Patent libraries

[sneal@muskwa.ucs.ualberta.ca (Sneal)]

Re west coast patent libraries:
 
  The two that I've personally used are the Sunnyvale patent library
(which Tim May mentioned in an earlier post) and the one at University
of Washington in Seattle.  The Sunnyvale library is the more complete,
with all patents (microfilm for older ones, paper for newer) and gazettes
availble.  UW only goes back to the mid-sixties or so, but I suspect
this will cover all crypto patents.
 
Eric asks:
>Do they have electronic access at this library, or is it
>paper only?  I know they have a fax service for which they charge,
>but is there downloadable text available?
 
  Both libraries mentioned above have CD-ROM facilities which you can
browse onsite.  To the best of my recollection, though, the CDs only
include abstracts and licensing information, and not the full text of
the patents.  I'll likely be back in the Sunnyvale area sometime in
the next couple of months, but in the meantime, someone might want to
verify my recollections about the CD-ROM info.  The CD-ROM reader at
the Sunnyvale library seems to be heavily utilized, so you might want
to call ahead and book some time on it.
 
  If you want to check out the UW library and you're not familiar with
the area, stop at the UW Visitor's Centre first, or risk getting lost
in a strange and bizarre environment.
 
  Canadians looking for patent info... don't bother, unless you're in
the Ottawa/Hull area, are near a university that has the stuff on CD,
or have sufficient connections to get the stuff through CTIS at a
reasonable price.  Our government (now headed by the flakiest female
PC politician this side of Hilary Clinton <sound of stomach
churning>) seems to have granted exclusive rights to patent
distribution to some bogus little microfiche company in Hull
(MicroMedia) that wants some ungodly per-page charge for copying.
 
  -- Steve