BUS 516: Graduate Qualifying Project

Connecting to Resources from Off Campus

Using the Proxy Server to Access Library Resources from Home

Search Scientific/Technical Literature: How Unique is the Idea/Invention?

Nature of the search will depend on the invention, but start with databases by subject categories such as:

Basics of Patent Searching

Extend your science and technology research with basic patent research.

How About These Apples: Patent Searching Basics for beginners to get a general understanding of the types of patents and how to search for them. Register for webinar.

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - Patent Search

Search and review others patents to understand:

technical specifications/innovations
product designs
competitive differences/advantages
players (competitors; inventors)

Trouble viewing patent images? Download Alterniff viewer or type patent number into pat2pdf.org site to get a PDF version.

Focus Your Search Using Classification Codes

Classification: Class 188: BRAKES

Classification: Class 108 HORIZONTALLY SUPPORTED PLANAR SURFACES

Patents Trends & Statistics

Often you will find information within articles, such as Small Serial Innovators: The Small Firm Contribution to Technical Change, if research firms are mentioned, follow up (CHI, now ipIQ). Sometimes you'll find data within articles in library databases such as EBSCOhost Business Source Premier such as: Little Known Patent Facts and Stats I and Facts and Stats II

Potential Competitors And Manufacturers

Search patents for similar products and research inventors' names or companies
Check Competition section of Hoovers and even within 10-K filings if you can track down a publicly traded company that has similar products
Search for other similar products, then research the company
Check "special" issues (print and online) of trade magazines for lists of companies by product or industry area, see Special Issues - List of Lists, or the search journals list for trade magazines.
Track down product directories or buyers guides for your industry:
Try company directories in the library or online (by industry or product code):
- Directory of Corporate Affiliations. 5 vols. Reference HG4057 A219
- CorpTech Directory of Technology Companies. Reference HG4057 A16 (4 volumes)
- Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
- Primary research (compile data yourself using multiple sources and interviewing industry insiders)

For a useful competitor analysis, see University of Colorado, Leeds School of Business Plan Preparation site for a useful Excel spreadsheet.

Determine Market Potential

Identify potential uses of an invention by looking at industry trends and companies that may use the product using industry sources. If you can determine one or two potential companies, you can then track down competitors.

Targeting a product towards schools in Massachusetts? How many are there? Who does the purchasing? Is there an association of school administrators?

Use information generated from within a company (if you can find a public firm that could use your product):

Annual form 10-K and other reports filed with the SEC
Annual report to the stockholders, press releases, product literature, SEC filings and other company documents. Check Investor Relations section of company web site or Thomson Analytics.

Researching a private firm? Benchmark against a publicly traded company.

As well as external information:

Business journals and news articles
Industry analyses and investment analyst reports
Information from distributors or suppliers & industry insiders

Directories, Regional Business Sources, & Research Databases

Try the following databases to search for news, executive interviews, and articles about companies, industries and products. Remember that private companies will be difficult to research. For private firms, LexisNexis and EBSCOhost Business News are good places to begin your research.

LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic: News and business information. Includes patent information as well under the Legal Research area. For companies, choose Business, Company Profiles.
EBSCOhost Regional Business News: choose EBSCOhost web, Regional Business News
EBSCOhost Business Source Premier: Provides full text for nearly 3,300 scholarly business journals, including full text for more than 1000 peer-reviewed business publications dating as far back as 1922. Sources of interest include:
- Datamonitor Company & Industry Profiles, refine search by choosing Publication Type, Industry Report.
Business and Industry: another index of trade journals and news, click Use FullTextFinder to track down full text options
General BusinessFile ASAP - Choose Advanced Search, click on Search investment reports: By ticker symbol for reports by investment analysts
Thomson One-Banker Analytics: Search, view and extract information on companies, allows competitor comparisons. Download financials into Excel.
The Value Line Investment Survey - contains one page company & industry snapshots, with forecasted earning and sales information as well as some textual analysis of the current situation for investors.

Want to gather industry information? Sample search:
(market keywords) and (industry or market or forecasts or trends or sales)

Business Planning Resources

Exhaust the library's Business Plan Resources guide for research strategies on idea validation and opportunity assessment. Useful tips for seeking competitors, trends, data and statistics.

Only Finding a Citation? Getting the Full Text

Is the journal online or here in the library? Search our Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers
Visit another library: Search WorldCat to find one
Request delivery from another library: Interlibrary Loan.

Licensing & Distribution Opportunities

Benchmarking licensing agreements and royalties may take some time, as this type of information is not always published or readily available. But be sure to learn about options using the following sources:

EBSCO Business Source Premier: Sources of interest include:
License Your Invention - electronic book
Franchising and Licensing: Two Powerful Ways to Grow Your Business - electronic book
Other library books such as Early-Stage Technologies: Valuation and Pricing by Richard Razgaitis

Glean Information From SEC filings, News Articles on Other Companies Within the Industry

SEC Filings: Search EDGAR
Industry databases such as LEXIS®-NEXIS® Academic for articles

A great deal of this type of information can be purchased through companies such as PharmaDeals or PharmaLicensing but usually at a great expense. Ask us anyhow, we can give you a reality check.

Customer & Target Market Information

Search above article databases.

Scour the 10-K for marketing related activities/strategies. Also, often in the Annual Report to Shareholders CEO's or interviews with executives through fair disclosure, companies will share plans for future target areas.

How big is your target market? Beyond searching through articles and trade association information you may find market size data using U.S. Census data.

Learn the NAICS industry codes for your sector. For instance NAICS 3361 is for Motor vehicle Manufacturing
Country Business Patterns - number of businesses by type for U.S., States, Metro areas, County and zip code by NAICS
Current Industrial Reports for many sectors
Economic Statistical Programs - multisector, construction, retail, services, manufacturing

Often the most valuable information can be found in market research reports, at a great cost. Libraries generally cannot afford to subscribe to these types of resources, but if you have questions, please ask us.

Ideas for Business to Business:

check for buyers guides in trade journals,
search for articles in trade magazines for product reviews
Encyclopedia of Associations. Detroit, Gale Research Co. [REF HS17 G334]: Trade associations or special interest groups may be good sources of information. To find association web sites, also try a association web sites and search engines.

Technology Transfer Resources

Need Help? Set up a Research Consultation with a Librarian

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Last modified: Feb 06, 2008, 10:24 EST