Assignment
Patent Research Assignment
This assignment introduces students to United States patents and to prior art searching using two free, online databases: Espacenet and Lens.org. Instructional videos are available at: http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/patents .
This assignment is designed to be scalable so that it can be implemented at an introductory level in a first-year design course, and replicated in the senior design course. To scale the assignment, modify the number of resources students are required to analyze and intensify the synthesis/analysis components.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Patent Research Lab - 7-Step Searching Handout (Word Document)displayed 545 times | 37.39 KB |
 Patent Research Lab - 7-Step Searching Handout (PDF)displayed 685 times | 106.23 KB |
| Student Research Log - Download Excel file at http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/patentsdisplayed 590 times | 35.42 KB |
- Students will be able to determine the patentability of their invention based on a nuanced understanding of United States utility patents and intellectual property.
- Students will be able to conduct a sophisticated prior art search using Cooperative Patent Classifications.
Information Literacy concepts:
Individual or Group:
Ability Level:
This assignment was scaled for a first-year Foundations of Engineering Design course. As such, students were only required to analyze 6 patent documents in detail.
The assignment was developed in collaboration with Dr. Lee Rynearson, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Campbell University.
