In return for this monopoly, the inventor must provide a full and sufficient disclosure for people to be able to carry out the invention. This means that patents are the largest single body of technological information available anywhere and most of this information cannot be obtained from any other source. If you are doing research and development work, patents can be used as a preliminary to tackling a new problem, by finding out what work has already been done by others in the same field.
Patents consist of highly detailed descriptions, drawings and diagrams.
Patents can be of historical significance, enabling researchers to trace the development of technologies. Patents can be used as a source of information about people, enabling researchers to identify experts in a particular area. Patents can be used for commercial information. Their specifications can reveal which companies are active in a particular market. Patents usually refer to products or processes that contain new functional or technical aspects.