How to Use the Agricultural Biotechnology Intellectual Property
Database
There are two ways to search the database: (1) downloading standard tables,
and (2) performing custom searches.
Standard tables
provide an overview of the entire database. They describe U.S. utility
patent data by technology, assignee, assignee type, year, and location.
Most standard tables provide a summary version and a detailed version.
A summary table typically lists total patent counts for a table
entry, while a detailed table typically lists the individual patent
number and patent titles as well. For instance, the summary table
“Top
25 patent holders, U.S. and non-U.S., governments only”
lists the total number of patents assigned to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture; clicking on the link takes the user to the section
of the detailed table that lists the title and patent number for
each of those 315 patents.
A special table in this list is called “Utility patents, all preselected
fields.” This table contains all data fields for every patent in
the database. As such, it is a particularly long file (over 25mb). It
is intended for researchers who want to access all the data at once.
Custom searches allow the user to access the data more
selectively.
The first step of a custom search is to specify a set of patents.
Begin by selecting an entity type or technology class (or both) from the
pull-down menus. Then, narrow your selection to a specific entity or technology
subclass (or both). To prevent long download times, the database requires
that you use at least two pull-down menus to specify a set of patents.
To complete the first step, decide whether to check the box that includes
2002 subsidiary firms in your set of patents. This box causes the database
to select not only patents assigned to entities specified in the pull-down
menus, but also patents owned by subsidiaries of these entities as of
2002. This feature is useful if you are interested in companies that have
added patent holdings through mergers or acquisitions of other companies.
This feature includes subsidiaries, but does not include patent holdings
of parent companies. To obtain this information, perform an ownership
analysis described below to determine a parent company, then perform a
new custom search on the parent with the 2002 subsidiary box checked.
The second step of a custom search is to select a type of analysis.
The different types of analysis will be listed on the left side of your
screen after your set of patents is selected. You can cycle through the
different types of analysis by clicking on these links. Please allow sufficient
time for the database to perform the analysis.
After you specify a set of patents, the database automatically performs
a technology analysis. This analysis examines the set
of patents and provides a detailed list of their technology classes and
subclasses. This analysis includes patents that are cross-listed in multiple
technologies. For example, if you specify only patents that are members
of a specific technology subclass, the technology analysis will also indicate
any other technology classes and subclasses to which these patents belong.
The ownership analysis lists the entity name and assignee
identification number for each original assignee in the specified set
of patents. Table columns list the assignee identification number for
the entity that owned the original assignee for each year 1988-2002. An
entity that lists its own assignee identification number in a given year
was independent. An entity that lists an assignee identification number
other than its own was owned by that parent entity at the end of that
calendar year. The table includes rows for each original assignee and
for each entity listed as a parent elsewhere in the table. This allows
the user to trace the ownership history of each patent.
The entity analysis lists names and locations for all
assignees named in the set of patents you specified. This analysis is
useful for determining whether individual patents have multiple assignees.
Also, an entity analysis can be combined with an ownership analysis to
distinguish between original assignees and current owners of patents.
Finally, the database can provide a list of patents (with download
capability). This analysis allows the user to obtain detailed
information about each specified patent. It provides a list of patent
numbers, patent titles, and assignee names and locations. Clicking the
link on a patent number takes the user to the current version of the patent
posted on the Patent and Trademark Office website. (Click the ‘back’
button on your browser to return to the database.) To download preselected
information about each patent in the set, select a download format (HTML,
Excel, or comma-delimited text) and click the ‘GO’ button;
after a short wait, a link will appear to a downloadable file.
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