To
promote the continued growth of American technology and commerce
through the utilization and dissemination of technical information
available through patents and trademarks, and maintenance of public
search centers containing patents and trademarks.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Dissemination of Technical Information. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The
Patent and Trademark Office examines patent applications to determine
the patentability of an invention and grants patents when requirements
of law are met. It publishes and disseminates information, mainly
through its Internet Web site (www.uspto.gov), which contains the
texts and images of more than two million patents dating back to
1976 and over one million registered and pending trademarks dating
back to 1870. The Patent and Trademark Office also sells copies
of patents for $3.00 each, and maintains on site Public Search Facilities
where Patent and Trademark information may be searched and copied.
Access is open to all adults who obtain a free User ID, issued only
in the Patent Search Room. The Patent Search Room is located at
2021 South Clark Place (Crystal Plaza 3/4), Lobby Level, and is
open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. weekdays. The Trademark Search
Library is located at 2900 Crystal Drive (South Tower Building),
Room 2B30 and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays. Patent
and Trademark information is available in these locations in a variety
of formats including online and optical disk automated search systems,
microfilm, print documents and publications. Access is free, print
and photocopies have a $.25 per page fee. Customers nationwide are
also served through PTO's national network of 86 Patent and Trademark
Depository Libraries (PTDLs). PTDLs offer a variety of information
resources and services are are staffed by information professionals
trained by the PTO. Additional information on the Public Search
Facilities and the PTDLs may be found on the USPTO Web site. There
are approximately 6,933,000 U.S. patents issued to date. These documents
are arranged by subject classes and subclasses for searching. The
Patent Search Room is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and may
be used by anyone at no charge. The device, discovery or process
described in a patent cannot be manufactured, used or sold except
by the inventor or assignee for 20 years after the date of patent
filing, after which it enters the public domain. However, technical
information contained in a patent can be used in many other ways.
The PTO's information dissemination program provides patent and
trademark information via a diverse line of products and services.
Last year, 923,736 customer requests were processed for general
patent and trademark information; 330,106 copies of office records
were provided to customers; 505,748,386 web pages were served through
the PTO's Internet Web site; 1,986,295 new patent and trademark
references were filed in PTO's public search facilities in Arlington,
Virginia; and over 10,000 patrons were served each week through
PTO's national network of 86 Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
"General
Information Concerning Patents," and "Basic Facts About Registering
a Trademark" are availabe at no cost.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Department of Commerce field
offices listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Headquarters
Office: General Information Services, 1-800-786-9199
or (703) 308-4357. Mailing Address: General Information Services,
U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices, Crystal Plaza 3, Room 2C02,
Washington, DC 20231.
