Patents

Commercial Database Producers & Vendors

Thomson Reuters (http://science.thomsonreuters.com/): A leading specialist in scientific, technical and patent information has, for over 40 years, provided vital information to companies and research institutes across the world.
DIALOG (http://www.dialog.com/): The merger of M.A.I.D. and Knight-Ridder Information has created the world's largest online information company, The Dialog Corporation.
IFI CLAIMS Patent Services (http://www.ificlaims.com/): Produces the CLAIMS family of U.S. Patent of U.S. Patent databases which contain the most complete, most accurate, and most comprehensive coverage of U.S. Patents available in electronic form.
LexisNexis (http://www.lexisnexis.com/): The world's leading source of online legal, news and business information including federal, state and foreign case law, statutes and regulations, legal treatises, law reviews, more than 4,200 news sources, public records, profiles of thousands of public and private companies, and much more. Includes full-text of U.S. Patents from mid-1970's, patent caselaw and administrative decisions, patent statutory and regulatory materials, and patent news and publications.
MicroPatent (http://www.micropat.com/): Micropatent is dedicated to making patent and trademark information an accessible and effective business goal. US, EP and PCT patents downloaded with images. U.S. trademarks from 1984.
Questel-Orbit (http://www.questel.orbit.com/index.htm): Questel-Orbit is an international online information company specializing in patent, trademark, scientific, chemical, business and news information.
STN (http://www.cas.org/products/stnfamily/index.html): STN International (the Scientific and Technical Information Network) is an online search service that provides accurate, up-to-date, specific information from over 200 scientific, technical, business, and patent databases.
Guide to STN Patent Databases (pdf) (http://www.stn-international.com/fileadmin/be_user/STN/pdf/search_materials/patents/GuideFull_en_2008.pdf): Includes descriptions of all patent databases available through STN. Also includes main search strategies used to search patent files.