NCSU Libraries Patent Services for Independent Inventors
Our Depository Services
As a Patent Depository Library, NCSU Libraries can offer you a number of services even if you have no formal affiliation with the university.
- We keep a small collection of how-to books for independent inventors that can guide you through the process of determining if your invention is truly new and unique.
- Our reference librarians can point you to online tutorials and other useful web sites.
- By appointment, we can provide a brief orientation to the materials and resources available.
- We provide access to the Cassis and PUBWest databases for patent searching when you have special needs not met by the US Patent and Trademark Office web site.
- We have print materials, such as Patent Indexes and Official Gazettes, that can help you identify historical patents and inventors.
- We have access to expert reference help at the USPTO if you have a question or research need we are unable to answer for you.
Tips Before You Get Started
Patent searching is complex and time consuming...
Patent searching takes time and can be challenging to learn. Sometimes people wrongly believe they can finish their search for earlier patents in an afternoon. The average patentability search takes 25-30 hours!
There are great “how to” books available!
Check with your local public library or a bookstore – there are very readable books out there to help you, books like Patent It Yourself by David Pressman [in our reference collection, KF3114.6 .P74]. You can read these books in the D. H. Hill Library, but many people find it convenient to buy a book or borrow from a library where they have borrowing privileges.
Patent Depository Libraries cannot offer legal advice.
Patent Libraries are prohibited from offering anything that amounts to legal advice about the patenting procedure. This means we cannot:
- Speculate about your likelihood of obtaining a patent
- Tell you whether or not you should enlist the services of a lawyer, patent agent, or private company
- Do any part of your patentability search or give opinions about whether or not you have conducted a comprehensive search
- Estimate costs for you
- Discuss or speculate about the marketability of your invention.
Good Web Resources
The Public Patent Search Facility in Alexandria, VA
Basics for New Inventors from the USPTO (includes a toll free phone number)
Patent Fees
FAQ at the USPTO
Inventors Assistance Center
|
