Patents & Trademarks

Patent and Trademark Depository Library Program (PTDLP)

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has been a depository library since 1902, and is one of over eighty U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries located in every state of the United States. These libraries assist the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in disseminating patent and trademark information.

The Reference Services Department holds a microfilm collection of the full text of all U.S. Patents, including all the drawings, beginning with 1790 (the year the first patents were granted). An inventor can come to the Reference Services Department and make a preliminary search to determine whether a patent has previously been granted for the unique features of his or her idea.

The Library also maintains current files of registered and pending trademarks. Trademark searching is just as significant as patent searching, with applications for trademarks matching applications for patents at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Library Staff assist individuals in the use of various search tools. The staff does not make the actual search and cannot interpret patent or trademark law. The Library also provides a listing of patent attorneys and agents registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search : a Step by Step Strategy
  This is a 35-minute narrated slide presentation on patent searching from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.