Espacenet and Patent Searching Dr Dolores Cassidy Patent Examiner 09 October 2015

Espacenet… is a network of patent databases. contains over 90 million patent documents from all over the world is searchable has a simple interface is free provides access to actual patent documents

A Patent is a legal document conferring on its holder, for a fixed period, the right to exclude all others from exploiting (e.g. making, selling, using, importing) the disclosed invention, save with the holder’s consent. A Patent is a technical document, which “must disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art”.

Format of patent documents Bibliographic details Abstract Description Claims Drawings

How to access Espacenet

Most useful is Advanced Search

Only EPO or WIPO documents

Publication Info: WO = APPLICATION TO WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office) US = APPLICATION TO USPTO EP = APPLICATION TO EPO (European Patent Office) IE = APPLICATION TO IPO (Irish Patent Office)

Citing/Cited Documents Cited Documents –From Search Report –Novelty Destroying / No Inventive Step –Good Prior Art !!! Citing Documents –Other documents that have cited yours.

Looking for rival companies? Interested in one particular applicant ? Only interested in Irish applications?

Want to see the status of patents? Are they still in force? Have they been granted yet?

Summary Technology database of 90 million+ patents Search with keywords in Title or Abstract See original patent documents (as.pdf) Download front covers Cited/Citing Documents Check status –Inpadoc –European Patent Register –Federated Reg. –Global Dossier

Summary Questions?

Summary Patents Office, Hebron Road, Kilkenny