Guide to finding patents, based on the collections of the State Library of Victoria
This page gives broad information about finding patents. Click on the headings above for more specific information on finding patents registered in a specific state / colony or country.
Key information required to find patents
Step 1 – retrieve patent from relevant collection (print or online)
- you will need the geographic location, year and patent number
Step 1 – you will need to determine the relevant geographic location (e.g. Victoria)
Step 2 – you will need to determine the relevant year or range of years
Step 3 – if a geographic location and date or
NOTE - if a geographic location cannot be established, search indexes from a range of states and countries.
Step 4 - order patent from relevant collection (print or online). A librarian at the Information desk can assist.
– you will need the year and geographic location
Step 1 – determine what information you have about the patent
(a) the geographic location (state, country or region) which registered the patent
(b) the inventor’s name
(c) the year the patent was registered
(d) the nature of the invention (e.g. sheep shears)
You can determine the geographic location and date, by checking number and date sequences for different Country and State collections [see Patents Guide]
Or you can determine the geographic location and date, by ‘number searching’ online indexes.
Step 4 - retrieve patent from relevant collection (print or online)
– you will need to narrow the search criteria
Step 1 – be specific about the invention, for example, sheep shears that are hand operated or mechanically driven
Step 2 – what d
Step 3 – what geographic location is relevant for example, do you want twentieth century Australian patents, nineteenth century Victorian patents or British patents?
Step 4 – search relevant print subject or class indexes or online indexes. (Not all indexes are online - see the above headings for details).
Step 5 – retrieve patent from relevant collection (print or online)
– identify a relevant patent, as this can provide detailed information about the machine
Step 1 – does the part have a name or number on it ?
Step 2 – does the word “patent” or “pat” appear on the part ?
Step 3 – if there are names or numbers on the part, patent indexes referred to in this guide can be checked to identify a relevant patent. A number of the pages of this guide provide patent number sequences applicable in different countries, and over various date ranges. These lists may help pinpoint a relevant patent and its country of registration.
Step 4 – if a patent cannot be identified, search library catalogues for published guides to machinery. One example is Old farm machinery in Australia: a fieldguide & source. This book covers "old agricultural implements, machinery and engines, used in Australia, whether manufactured here or overseas". These guides can be very useful in identifying machines and their makers. Another useful source is The Old Machinery Magazine.
Step 5 – if you still cannot find the information that you need, you can send an online enquiry on the State Library of Victoria website. Click on the Ask a Librarian link on the homepage to find the online form.
See the headings at the top of this guide for more detail.
If you are unsure about a patent number, questions to ask are:
Is the patent number actually recorded on an object? Could the name on the object be the manufacturer's name and not the inventor's name?
Was the product made in Australia or imported from overseas ? Answers to these questions will help you to locate specific patents.
Could the number refer to a registered industrial design or a registered trade mark, and not in fact to a registered patent?
Could the number be a manufacturer's product item code or part number ?
Is the number a product standard number? Standards are published specifications and procedures to ensure quality and safety in manufactured products. For example, Australian Standard AS 5007-2007, "Powered doors for pedestrian access and egress".
Some products may carry a stamp that says "Patent" or "Patent Pending". This does not mean that a patent was actually applied for or granted, as it may have been used to discourage other manufacturers from copying a product.
Patents are usually allocated both an application (provisional) number and, if accepted, a granted (accepted, registered, serial, publication) number.
But for some patents, both the application and the granted number are the same number. These include Colonial State patents, and Australian patents from 1904 to 1935.
In some patent series, the same numbers are repeated in different date cycles.
For example, Australian Patent Application numbers begin with Number 1 every 5 years, except for 1936 to 1940, and these begin with Number 1 each year.
