An Overview of the PTRC Program

North Carolina State University Libraries is currently a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC). PTRCs are those designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to receive and house copies of patent and trademark materials, to make them freely available to the public, and to actively disseminate patent and trademark information.

The Libraries provides

  • access to the PUBWest databases for particular needs that are not met by the USPTO databases online;
  • a large research collection that includes works on intellectual property topics, as well as "how-to" books for students, inventors, engineers and academics.

The Patent Librarian can

  • provide a brief orientation to available materials, as well as general guidance on searching patents and trademarks, and related information;
  • help you identify historical patents and inventors using print materials, such as Patent Indexes and Official Gazettes;
  • contact experts at the USPTO for specialized questions or research needs beyond the scope of the Libraries' service;
  • point you to online tutorials and other reliable and informative web sites.

NC State & Patents

  • NC State University's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) works closely with faculty, staff and students to ensure proper disclosure of inventions on campus. They also provide substantial assistance in assessing the commercial viability of inventions and bringing them to market.
  • Special Collections' Online Exhibit on NC State Patents (June 1-30, 2000):
    /exhibits/patents/
  • Find citations for some of the patents held by NC State Faculty in the NCSU Scholarly Publications Repository
    (keyword search: "patent"):
    http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/repository/scholpubs/search.php

Independent Inventors

Independent inventors who are not affiliated with NC State are also able to make use of the services above as a guest of the Libraries. Please see the following FAQs on

Contact Information

Dave Zwicky
Engineering Services Librarian
david_zwicky@ncsu.edu
(919) 515-6602