Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Open Source Database And Website To Provide Free And Open Access To Inactive U.S. Patents In The Public Domain, Yuenyong Nilsiam, Joshua M. Pearce
Open Source Database And Website To Provide Free And Open Access To Inactive U.S. Patents In The Public Domain, Yuenyong Nilsiam, Joshua M. Pearce
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications
Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is cumbersome and involves a significant time investment to locate inactive patents less than 20 years old. This article reports on the development of an open source database to find these public domain ideas. First, a search strategy is explained. Then the operation and use of free and open source software are detailed to meet the needs of open hardware innovators. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the utility of the approach with 3-D printing. The results showed how …