Patent searching made easy: how to do patent searches on the internet & in the library (2013)

Part I. The basics. Patents and patent searching. What is a patent and what does it do for me? What is prior art? What is the PTO Patent Database? Patent searching and patent eligibility. The easy part: statutory subject matter and usefulness. Novelty: is your invention new? Nonobviousness: is your invention pbvious? The patent document. Understanding patent databases. How information is entered into the database. Understanding keyword searching. What you need to search patent databases

Part II. Simple and advanced searching. Patent searching at the PTO website. Simple keyword searches at the PTO's website. Searching the Manual of Classification. Search by patent number. Working with patent images. An effective strategy for basic patent searches. Advanced search techniques. How to accomplish an advanced patent search at the PTO website. Searching published patent applications at the PTO's website. Patent searching at the EPO [European Patent Office] website. Patent searching at the EPO. Other patent search websites. Google patent search. Fee-based patent-searching websites. Additional sources of prior art. Google. The Thomas Register. Government websites. Usenet newsgroups. Trade magazines, books, and stores

Part III. Resources. Hitting the books. Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System. Manual of Classification. Classification definitions. Using CASSIS. The CASSIS DVD database. Welcome to CASSIS2. Additional CASSIS features. EAST meets WEST. Web-based Examiner Search Tool (WEST). Examiner Automated Search Tool (EAST). Additional EAST/WEST features. Glossary. Appendixes. Reference collection of U.S. Patents available for public use in patent and trademark resource centers. Forms.