Patents Patents are a vital source of technical information, and can save time spent on duplicated research. They can also be useful as a source of information about a company for job-hunters and interview candidates. Obtaining patents The Library maintains a page of patents databases detailed below and a page of selected web sites of patents organisations and other useful sites, including a complete training course in Patent searching .
Coverage depends on the country of publication - full details .
A personal subscription is required for more advanced features. The International Patent Classification can be useful for the searching for patents by topic. The appropriate IPC symbols are indicated on each patent document. The IPC is available on the web . Patents Information Unit Leeds City Libraries has an excellent Patents Information Unit , holding copies of all British, US, European, and many other patents, and a comprehensive collection of indexes on CD-ROM or microfiche.