What services does the Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC) provide for patent examiners?

Source: FAQ (MPEP-Based)BlueIron Update: 2024-09-27

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

The Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC) provides a range of services to support patent examiners in their work. According to MPEP 901.06(a), these services include:

  • Maintaining a collection of scientific and technical literature
  • Offering online searching capabilities
  • Providing document delivery services
  • Assisting with foreign patent searches
  • Supporting examiners with complex search strategies

The MPEP states: “The Scientific and Technical Information Center (STIC) provides technical literature, foreign patents, complex search services, translations, and other scientific and technical information to assist examiners in the patent examining process.” This comprehensive support helps ensure that patent examiners have access to the most relevant and up-to-date information for their examinations.

Tags: patent examination, prior art search, scientific literature, Technical Information