Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program: An Overview Tom Turner United States Patent and Trademark Office ALA Washington June 2007

2 PTDLP PTDLP PISD PISD CISG CISG OCIO OCIO USPTO USPTO DOC DOC

3 PTDLP—Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program PTDLP—Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program PISD—Public Information Services Division PISD—Public Information Services Division CISG—Customer Information Services Group CISG—Customer Information Services Group OCIO—Office of the Chief Information Officer OCIO—Office of the Chief Information Officer USPTO—United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO—United States Patent and Trademark Office DOC—Department of Commerce DOC—Department of Commerce

USPTO Business Examine patent applications and grant patents; Examine patent applications and grant patents; Examine federal trademark applications and register federal trademarks; Examine federal trademark applications and register federal trademarks; Disseminate information about patents and trademarks. Disseminate information about patents and trademarks.

At one time… Old Patent Office, Washington, D.C. Public Search Room, Old Patent Office

USPTO Headquarters Alexandria New USPTO campus, Alexandria, Virginia

What is a PTDL? PTDL is the acronym for a “Patent and Trademark Depository Library” PTDL is the acronym for a “Patent and Trademark Depository Library” Authorized under 35 United States Code 12 Authorized under 35 United States Code 12 A library officially designated by the USPTO A library officially designated by the USPTO 35 USC 12: “The Director may supply copies of specifications and drawings of patents and published applications for patents in printed or electronic form to public libraries in the United States which shall maintain such copies for the use of the public…”

Selected Milestones of PTDLP Printed patents offered to libraries on a depository basis st Patent Depository Conference with the original 22 PTDLs CASSIS on-line database is started Full CASSIS CD-ROM implementation PDLP becomes PTDLP Complete patents DVD back file provided PubWEST databases offered to all PTDLS – Program includes 85 member libraries.

Types of PTDL Libraries Public Libraries 31 Academic Libraries 45 State Libraries 8 Special Libraries 1 Total 85

10 Service Points May Vary by PTDL Patents Patents Science/Technology Science/Technology Law Law Government Documents Government Documents Engineering/Physical Sciences Engineering/Physical Sciences Business Business General Reference General Reference

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PTDL Research Assistance

14 Commonly asked patent questions... How do I do a patent search? How much does it cost to get a patent? Where can I find a list of patent attorneys? How do I apply for a patent? Do you have info on invention promotion firms?

15 “Why should I go to a library; this is all on the Internet, right?” Patent searching is complex and not intuitive. Patent searching is complex and not intuitive. An inventor is searching through over 7 million U.S. patents if their invention is novel and non- obvious. An inventor is searching through over 7 million U.S. patents if their invention is novel and non- obvious. Also, the prior art that should be also be searched includes foreign patents and non-patent literature such as journal articles, conference proceedings and dissertations—all places that public disclosures of new inventions can be documented. Also, the prior art that should be also be searched includes foreign patents and non-patent literature such as journal articles, conference proceedings and dissertations—all places that public disclosures of new inventions can be documented. Learning how to do a search can save money. Learning how to do a search can save money.

16 Common Misconceptions in Searching Patents and Trademarks Novice patent searchers incorrectly assume that they can do a through patent search by searching with keywords. Novice patent searchers incorrectly assume that they can do a through patent search by searching with keywords. Novice trademark searchers incorrectly assume that they can do a good trademark search by searching only the exact mark they plan to use. Novice trademark searchers incorrectly assume that they can do a good trademark search by searching only the exact mark they plan to use.

Services of a PTDL Information on not only how to obtain a patent, but how to have commercial success with one’s invention with library’s business resources Information on not only how to obtain a patent, but how to have commercial success with one’s invention with library’s business resources Assistance with preliminary patent and trademark searching (showing How to Search using generic examples) Assistance with preliminary patent and trademark searching (showing How to Search using generic examples) Assistance to small businesses on how to establish a business and how IP protection can help their business Assistance to small businesses on how to establish a business and how IP protection can help their business Liaison for inventor groups Liaison for inventor groups

PTDL Database Workstations

Cassis2 Patent & TM Database (Classification and Search Support Information System)

Searching Patents: PatFT & AppFT (Patents Full Text and Applications Full Text)

Searching Trademarks: TESS (Trademark Electronic Search System)

PubWEST: Patent Databases (Public Web-based Examiner Search Tool)

Users of PTDLs Inventors Inventors Attorneys Attorneys Patent Professionals Patent Professionals Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs Musicians Musicians Students/Faculty Students/Faculty Researchers/Engineers Researchers/Engineers Information Brokers Information Brokers Historians Historians Genealogists Genealogists

PTDL Program Services Train PTDL staff Train PTDL staff Market PTDL services and standards Market PTDL services and standards Annual Training Seminars for PTDLs Annual Training Seminars for PTDLs Liaison between PTDLs and USPTO Liaison between PTDLs and USPTO

PTDL Program Services Support PTDL public seminars and programs Support PTDL public seminars and programs and toll-free telephone access to USPTO for PTDLs and toll-free telephone access to USPTO for PTDLs Fellowship program Fellowship program Develop educational materials via PTDLP Commons Develop educational materials via PTDLP Commons Provide technical and research assistance Provide technical and research assistance

PTDL Training & Seminars

PTDLS’ Obligations to USPTO Provide free access to the collection. Provide free access to the collection. Assist the public in efficient use of patent and trademark information. Assist the public in efficient use of patent and trademark information. Attend the Annual PTDL Training Seminar. Attend the Annual PTDL Training Seminar. Maintain and protect the integrity of the collection. Maintain and protect the integrity of the collection. Acquire a minimum 20-year backfile of U.S. patents. Acquire a minimum 20-year backfile of U.S. patents. Retain all depository items until disposal is arranged through PTDLP. Retain all depository items until disposal is arranged through PTDLP. $50 annual fee. $50 annual fee.

28 PTDL—D also stands for Delivering programming and expert one-on-one reference services geared to the needs of independent inventors and small businesses Delivering programming and expert one-on-one reference services geared to the needs of independent inventors and small businesses Driving the local economies with increased intellectual property activity Driving the local economies with increased intellectual property activity Delineating a focal point for customers looking for information on intellectual property protection Delineating a focal point for customers looking for information on intellectual property protection Designating that library as an official cooperative partner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Designating that library as an official cooperative partner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Visit us at ALA Booth 3967 Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program United States Patent and Trademark Office Madison West, 4A20 P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA