ARE 309: Environmental Law
U.S. Patents
Inventors fully describe their invention to the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) in exchange for a time-limited exclusive right to manufacture
or sell their invention. The information in these disclosures becomes public
knowledge and is available electronically from the Patent and Trademark Office.
The USPTO also administers a nationwide network of public, state and
academic libraries designated as Patent and Trademark Depository
Libraries authorized by 35 U.S.C. 12 to:
Disseminate Patent and Trademark Information.
Support Diverse Intellectual Property Needs of the Public.
The NCSU Libraries is one of those libraries. The collection of patents
in the D.H. Hill Library dates back to 1790 and includes more than 7.2 million
documents (July 2007). The library's holdings are described on these pages:
NCSU Libraries Patent and Trademark Depository
Library
Until recently being a Patent Depository Library was pretty exclusive. Our
library was the only place between Richmond and Atlanta with such a
collection, but now a great deal of patent literature is available on
the Internet.
-
USPTO Web Patent
Database
- This Patent Office web site has the full text of all US patents issued
since January 1, 1976, and full-page images of each page of every US patent
issued since 1790.
-
Independent
Inventor Resources
- General information about patents and resources for the independent
inventor are available from this Patent Office's web site.
Librarian Contact Information
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