Standards & Patents

Standards

A standard is a “a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose” (ISO: 2015). The cover a wide range ot disciplines and can be very specific or general.

A standard might be used to provide a framework or relating to one element, or process, in your project. There are a number of resources at Kent that you can use to search for and access standards: in:

• BSOL – the British Standards Institution online collection of standards. Please note you will have to request access to the whole document, the library will authorise this request.
• IEEE standards – leading provideer of engineering technology infromtaion including access to standards in these areas.
• Construction Services Index(CIS) – Construction information resource including standards, regulations and guides

The following orgnisations issue standards and you can search for information about them:

International

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – all fields except electrical and electronic engineering
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) – electrotechnical devices
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – telecommunications and telegraphy

European

• CEN European Committee for Standardization
• CENELEC European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
• ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute

National 

• BSI (British Standards Institution)
• DIN (The German Institute for Standardization)
• ANSI American National Standards Institute

If you need  a standard not available through the library you may be able to request copies trhough our document delivery service

Patents

A patent is the intellectual propery right (IPR) to protect inventions in a specfic territory for a certain amount of time from others making, using or selling it without the permission of the owner. For example, a UK patent has a life span of 20 years and protects in the UK. Patents protect any invention that meets the fundamental criteria of being new (not already know to the publice before the date of application), inventive (not merely a modification of an aready know invention) and capable of industrial application (can be made and used). If you are thinking of patenting your work then the UK governments video on IP Basics (1min 32secs) is a good starting point.

Identifying patents will help you find out what work has been done by others in the same field and avoid duplication. They also provide full details of technical and scientifc information related to the invention.

There are a number of resources that you can use to search and find patents:

• Intellectual Property Office – search published patent applications and registered patents with the UK government
• Lens.org – search for patents and associated literature across the globe. Includes the status of the patent applications and analysis of activity in the area of invention
• Designview – search for existing designs applications and registrations within the EU.
• Espacenet – EU patent information
• SciFinder N – a chemical literature databse that provides patent information on chemical substances
• United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)– search published patent applications and registered patents with the US government