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LANG 2030 - Technical Communication I

Information Sources for Finding Technological Innovation

There are different types of information sources for finding technological innovations.

Patents

patent thumbnail

  • A patent is an exclusive intellectual property right granted for an invention. Key terms about patents:
    • Inventor: who invents the technology (the creator)
    • Assignee: who owns the IP of this technology (usually the company)
    • Claims: define the scope of the legal protection; it helps you understand the uniqueness of the invention
    • Classifications: these are classification numbers or categories assigned to the patent based on the technical subject matter. It helps you find similar inventions.
       
  • Owner of the invention (often referred to as assignee) can exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, selling/importing the invention without the owner's permission in certain countries for a limited time, generally 20 years. Thus, patent protection helps promote creativity and innovation.
     
  • In exchange for patent protection, owner of the invention must disclose sufficient technical details of his/her invention: its functions, how it operates, its composition and how it is manufactured. Therefore, patent is an valuable information source of technical knowledge for researchers and inventors.
     
  • In order to claim patent protection, the invention must be:
    • Useful and practical
    • New - displays novelty elements that are not obvious to people with knowledge and experience in the same technical field
       
  • Exclusions, the followings are generally not patentable:
    • scientific or mathematical discovery, theory or method
    • plant or animal varieties
    • method of medical treatment or diagnosis
    • discoveries of natural substances
    • literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work
       
  • Patented inventions concern various aspects of daily life:

Scholarly Journal Articles

Journal cover

Trade Journal/Magazine Articles

Magazine cover

Specialist Encyclopedias

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Engineering Information Sources: The Basis of the Profession

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