grafting, budding, etc.)
Specification: Written description of the invention that
precedes the claims. Includes a discussion of the related prior art (previously issued patents and other publications), a description of the drawings (if any) and the preferred
embodiment of the invention. The specification must describe the invention in sufficient detail so that anyone of ordinary skill in the same technical field can understand it.
Document number
Column and line numbers
Claims: Paragraphs located at end of the specification that define the scope of protection of a patent. The phrases “I claim” or “What is claimed” precedes the numbered claims. Patents must have at least one claim, but most usually have several and some hundreds of claims. The claims define the legal boundaries of the invention in the way a property deed defines the physical boundaries of an area of land.
Limitations of Patent Documents
Unlike journal articles, patent applications are not peer-reviewed and experimental proof is not required in order to obtain a patent. Although patents contain detailed
technical information, they can also be frustratingly vague (especially older patents) and written in an arcane technical-legal jargon often called “patentese.”
Twenty years from the date of application. In some cases, the term of the patent may be extended due to delays in the processing of the application. After the patent has expired, the invention becomes public domain. In addition, patent owners must pay a maintenance fee at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years after issue or else the patent will expire.
Michael White
Librarian for Research Services
May 2008

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