Comprehensive and current patent information is indispensable in order to avoid costly duplicate research, to protect proprietary know-how, to secure competitive advantages, and to ensure a company’s innovative power. Patent databases on STN are key information resources for determining patentability, state of the art, infringement, and the legal status of patents.
PCTFULL, the full-text database of PCT* patent applications issued under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), contains more than 1.8 million records and more than 1.3 million images which are predominantly drawings from the patent application front page. The file covers the time period 1978 to the present and is updated weekly.
FIZ Karlsruhe has developed a unique search feature for STN which offers not only improved identification of claims and detailed descriptions of the patent applications, but also allows for numeric property searches. FIZ Karlsruhe operates STN, the leading online service for research and patent information, in cooperation with Chemical Abstracts Service (Columbus/OH).
“With the reload of PCTFULL we have not only included additional content but also introduced a new numerical search function which is only offered by STN and enables users to search the English full-text, for example, for substances with a certain molecular weight or certain physical properties“, explains Dr. Rainer Stuike-Prill, Vice President Marketing and Sales at FIZ Karlsruhe. “This very complex feature has been developed upon request from our customers. This feature is unique on STN and strengthens its USP.”
Doing a key word search in full-text databases usually results in large answer sets with hundreds or thousands of documents. Now it is possible for the first time to limit the search, for example, to particles in the nanoscale (< 100 nm), to catalytic reactions at low temperatures (e.g., -5 to 10°C), to mixtures of a certain percentage range (e.g., 20–30%), and many more applications.
Numeric values and their corresponding units are extracted from the English full-text, normalized and made available for numeric searching. More than 30 physical properties are indexed and searchable, most of them as base or derived SI units. Almost 400 further units and spelling variants are converted to SI units in order to encompass a wider range of retrievable values. Intervals contained in the text are also recognized. “Therefore, a search with 10-20 Kelvin will also generate hits for phrases like, for example, from -260 °C to -235 °C”, explains Dr. Michael Schwantner, Head of Data Analysis and New Methods. “And a search with Square Meters will also find documents with the values quoted in Square Inches.”
*PCT = Patent Cooperation Treaty
About STN International
STN® International (http://www.stn-international.de), the premium online service in science and patent information, provides access to nearly 200 databases from renowned producers. Only STN offers DWPISM, CAplusSM/CAS REGISTRYSM and INPADOCDB/INPAFAMDB on a single platform. STN’s powerful, transparent retrieval system allows for text, factual, chemical structure and biosequence searches. Also available are excellent analysis, visualization and post-processing tools. With precise and comprehensive information, STN supports information professionals in answering business-critical questions by offering them complete and topical information that meets the highest quality standards. Top priority is given to data privacy protection, data security, and confidentiality. STN® is jointly operated by FIZ Karlsruhe (Europe) and Chemical Abstracts Service (USA), and is represented in Japan by JAICI.
About FIZ Karlsruhe
FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is a not-for-profit organization with the public mission to make sci-tech information from all over the world publicly available and to provide related services in order to support the national and international transfer of knowledge and the promotion of innovation.
Business areas:
- STN International – the world’s leading online service for research and patent information in science and technology
- KnowEsis – innovative eScience solutions to support the process of research in all its stages, and throughout all scientific disciplines
- Databases and Information Services – Databases and science portals in mathematics, computer science, crystallography, chemistry, and energy technology
FIZ Karlsruhe is a member of the Leibniz Association (WGL) which consists of 87 German research and infrastructure institutions.
Contact
FIZ Karlsruhe
Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1
76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 7247 - 808 - 555
Fax: +49 (0) 7247 - 808 - 259
Email: helpdesk(at)fiz-karlsruhe.de
Press Contact:
FIZ Karlsruhe
Rüdiger Mack
Phone: +49 (0) 7247 - 808 - 513
Email: ruediger.mack(at)fiz-karlsruhe.de
