Resources for Patent and Trademark Searches
While West Texas A&M University is not a Patent and Trademark Depository Library, we do have a few resources available and provide access to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) databases online.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- You can search for Patent and Trademarks online, and the best place to start is the How to Search page that gives hints and how to download the TIFF viewer to view patent illustrations on PCs. Apple/Macintosh and Linux use different viewers.
- Patent Full-Text and Full Page online database
- Here you can search by full-text for patents from 1976 to the present. Patents issued from 1790 through 1975 are searchable only by patent number and current US Patent Classification system.
- Trademark Electronic Search System
- The Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) supports the trademark application process by providing for searching the existing trademark application and registration information online. TESS provides access to the same text and image database of trademarks as currently provided to examining attorneys at the US Patent and Trademark Office via the X-Search system.
[top]
Sources available at West Texas A&M Cornette Library
Patents
- Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Patents
- 1987-2002 - U.S. Documents Microfiche - Call number: C 21.5:
- 2002-current - U.S. Documents Workroom - CD-ROM - Call number: C 21.5/6:
- Most recent issues also available online
- Index of Patents Issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Documents Shelves - Call Number: C 21.5/2: year
- Index to the U.S. Patent Classification
- U.S. Document Shelves - C 21.12/2:year
- LexisNexis Academic (WTAMU only)
- You can search Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe for U.S. patents by selecting "Legal Research" and then "Patent Research" where you can search for patents by keyword from 1971 to present, by patent number or U.S. Classification number, and search the Manual of Classification by keyword or classification number.
Trademarks
- Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Trademarks
- 1991-current - U.S. Documents Microfiche - Call number: C 21.5/4:
- Most recent issues also available online
- Index of Trademarks Issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Documents Shelves - Call Number: C 21.5/3:year
- Texas Trademark FAQ's
- The Texas Secretary of State has site that explains how to get a Trademark in Texas. Online forms are also available.
[top]
Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries
If you need more help you can visit a Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) which has been officially designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and maintains a collection of U.S. patent and trademark documents for public use. Most PTDLs also maintain a section for copyright materials as well.
Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries in Texas
| Austin | McKinney Engineering Library, University of Texas at Austin |
| College Station | Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A&M University |
| Dallas | Dallas Public Library |
| Houston | Fondren Library, Rice University |
| Lubbock | Texas Tech University Library |
| San Antonio | San Antonio Public Library |
What Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries can do for you
As set forth by Federal Government regulations, the USPTO provides to its depository libraries:
- Copies of Utility patents
- Copies of Design patents
- Copies of Plant patents
- Copies of Patent Status File reports--Includes Reissues, Reexaminations, and Certificates of Correction
- Patent and Trademark Official Gazettes
- Reference resources for patent and trademark searching
- Assistance Offered at PTDLs
- Staff committed to providing assistance in all areas of intellectual property. (Cannot do searches for patrons)
- Ability for persons to conduct their own preliminary patent and trademark searches.
- Guidance and help through PTDL contacts.
- Access to legal information.
- Inventor organization network information.
[top]
Any questions? Ask a Librarian, or call us at 806/651-2205.
[top]