A preliminary patent search using Web resources can be done to a degree. The basic complement of tools is available at the USPTO Web site. This tutorial is designed to give searchers a solid process for accomplishing such a task.

Additional resources are available in Patent & Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs), such as the Schreyer Business Library at Penn State. These resources include:

• staff trained to help you understand how to use patent search tools;
• the Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, an efficient tool for viewing patent numbers resulting from your Internet search;
• a complete collection of patents on DVD-ROM, which is easier and more efficient to use than patents on the Web;
• related patent, business, scientific, technical, and legal information, including books and other materials. Some PTDLs allow such items to be checked out.