Introduction
Patents are a key data in industrial product design. The absolute first step in feasibility is to check if an idea has been protected. As it is also an high time consuming activity, the collected patents are archived locally with references to previous projects.
Note 1: This zone refers to valid patents. Patents released in the public domain are here!
Note 2: Copyrights are also very important for documentation and paperwork. Do not forget to register your documents via: http:⁄⁄www.copyright.gov⁄
Sources:
Main patent offices websites are:
| Country |
Name | URL |
| USA |
USPTO | http:⁄⁄www.uspto.gov |
| Canada |
CIPO | http:⁄⁄strategis.ic.gc.ca⁄sc_mrksv⁄cipo⁄ |
| United Kingdom |
UK Patent Office | http:⁄⁄www.patent.gov.uk⁄ |
| France |
INPI | http:⁄⁄www.inpi.fr |
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of works of the human spirit. These works -- intellectual property -- are expanding the bounds of science and technology and enriching the world of the arts.
European Patent office
The European Patent office (EPO) is a quite new organism identical to the USPTO. Any search for an European patent should start here:
Beside these government offices, they are several private bases:
Some examples:
List of patents collected during project feasibility process.
5,794,601 Fuel pretreater apparatus and method
Note: This patent has given several declinations like the French SPAD system and refers to several public domain released patents (> 20 years)
6,885,536 magnetically generating motion
6,885,920 Control system and method for electric vehicle
6,888,076 Substantially rigid capacitive joystick designs
6,893,757 Fuel cell apparatus
6,894,678 Cursor control
6,895,297 Numerical control device
6,895,347 Computerized methods for data loggers