Patents & Standards - FED 101 - Fundamentals of Engineering Design: ECE - Research Guides at New Jersey Institute of Technology

Inventions, Patents & Standards

An invention is:

any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
- Examples: hardware, software, business methods.

A patent is:

a right granted by government to inventors giving them total control of their invention - the inventors get to decide who, if anyone, can use their invention.
valid for 20 years from the date an inventor files an application, but is enforceable only from the date the patent is approved.

A standard:

is a published document that establishes specifications and procedures designed to maximize the reliability of the materials, products, methods, and/or services people use every day.
addresses a range of issues, including but not limited to various protocols to help maximize product functionality and compatibility, facilitate interoperability and support consumer safety and public health.
forms the fundamental building blocks for product development by establishing consistent protocols that can be universally understood and adopted.

Google Patents This link opens in a new window
Google Patents provides access to United States patents from the 1790s to the present. It also includes patents from around the world that have been translated. Searchers can easily download the pdf of a patent found in the database.

IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
Provides web access to millions of full-text documents from some of the world's most highly-cited publications in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.
ASTM Compass (ASTM International Standards) This link opens in a new window
To use ASTM Compas from off-campus, you must use VPN. More information about setting up and using the VPN can be found on the NJIT VPN website.

If experiencing access issue with Google Chrome, please use alternative browsers, like Firefox; or through the following link:

ASTM Compass Temporary Link
Access to active (most current) ASTM standards documents that are updated weekly. ASTM standards provide consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services in areas such as metals, petroleum, construction, rubber, the environment and more.

Look up the following patent number using a patent resource.

Patent Number: 174,465 (U.S)

Who is the inventor? When was the patent issued? what is the name of the patent office?