Jill Powell, Reference and Instruction Coordinator, jhp1@cornell.edu
Patents are "the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention in the United States or importing the invention into the United States." A patent lasts 20 years and is not renewable.
- Large percentage of technical information only accessible in patent literature.
- We'll discuss differences between patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets.
- Patents can be utility (mechanical, electrical, chemical), design, or plant. Utility patents may be a process, machine, article of manufacture, composition of matter, or improvement on any of the previously mentioned.
- Since 1995 you can file provisional patents (have up to 1 year to finalize)
- If you present a new idea at a conference, you have up to 1 year to apply for a patent.
Google Patents - at
google.com/patents - search all US patents.
Exercises: Practice searching
Google Patents with the names of the following Cornell alumni. What are they famous for? Answers are below.
http://epe.cornell.edu/cey/ jeffreyhawkins.html
| Jeffrey C. Hawkins (B.S. 1979, EE)
|
http://www.carrier.com
| Willis Carrier (M.E., 1901)
|
Cornell University photo
| Meredith Gourdine (B.S. 1952, EP 1953), Inventor and Olympic Silver Medalist
|
Cornell University Archives
| Leroy Grumman, (M.E. 1916) was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003
|
http://users.belgacombusiness.net/ hammond/philosop.htm
| Laurens Hammond, (M.E. 1916) |
Cornell University photo
| Wilson Greatbatch (B. E.E., 1950), inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 1986. |
http://www.black-collegian.com/.../ rolemodels2002-2nd.shtml
| Allyson D. Yarbrough (M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1988, EE)
|
http://www.wpi.edu/News/Commence/ Awards/honoraries.html
| David M. Lederman, (Ph.D. 1966, EP) |
http://www.eng.nsf.gov/engnews/2002/ BES2Nug/bes2nug.htm
| Robert S. Langer (B.S. 1970, ChemE) |
http://www.eng.yale.edu/news/ woodall_presidentBush.htm
| Jerry M. Woodall (Ph.D. 1982, EE)
|
http://www.opticsvalley.arizona.edu/ schedule.html
| David F. Welch (Ph.D. 1985, EE) |
http://www.timelinescience.org/ images/midgley.jpg
| Thomas Midgley, Jr. (M.E., Engineering 1911) |
Answers:
Jeffrey Hawkins - personal digital assistant, Founder of Palm, now Chairman, Handspring
Willis Carrier - air conditioning
Meredith Gourdine - electrogasdynamics
Leroy Grumman - retractable landing gear, folding wing.
Laurens Hammond - Hammond Organ and other electronic devices
Wilson Greatbatch - implantable cardiac pacemaker
Allyson D. Yarbrough - micromachined electronic and electromechanical systems
David M. Lederman - artificial heart, CEO Abiomed
Robert S. Langer - biomedical applications of polymers
Jerry M. Woodall - pioneer in research and development of compound semiconductor materials and devices
David F. Welch - pioneer in semiconductor laser and optoelectronic technology
Thomas Midgley, Jr. - discovered freon and developed fuel additive
