Patents offer insight into a company’s
- innovative culture
- business opportunties
- research and development direction
- market expansion plans. Number of foreign filings might indicate the patent’s importance and identify a company’s target markets.
Tips for locating company patents
- The owner of the patent, an individual or entity, will be listed in the assignee or applicant field.
- Companies or employers are not always the assignees. Rights can be held by third parties
- University patents are sometimes filed under their governing board, i.e. Board of Regents
- Company names are not uniform, so search for all variations
- Examine the patent’s abstract, specifications, and claims for information about the invention
