An evaluation of the Patent View CD-ROM database

Abstract

This paper describes an evaluation and test drive of Research Publications International's Patent View, the CD-ROM database of U.S. patents. The paper finds that, though some improvements are necessary and some desirable, the product has the potential to meet a wide range of user needs concerning: 1. (a) its contents;2. (b) its extensive bibliographic and textual data, which include the abstract and exemplary claim; and3. (c) its sophisticated and generally "user friendly" software, which provides a wide range of search fields and facilities.