Can I do this at home?
Many of the patent or trademark questions you have can
be answered from your own home. These questions will help
you identify whether or not you need to make a trip to the
NCSU Libraries.
- Do you have a computer at home that is connected to
the Internet via a high speed connection (Cable or DSL)?
If yes, you might wish to try your search from home.
- Do you have a computer at home that is connected to
the Internet via a modem? If yes, you can try to search
from home, but you might find download times excessive.
- Are you searching for very old patents or trademarks
issued to a specific person or entity? For example, are
you looking up your great uncle's invention from 1920-
something? If so, then you need to come to the D.H. Hill
library and look at our old print indexes. Go to the page
on finding older patents and trademarks
and read about how to do this.
- Are you searching for plant patents? If so, you might
want to make a trip to the D.H. Hill Library, as our collection
of plant patent photographs are of excellent quality,
and in color. Images of plant patents in the USPTO database
are in black and white and of lesser quality.
- Don't forget- any search that you can do at home can
also be done at your public library. If it is more convenient
for you to use your public library than to drive to the
D.H. Hill Library in Raleigh, you might want to try this
option. Here is a list of public
libraries in the state of North Carolina.
If you do need to visit us, check out our practical tips for Planning a Visit.
When in doubt, Ask
a librarian.
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