Library, Search Room Services and Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries

The Scientific and Technical Information Center of the Patent and Trademark Office located at Crystal Plaza 3, 2C01, 2021 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, has available for public use over 120,000 volumes of scientific and technical books in various languages, about 90,000 bound volumes of periodicals devoted to science and technology, the official journals of 77 foreign patent organizations, and over 40 million foreign patents on paper, microfilm, microfiche, and CD-ROM. The Scientific and Technical Information Center is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday except federal holidays.

The Patent Search Room located at Crystal Plaza 3, 1A01, 2021 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, is provided where the public may search and examine United States patents granted since 1790. Patents are arranged according to the U.S. Patent Classification System of over 400 classes and over 136,000 subclasses. By searching in these classified groupings of patents, it is possible to determine, before actually filing an application, whether an invention has been anticipated by a United States patent, and it is also possible to obtain the information contained in patents relating to any field of endeavor. The Patent Search Room contains a set of United States patents arranged in numerical order and a complete set of the Official Gazette.

A Files Information Room also is maintained where the public may inspect the records and files of issued patents and other open records. Applicants, their attorneys or agents, and the general public are not entitled to use the records and files in the examiners’ rooms.

The Patent Search Room is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday except on Federal holidays.

Since a patent is not always granted when an application is filed, many inventors attempt to make their own search of the prior patents and publications before applying for a patent. This may be done in the Patent Search Room of the Patent and Trademark Office, and in 22libraries, located throughout the U.S., which have been designated as Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs). An inventor may make a preliminary search through the United States patents to discover if the particular invention or one similar to it has been shown in the prior patent. An inventor may also employ patent attorneys or agents to perform the preliminary search. This search is not always as complete as that made by the Patent and Trademark Office during the examination of an application, but only serves, as its name indicates, a preliminary purpose. For this reason, the Patent and Trademark Office examiner may, and often does, reject claims in an application on the basis of prior patents or publications not found in the preliminary search.

Those who cannot come to the Patent Search Room may order from the Patent and Trademark Office copies of lists of original patents or of cross-referenced patents contained in the subclasses comprising the field of search, or may inspect and obtain copies of the patents at a Patent and Trademark Depository Library. The Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) receive current issues of U.S. Patents and maintain collections of earlier issued patents and trademark information. The scope of these collections varies from library to library, ranging from patents of only recent years to all or most of the patents issued since 1790.

These patent collections are open to public use. Each of the PTDLs, in addition, offers the publications of the U.S. Patent Classification System (e.g., Manual of Classification, Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System, Classification Definitions, etc.) and other patent documents and forms, and provides technical staff assistance in their use to aid the public in gaining effective access to information contained in patents. The collections are organized in patent number sequence.

Available in all PTDLs is the Cassis CD-ROM system. With various files, it permits the effective identification of appropriate classifications to search, provides numbers of patents assigned to a classification to facilitate finding the patents in a numerical file of patents, provides the 23current classification(s) of all patents, permits word searching on classification titles, and on abstracts, and provides certain bibliographic information on more recently issued patents.

Facilities for making paper copies from microfilm, the paper bound volumes or CD-ROM are generally provided for a fee.

Due to variations in the scope of patent collections among the PTDLs and in their hours of service to the public, anyone contemplating the use of the patents at a particular library is advised to contact that library, in advance, about its collection, services, and hours, so as to avert possible inconvenience.

State Name of Library Telephone #

Alabama * Auburn: Ralph Brown Draughon Library, Auburn University 334–844–1747

Birmingham Public Library 205–226–3620

Alaska Anchorage: Z. J. Loussac Public Library, 907–562–7323

Anchorage Municipal Libraries

Arizona * Tempe: Noble Science and Engineering 602–965–7010

Library, Arizona State University

Arkansas * Little Rock: Arkansas State Library 501–682–2053

California * Los Angeles Public Library 213–228–7220

Sacramento: California State Library 916–654–0069

San Diego Public Library 619–236–5813

* San Francisco Public Library 415–557–4500

** Sunnyvale Center for Innovation, Invention and Ideas 408–730–7290

Colorado Denver Public Library 303–640–6220

Delaware Newark: University of Delaware Library 302–831–2965

District of Columbia Washington: Founders Library, Howard University 202–806–7252

24Florida * Fort Lauderdale: Broward County Main Library 954–357–7444

* Miami-Dade Public Library 305–375–2665

Orlando: University of Central Florida Libraries 407–823–2562

Tampa Campus Library, University of South Florida 813–974–2726

Georgia Atlanta: Library and Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology 404–894–4508

Hawaii * Honolulu: Hawaii State Library 808–586–3477

Idaho Moscow: University of Idaho Library 208–885–6235

Illinois Chicago Public Library 312–747–4450

Springfield: Illinois State Library 217–782–5659

Indiana Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library 317–269–1741

West Lafayette: Siegesmund Engineering Library, Purdue University 317–494–2872

Iowa Des Moines: State Library of Iowa 515–281–4118

Kansas * Wichita: Ablah Library, Wichita State University 316–978–3155

Kentucky * Louisville Free Public Library 502–574–1611

Louisiana Baton Rouge: Troy H. Middleton Library, Louisiana State University 504–388–8875

Maine Orono: Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine 207–581–1678

Maryland College Park: Engineering & Physical Sciences Library, University of Maryland 301–405–9157

Massachusetts Amherst: Physical Sciences and Engineering Library, University of Massachusetts 413–545–1370

* Boston Public Library 617–536–5400 Ext. 265

25Michigan Ann Arbor: Media Union Library, The University of Michigan 313–647–5735

Big Rapids: Abigail S. Timme Library, Ferris State University 616–592–3602

** Detroit: Great Lakes Patent and Trademark Center, Detroit Public Library 313–833–3379

Minnesota * Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center 612–372–6570

Mississippi Jackson: Mississippi Library Commission 601–359–1036

Missouri * Kansas City: Linda Hall Library 816–363–4600

St. Louis Public Library 314–241–2288 Ext. 390

Montana Butte: Montana Tech of the University of Montana Library 406–496–4281

Nebraska * Lincoln: Engineering Library, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 402–472–3411

Nevada Reno: University Library, University of Nevada-Reno 702–784–6500 Ext. 257

New Hampshire Concord: New Hampshire State Library 603–271–2239

New Jersey Newark Public Library 201–733–7782

Piscataway: Library of Science and Medicine, Rutgers University 908–445–2895

New Mexico Albuquerque: Centennial Science and Engineering Library, The University of New Mexico 505–277–4412

New York Albany: New York State Library 518–474–5355

* Buffalo and Erie County Public Library 716–858–7101

New York: Science, Industry and Business Library, New York Public Library 212–592–7000

26North Carolina * Raleigh: D.H. Hill Library, North Carolina State University 919–515–3280

North Dakota Grand Forks: Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota 701–777–4888

Ohio Akron-Summit County Public Library 330–643–9075

Cincinnati: The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County 513–369–6936

* Cleveland Public Library 216–623–2870

Columbus: Ohio State University Libraries 614–292–6175

* Toledo/Lucas County Public Library 419–259–5212

Oklahoma * Stillwater: Oklahoma State University 405–744–7086

Oregon * Portland: Lewis & Clark College 503–768–6786

Pennsylvania * Philadelphia: The Free Library of Philadelphia 215–686–5331

Pittsburgh: The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh 412–622–3138

University Park: Pattee Library, Pennsylvania State University 814–865–4861

Puerto Rico Mayaguez: General Library, University of Puerto Rico 787–832–4040 Ext. 3459

Rhode Island Providence Public Library 401–455–8027

South Carolina Clemson: R.M. Cooper Library, Clemson University 864–656–3024

South Dakota Rapid City: Devereaux Library, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology 605–394–1275

Tennessee Memphis & Shelby County Public Library and Information Center 901–725–8877

Nashville: Stevenson Science and Engineering Library, Vanderbilt University 615–322–2717

27Texas Austin: McKinney Engineering Library, The University of Texas at Austin 512–495–4500

* College Station: Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A&M University 409–845–3826

* Dallas Public Library 214–670–1468

Houston: The Fondren Library, Rice University 713–527–8101 Ext. 2587

Lubbock: Texas Tech University Library 806–742–2282

Utah * Salt Lake City: Marriott Library, University of Utah 801–581–8394

Vermont Burlington: Bailey Howe Library, University of Vermont 802–656–2542

Virginia * Richmond: James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University 804–828–1104

Washington * Seattle: Engineering Library, University of Washington 206–543–0740

West Virginia Morgantown: Evansdale Library, West Virginia University 304–293–2510 Ext. 113

Wisconsin Madison: Kurt F. Wendt Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison 608–262–6845

Milwaukee Public Library 414–286–3051

Wyoming Casper: Natrona County Public Library 307–237–4935

Note: * Denotes APS-Text access; ** denotes partnership PTDL. Partnership Libraries have access to APS-Text, APS-Image, and X-Search.

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