Patents are a rich source of information for researchers and an important part of the innovation process. Searching for patents can be a time consuming process when not simply seeing if a patent exists but analyzing existing patents to ensure that your invention / device / product is not yet patented. In this workshop you will learn about resources available to inventors at VCU, understand principles of patient searching that apply across databases, and discover how to use patent-specific tools to complement your searches.

During this webinar, attendees will:

• Become familiar with some of the resources VCU has to assist inventors
• Practice breaking down the description of an idea into building blocks or facets to use when searching
• Locate the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) code and references to prior art in a patent and know how to use that information to find similar patents

Registration is required. After registering participants will receive the class URL via email.