How does STIC assist patent examiners with prior art searches?

STIC provides crucial assistance to patent examiners for prior art searches through various means:

1. STIC staff in Electronic Information Centers (EICs) perform prior art searches using commercial databases (CDBs) and subscription resources.
2. Examiners can submit requests for prior art searches using the Text/Regular Form on the STIC NPL website.
3. STIC offers access to non-patent literature that may not be available on the Internet.
4. Specialized searches for chemical structures, DNA sequences, and other complex queries are available.

The MPEP 901.06(a) states:

“STIC staff located in the EICs in each TC perform prior art and bibliographic searches for examiners using commercial databases (CDBs) and subscription resources… CDBs extensively cover the fields of knowledge examined by USPTO, and make it possible for expert search staff to retrieve bibliographic information e.g. title, author, publication date, source, language etc., and may also include abstracts, chemical structures, and DNA sequences.“

This support ensures that examiners have access to comprehensive and up-to-date prior art for their patent examinations.

To learn more:

• Prior Art Searches
• STIC Services
• Patent Examination
• Commercial Databases