Read the definitions to establish the scope of classes and subclasses. Retrieve a list of all patent numbers granted for every class and subclass to be searched. Locate patents by number e.g., in the Official Gazette. Use the OG to look at a claim of a patent and eliminate those unrelated to the invention. Obtain complete patent document.
Complete patents are available, in print, microform, CD-ROM and online formats.
It should be emphasized that currently not all years of all patents are available free of charge online. In the academic setting, the clientele of chemistry and engineering libraries have the greatest need for patent information. Among print indexes, Chemical Abstracts indexes chemical patents, and Food Science and Technology Abstracts includes summaries of food patents. An example of a food patent is the technology that makes a dessert sauce create a hard shell when poured over ice cream. Searchers who do not use these commercial databases frequently should call the vendor's helpline to verify search strategy before conducting a search.