Teaching Chemical Information:
Tips and Techniques

— March 1998 —

Central Connecticut State University: Chemistry 435: Patents

From A. W. Kozlowski, Central Connecticut State U., New Britain, CT 06050

1. Read Chapter 6 in Wiggins on Patents. Read reprint “How to Read a Patent.”
2. Do a search on Dialog as directed in Assignment 9 (Cooke book).
   • Download one patent. Try to get one that is 5 or fewer pages long and was issued earlier than 1994.
   • Identify the claims and note the new chemical information in the disclosure.
3. Look up that patent in the patent index of the appropriate volume of printed Chem. Abs. Is this the head of the patent family? If not, what is the main patent?
   • If it appears it is the head of the patent family, see if any related patents have been issued subsequently in other countries. (Later volume patent indexes)
   • Question 3 is easier answered if you have access to printed collective indexes (1992 newest available). If desired, visit another library (Wesleyan) for collective indexes.

Grace Baysinger, Head Librarian and Bibliographer
Swain Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Library, Stanford University Libraries
graceb@stanford.edu