6 Recent STN Updates, and a New STN Platform!

Every few months, the Intellogist blog checks up on the newest features and coverage available on the STN search platform. The STN platform allows professional patent searchers to hunt for a wide range of relevant prior art by searching through valuable patent and non-patent literature (NPL) databases using a flexible command-line interface. Back in October of 2012, we described the expanded numeric property search feature available on 14 patent and NPL databases on STN. Throughout the remainder of 2012, STN had a number of additional coverage and feature updates, ranging from the addition of a Japanese patent full-text database to the implementation of the new Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) within the portal. STN also recently announced the beta release of the first version of a new STN platform, which combines command-line searching and an intuitive user interface.

After the jump, learn about six of the most recent major updates to the coverage and features on the STN platform, and read about the release of the new version of STN!

A Guide to the CPC Search Tool on Espacenet

We’ve been following the development and roll-out of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) over the past year, from the initial release of the CPC scheme to a guide describing how major patent search systems will integrate the CPC into their search features. The CPC has already replaced ECLA as of January 1, 2013, and the Espacenet search system has been updated to reflect these changes. The CPC replaces ECLA in the classification section under the Advanced search form on Espacenet, and the CPC search tool is now available on Espacenet under the “Classification search” option.  The tool allows users to keyword search or browse through the CPC hierarchy, view code definitions, notes, and warnings, and select codes to add to the Advanced search form or use to search directly for patent records.

Continue reading for a visual guide to every feature within the CPC search tool on Espacenet!

CAS News: Numeric Search Property on More STN Databases, and New SciFinder Updates

The Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a division of the American Chemical Society, is an authority on chemical information that produces a number of databases (such as CAS REGISTRY, CAplus, CASREACT, CHEMCATS, CHEMLIST, CIN, and MARPAT) which are invaluable resources for prior art searches in the chemistry and pharmaceutical fields. CAS also contributes to the development of large search systems like STN and SciFinder, which patent searchers can use to locate both patent and non-patent literature prior art. Notable updates have been made to both the STN and SciFinder platforms in the last month, including more numeric property search options on STN and the option to group reaction answers by transformation type on SciFinder. SciFinder also now provides more options for sharing SciFinder plans with other users.

Continue reading to learn about recent news on two important prior art search platforms, STN and SciFinder!

STN News Update: ReaxysFile, CAS REGISTRY, and more!

There have been several notable changes to STN since we last checked in on the Intellogist Blog. Recently there has been a flurry of activity including:

• The launch of a new collected database
• Additional experimental property data in CAS REGISTRY
• A big ReaxysFile update

Read on for more details of this triple news blast!

Locate German Technical Literature on TEMA

Gray literature, such as technical reports, theses, and conference proceedings, may disclose technology relevant to a particular patent that makes this literature valuable prior art.  During exhaustive prior art searches, professional patent searchers will try to locate this type of obscure non-patent literature (NPL) prior art through any means necessary, including on-site or catalog searches of libraries and using various document identifier numbers to track down the paper versions of these documents within the libraries. First, though, the patent searcher needs to search for and locate bibliographic data on relevant gray literature, which they can then locate in print format.   It can be especially difficult to locate international gray literature published in a variety of languages.

Luckily for patent searchers, there are databases available like TEMA.  TEMA® – Technology and Management is a bibliographic database focused on engineering and technology created by WTI-Frankfurt eG, which covers a variety of international non-patent literature documents. TEMA allows searchers to quickly search for and locate the bibliographic data on obscure NPL prior art, which can then be located in full-text print format.

After the jump, learn more about TEMA and how you can access the database!

Database Update Round-Up – European Patent Register and DWPI

Previously, we looked at updates to the Global Brand Database, SciFinder, and Google Patents, and today I have a fresh round of updates about two important resources for any patent professional: the European Patent Register and the Derwent World Patent Index (DWPI). The European Patent Register (formerly known as Register Plus) is the official register of legal status information for the European Patent Office, and it was recently updated in April with a variety of new features, bug fixes, and changes to both the user interface and back-end system.  Derwent World Patents Index® (DWPI) is a file of patent information produced by Thomson Reuters that “sources patent data from 47 patent-issuing authorities and 2 journal sources,” and the file contains many value-added special indexing features, including Derwent Titles and Abstracts, Derwent Assignee Codes, Derwent Families, Derwent Classes, Derwent Manual Codes, and Chemical Fragmentation Codes.  The DWPI file is available on numerous platforms, including Dialog, STN, and Thomson Innovation.  STN recently added numerical search options for the DWPI file, and DWPI has been discontinued on the Delphion platform.

After the jump, learn about the new features and interface changes to the European Patent Register, and we’ll also look at the new numerical search features for DWPI on STN and discontinuation of the file on Delphion.

The Newest Chemical Patent Search Features on SciFinder

The STN Intellogist Report was recently updated, and we listed some of the major improvements to the product: new full-text patent databases, improvements to current full-text patent databases, improved bio-sequence and chemical structure search options, and new Assistants and Wizards on STN Express and STN on the Web. STN is a fantastic platform for expert searchers who’ve mastered the syntax of the command line interface, but novice searchers may prefer the simpler interface of the SciFinder platform, another search system produced by the Chemical Abstracting Service.  SciFinder offers access to many of the same CAS databases offered on STN, but through a much more user-friendly interface.  For a detailed comparison of STN and SciFinder, check out this blog post.

Like STN, SciFinder has seen a variety of updates to both content and search features in the last few months.  After the jump, we’ll look at the newest coverage and interface updates on SciFinder!

The Latest Updates to STN (and Huge Changes to Come in 2012)

 The STN System Report on Intellogist has been fully updated, and I’d like to highlight a few of the latest changes to the search platform (operated jointly by CAS and FIZ-Karlsruhe).  Changes occurred to both the databases  accessible on the platform and to the platform interfaces available to end users (STN Express, STN on the Web, and STN Easy). New full-text patent databases were added to the system, additional improvements were made to existing patent full-text databases, improvements were made to biosequence and chemical structure search options, and new Assistants and Wizards were added to STN Express and STN on the Web.  Also learn about the major changes coming to the STN platform in 2012, including discontinuations of older versions of the STN Express platform and a new STN platform coming at the end of 2012.

Continue reading to learn about the latest changes to the STN interface and data files, and read about the big plans for a new STN search platform!

Patent Search Systems: Specialize or Diversify Your Knowledge?

When it comes to patent search tools, there is no shortage of choices. Some search systems are built for those that need a free option. Some search systems are built for those that need access to incredibly complex chemical data. There seems to be a search system for each type of user out there.

With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to know which search system is right for your needs. Once you (or your company/firm) has decided on which tools to choose, it’s up to you to decide how to use them.

As a patent searcher, it’s your job to learn the ins and outs of these systems so that you can do your work efficiently and thoroughly. Keeping up with product updates, nuances, and quirks are all part of the package. If patent searching is akin to being a talented painter, each unique system is a brush that reacts differently to each “paint” and “canvass.”

So with all of these demands, what’s a patent searcher to do? Given limited time, should he or she specialize in one search system or diversify their search tool knowledge across multiple systems?

Read about the advantages of each, and a recommendation after the jump!

Where to Find the Latest Search News and Database Updates

Search systems are changing constantly; just look at the recent updates to Compendex, Inspec, and PatBase.  How can you stay updated on the latest changes to both free and subscription search systems  for patent and non-patent literature?  Here at Intellogist, we have to constantly check a number of blogs and websites so that we can add the most recent system changes to the “Major Recent Updates” sections of our Intellogist Reports.  We also have to learn about the newest free and subscription search systems and databases to add to the growing list of Community Reports and resources listed on the Resource Finder.

Continue reading to learn about the best blogs and websites for finding the latest database and search system news!