MEDICAL AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT

Classification 24/all - subclasses >> view this class definition

U. S. PATENT RESOURCES

As general guidance, a complete search of U. S. patents in this art area will include the following:

1. A classified search of the original classification class and subclass for the subject matter and the other highly relevant art areas in the US patent documents
2. A text search of the US patent documents; patents, PG PUB, and OCR databases:
• Broad text search for the general inventive concept(s), not limited by classification
• Narrow text search for the specific claimed invention
• Boolean text search employing the relevant inventive terms

The resources listed below are internal USPTO search tools. However, the information that they cover is available either commercially, on the USPTO web site, or in the Public Search Facility on the USPTO Headquarters campus and the Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries.

EAST/WEST

EAST Coverage: 1971 - present, Full Text: 1971 - present

WEST Coverage: 1971 - present, Full Text: 1971 - present

Full text patent and inventor searching.

Classification and text search done separately. Classification usually yields best results because of the use of broad terms; searching clasp, zipper or button on its own does not give good results. Design patents can be useful. Backward and forward citation searching has proven to be useful for this class.

BRS Search/USOCR Database

EAST Coverage: 1920 - 1970, Full Text: 1920 - 1970

WEST Coverage: 1920 - 1970, Full Text: 1920 - 1970

Full text of U.S. patent grants.

Classification and text search done separately. Classification usually yields best results because of the use of broad terms; searching clasp, zipper or button on its own does not give good results. Design patents can be useful.

PGPUBS

EAST Coverage: 2001 - present, Full Text: 2001 - present

WEST Coverage: 2001 - present, Full Text: 2001 - present

U.S. published applications.

Classification and text search done separately. Classification usually yields best results because of the use of broad terms; searching clasp, zipper or button on its own does not give good results. Design patents can be useful.

PLUS

Coverage: 1971 - present, Full Text: 1971 - present

USPTO search system for U.S. patents.

PLUS (Patent Linguistics Utility System) is a USPTO search system for US patents that produces a list of the most closely related patents to the application searched. The system provides a list of classes/subclasses where the suggested patents are classified.

FOREIGN PATENT RESOURCES

Searched separately from the U.S. Patent Search. These databases consist of abstract documents. Text searching abstracts requires the use of different search logic e.g. the use of broad Boolean and/or operators instead of narrow proximity operators.

Derwent World Patents Index and the contents of the EPO Abstracts and JPO Abstracts are available commercially.

Derwent World Patents Index, Classification and Text Search

EAST Coverage: 1963 - present, Full Text: - N/A

WEST Coverage: 1963 - present, Full Text: - N/A

English abstracts database of patent documents from more than 40 patent-issuing authorities.

EAST or WEST is used for text and assignee/inventor searching. Queries may include classification parameters when combined with other terms to be searched in the technical content of the application.

EPO Abstracts, Text and Classification Search

EAST Coverage: 1978 - present, Full Text: - N/A

WEST Coverage: 1978 - present, Full Text: - N/A

English abstracts database of patents and published applications from EPO, WO/PCT, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Switzerland. USPC searching is limited to documents added to the database from 1978 to September 30, 1995.

EAST or WEST is used for text and assignee/inventor searching. Queries may include classification parameters when combined with other terms to be searched in the technical content of the application.

EPO esp@cenet

esp@cenet Coverage: 1920 - present, Full Text: 1920 - present

National patent information from all member states of the EPO as well as bibliographic data from patents worldwide.

JPO Abstracts, Text and Classification Search

EAST Coverage: 1976 - present, Full Text: - N/A

WEST Coverage: 1976 - present, Full Text: - N/A

English abstracts database of Japanese published unexamined applications. USPC searching is limited to documents added to the database from 1978 to September 30, 1995.

EAST or WEST is used for text and assignee/inventor searching. Queries may include classification parameters when combined with other terms to be searched in the technical content of the application.

JPO Industrial Property Digital Library

NCIPI Coverage: 1976 - present, Full Text: 1976 - present

Japanese patent information.

NON-PATENT LITERATURE RESOURCES

The resources listed are those that USPTO staff have found consistently yield the most relevant search results. Commercial databases available through a single vendor can generally be searched simultaneously, although it is preferable to search full text and bibliographic databases in separate groupings. In addition to the use of subscription databases and public Internet sites, it is recommended that books, manuals, standards and specifications be considered in the search for prior art.

ALUMINIUM (ALUMINIUM Industry Abstracts (AIA))

STN Coverage: 1968 - present, Full Text: - N/A

Coverage of the world's technical literature on aluminum, ranging from ore processing through applications.

This resource may be used for cases where a material is claimed.

CSA Technology Research Database (TRD)

Dialog Coverage: 1963 - present, Full Text: - N/A

Megafile of the technical bibliographic databases provided by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts.

This resource may be used for cases where a material is claimed.

Knovel

Knovel Coverage: Dates - vary, Full Text: Dates - vary

Science and engineering books and databases.

Titles include Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. This resource may be used for cases where a material is claimed.

RAPRA: Rubber and Plastics

Dialog Coverage: 1972 - present, Full Text: - N/A

Questel Orbit Coverage: 1972 - present, Full Text: - N/A

STN Coverage: 1972 - present, Full Text: - N/A

Covers technical and commercial aspects of rubber, plastics, adhesives and polymeric composites.

This resource may be used for cases in which a material is claimed.

INTERNET SEARCH TOOLS

An Internet search should be considered when a search of the resources listed above fails to locate relevant prior art. A preliminary Internet search may be performed to obtain an overview of the technology, and to identify additional search terms and related product information.

Internet Archive

Internet Archive Coverage: - N/A, Full Text: - N/A

Provides permanent access to historical collections that exist in digital format.

Wayback Machine may be used to date a web page in those cases when art can be found on the internet.

Public Comments on the Search Templates

Public comments on the search templates are invited. Comments should address the points enumerated in the Criteria for Evaluating Recommended Search Resources. Comments can be submitted via the Search Template Project e-mail link on each template page or by mail addressed to:

Mail Stop Patents Search Template Comments
Commissioner for Patents
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
Electronic submission is preferred. The Office will respond to comments in writing.