I encourage representatives from commercial patent databases to
respond as well.
If no one objects, I will compile the responses I ve received so
far into one message, so that anyone concerned with this issue, can
easily read the discussion..
The chemist who was convinced that the free
United States Patent Office patent database was the same
as the commercial databases I search, is finding that the time
involved in searching conflicts with other demands on his time.
He came in and requested a search (without admitting that he had
spent hours searching without finding the patent he needed. I knew
this because I overheard him telling his boss about it ).
I found the patent he needed within five minutes on Derwent.
I was unable to feel complete triumph because it was a European patent
with no US equivalent. If it was a US patent he d been unable to find
on the USPTO web site, I could have dazzled him with the power, efficiency
and speed of Derwent s indepth abstacting , indexing and coding.
But perhaps I will get this opportunity in the future.
Anyway I did a citing patent search of the patent in question, and did
a general search for all US and European patents that were related
to its content . I have also tried my best to emphasize the differences
between the web and commercial patent databases, even though I
am not entirely sure of those differences. Also, when I have been aware
that someone has done a search of the web patent databases I have
made the offer/plea to do the search on the commercial patent databases
so that the differences will be clear. At least I hope the differences will be
clear.
Unfortunately, I am not always aware of the searches they are doing.
The document delivery request for patents has increased as a result
of these searches. I hope that the document delivery requests do not
exceed the requests for patent searches but I suppose this is a possibility.
Could it take an expensive lesson such as missing a key patent
for them to realize the value of the commercial databases ?
I certianly need to be more aware of the differences between commercial
and free web patent databases so that I can educate them, if they will listen
-- they often tend to tune me out.
Your responses helped tremendously to define the differences but we need to do more and again I hope to see an article or series of articles on this issue on the PIUG web site.
This may be another aspect of issues involved with all end user systems. Of course most of those are not free and many offer only a selection of the databases available on commercial systems.
As Roy Zimmerman stated these databases give inventors and others an enhanced capability of finding some information.
I agree that everyone benefits from information technology literacy. I am often asked to do addtional searches based on a preliminary search a client did, and they have become more willing to upgrade the library s equipment or fund the purchase of CD Roms etc., because they have developed a basic hands on knowledge of the value of these sources.
I too have used the web patent sites when faced with a difficult or vague request to find a few highly relevant patents as a good basis to start a more indepth search on a commercial database. But I find I MUST limit my time there.
In most cases my clients searches are:
1. Very basic and linear ... A-B-C.
2. Limited to an area they know well
3. A search they may not have asked me to do because they were uncertain of how to articulate it, were told by their managers to reduce search expenditures, or doubted of my ability to comprehend it.
One person told me he did not ask for a search because he did not know the correct spelling of the inventor s name. I encouraged him to tell me ANYTHING he knew, (correct spelling isn t mandatory).
4. They found some information on a CD Rom, internet or end user database and assume they have found everything. Or find nothing and assume that there is nothing to be found.
It s often our job to translate the request into the language of the systems we search and find the information they need. We have knowledge of the structure and content of commerical databases, their indexing or codes and the commands necessary to search them. People without this education and training and background cannot do the same searches we do. What concerns me is they think they can.
Put perhaps as others have pointed out, this gives us the opportunity to educate our clients and prove/demonstrate what we can do, when they struggle or try and fail, or even succeed partially, or give up because of the time and effort involved.
Perhaps they will be even more impressed with us when the results of our searches are compared to theirs.
If articles are written by those of you with extensive knowledge and experience of both commercial and web databases, will address some of these points and others:
1. The specific strengths of our education, training, knowledge and expertise vs an inexperienced untrained enduser.
2. Content - coverage, scope,dates
3. Abstracts - Difference between Derwent and USPTO abstracts etc.
4. Indexing
5. Commands - even the free databases have commands and quirks that need to be learned
6. What type of searches are appropriate for free vs commercial databases.
7. Comparisons of specific searches done on free and commercial databases.
Again --- Thanks for all your responses. I hope to see more discussion on this.
Madeline Douglass Valspar Corporation