Official U.S. Patent Office Publications

Document	Coverage
U.S. Patent Specifications and Drawings	1790 to date
U.S. Design Patents	1842 to date
U.S. Plant Patents - microfiche	1931 to date
U.S. Plant Patents - paper	1978 to date
U.S. Official Gazette	1872 to date
Index to U.S. Patent Classification	Latest
Manual of Classification	Latest
Classification Definitions	Revised to date
Classification Listings	1790 to date
Annual Index of Patents and Annual Report of the Commissioner	1790 to date
Manual of Patent Examining Procedure	Latest
35 USC-Patents, Laws	Latest in Social Sciences Department
37 CFR-Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights	Latest in Social Sciences Department
Patent Attorneys and Agents Registered	Latest
Patents Throughout the World	Latest

International Patent Documents

Document	Coverage
Canadian Patents Abstracts	1911 to 1983, 1986 to 1999
European Patent Office Documents	1979 to 1994
Federal Repository of Germany Patents	1975 to 1994
Federal Repository of Germany Applications	1983 to 1994
France	1975 to 1994
United Kingdom Old Law Patents	1617 to 1981
United Kingdom New Law Applications	1979 to 1994

Publications About Trademarks

Document	Coverage
Directory of U.S. Trademarks	1985 to date
Trademark Register	1986 to date
Annual Index of Trademarks	1927 to date
Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure	Latest
15 USC-Trademarks	Latest in Social Sciences Deptartment
37 CFR-Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights	Latest in Social Sciences Deptartment
Rules of Practice in Trademark Cases	Revised to date
Trademarks Throughout the World	Revised to date
Trademark Reporter	1911 to date

U.S. Copyright Office Publications

Document	Coverage
Catalog of Copyright Entries	1871 to latest
Copyright Circulars	Latest
Copyright Decisions	1789 to latest
17 USC-Copyrights, Laws	Latest in Social Sciences Department

Publications about International Copyrights

Document	Coverage
Copyright Laws and Treaties	Revised to date
Copyright Bulletin (UNESCO)	1953 to date

Finding the patent class and subclass using print collections

1. Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System (ask for at Patents Desk): This is an alphabetical subject index to the Manual of Classification. Look up your invention using common terms describing its function, effect, end-product, structure, or use. Try to avoid brand names. Write down all relevant class and subclass numbers. Especially note if a subclass number has a "+" after it.
2. Manual of Classification (ask for at Patents Desk): This is a large two-volume set. Look up your class/subclass numbers in these books. The subclass numbers are not necessarily listed in numerical order. Take special notice of the dot indent. Revise your search strategy as needed.
3. Classification Definitions (Search classifications through USPTO). Read these definitions to establish the scope of classes and subclasses. These often provide search notes and suggestions for further search. Design classes do not have definitions.

Finding the patents using print collections

• Once you have identified the relevant classes and subclasses, obtain a list of all patent numbers granted from 1790 to the present and all published applications from 2001 to the present for every class and subclass to be searched.
• The Official Gazette (Blue volumes on tall shelves near the Patents Desk) Starting in 1872, the Patent Office has published a weekly compilation of all patents issued. Take your list of patent numbers and check them against the summaries of the patents contained in the Official Gazettes. Take special note of inventions that you may wish to see more information about. The Official Gazette contains one drawing and one claim for every patent. Most patents will have 7 digit numbers; these are utility patents. Others will be 6 digits and be proceeded by a "D". These are design patents. Go to the volume of the Official Gazette that has the corresponding number listed on the spine. The most recent volumes are paperback.