How to Reference a Patent
A patent is a legal document issued by a government, granting ownership over a product or procedure. Because a patent is a legal document, there are several aspects required for a proper reference or citation. When referencing a patent, whether for academic or professional purposes, it is important to properly, and fully, cite the pertinent information. Improper references can lead to confusion and suggest sloppy work.
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Instructions
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Identify the six pieces of information that are central to referencing a patent. These are the inventor(s), assignee(s) (legal owners of the patent), title, country and/or country code (for the country which issued the patent), patent number, and date of issue and/or application (the date a patent was issued and the date the application for a patent was filed, respectively).
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Locate any missing information. Most issuing bodies have websites that can perform searches, such as the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) or the WIPO (World Intellectual property Organization). You can use partially complete information to search for a full reference.
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Properly format the information, including perfect imitation of the punctuation. There are many styles of referencing. However, the format used by the NLM and the NCBI is inclusive and clearly stated. It includes the inventor(s), the assignee(s), the title, the country, the country code and number, and the date issued. The following is a properly formatted example: Zink J, Goodnight H, inventors; John Zink Company, assignee. Low Nox Burner. United States patent US 4,004,875. 1977 Jan 25.
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Consider an alternate style of referencing such as Chicago or MLA. Both of these styles are acceptable for a wide range of academic and professional works and include less information. A proper Chicago format includes the inventor(s), the year issued, the title, the country code and patent number, and the date filed and the date issued. The following is a properly formated Chicago reference: Zink, John and Hershel Goodnight. 1977. Low Nox Burner. U.S. Patent 4,004,875, filed January 23, 1975, and issued January 25, 1977.
A proper MLA reference includes the inventor(s) or asignee(s), the title, the country code and patent number, and the date issued. A properly formated MLA citation would read as follows: Zink, John, and Hershel Goodnight. "Low Nox Burner." US Patent 4004875. 25 Jan. 1977.
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Check the spelling and punctuation in your reference. Patents contain many unusual words which are easy to copy incorrectly. It is also easy to make punctuation errors, due to their odd usage and since each format is slightly different (periods instead of commas, etc.).
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Tips & Warnings
Many fields, such as engineering and psychology, have specialized style manuals with examples of source referencing. They can be purchased online or in the reference section of major bookstores.
References
Resources
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