Keywords
Citation
(2005), "A new course from PRA: patent searching for the coatings and allied industries, 21 September 2005", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 34 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2005.12934cac.006
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
A new course from PRA: patent searching for the coatings and allied industries, 21 September 2005
A new course from PRA: patent searching for the coatings and allied industries, 21 September 2005
Keywords: Coatings, Patents, Training
The patent domain represents a major source of technical information, indeed it has been claimed that 80 per cent of the world's technical information can be found here, and patents often provide links to other published information. Patents are often the first publication of technical innovation since most companies would not risk disclosure until an application has been granted, or well underway. They therefore provide a valuable indicator of competitive activity. The granting of a patent gives the applicant/inventor important monopoly rights and clearly the preparation of a patent requires detailed knowledge of the prior art. Equally it is important when introducing new products to avoid unexpected infringements.
Several thousand patents are published each week, and for retrospective searching the EPO (European Patent Office) alone provides links to 30 million patents. Searching for patent information can be a daunting task particularly for a general search where the outcome can never be guaranteed as complete. In carrying out a search it is necessary to set the investment in time and resources against the risks of failing to identify prior art
The purpose of this short course is to provide a guide to the main public databases emphasising both similarities and differences. In particular it will be shown how an understanding of “Patent Classification Systems” can greatly enhance searching. It is also necessary to be aware of the contents of different databases and the defaults that may operate on first entering the site. Patent searching is supported by many specialised commercial databases and fee based services for advanced searching. However, the users own technical knowledge can provide shortcuts to information using text retrieval techniques.
Course participants are provided with a workbook and quick links to useful web pages. In addition to some set examples, participants are able to carry out searches on their chosen topics. The one-day course is equally divided between lectures and practical searching. A brief overview of other knowledge sources including PRA's WSCA database is also given. Although the course is illustrated with examples from the coatings domain, it is equally applicable to similar chemical industries such as adhesives, printing inks etc.
Principal research scientist Jon Graystone presents the course. Jon has substantial user experience of Knowledge Management techniques, and wide practical experience in the coatings industry.
For further details, please contact: Elisabeth Brown-Training & Exhibitions Manager, PRA Coatings Technology Centre, 8 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, Middx, TW11 8LD; Tel: +44 (0) 20 8614 4815; Fax: +44 (0) 20 8943 4705; E-mail: e.brown@pra.org.uk; web site: www.pra.org.uk/training