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BME 417: Capstone Design I

Instructions for finding buisness information, standards and patents related to capstone design projects.

Search Strategy (U.S.)

To search for patents by "topic":

  1. Go to USPTO Patent Public Search and use Advanced Search. 
  2. Enter your keywords. Use quotes to encapsulate keyword phrases, such as "capsule endoscopy" or "fitness tracker"
  3. Select a patent from the search results to examine. 
  4. Note the classes/subclasses for these patents
    Classes/subclasses for the patent are found under CPC
    Portion of patent document with a box around CPC codes
     
  5. Look up the classes/subclasses in the Manual of Classification OR click on linked parts of a CPC to go directly to its definition. 
  6. Click on the D icon next to the parent category to learn more about the classification family, including references and special rules.
    Remember:
    • Consider specific component that you are improving/creating, not the whole product.
      Example:
      • "Seat" not a "bicycle"  
         
    • Consider what the component is, not what it's used for.
      Example:
      • "Straddle seat" rather than a "bicycle seat"
         
    • Don't forget your engineering basics! Consider how the component works. 
      Example:
      • "Refrigeration unit employing gas-liquid contact" rather than an "air-conditioner"
         
  7. Use the classification codes to search patents and patent applications. In the search window, enter the classification code without spaces, add ".cpc." Then press Enter or hit the Search button. If you are not seeing results, make sure you have a "." at the end of the query.
    Patent Advanced Search box with CPC search query
     
  8. View the patents and applications for the appropriate classes/subclasses. 
    Patent Advanced Search results with indicators differentiating patent applications and patents
    • Patent applications have Document IDs that start with the year, followed by 7 digits. The kind code is A. 
    • Patents have the kind code B. 
    • More on kind codes. 
       
  9. Do these patents give you other possibilities for the class/subclass?  If so, repeat steps 3-5.