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The description gives the background to the invention (what was known before the invention, i.e., the "prior art"), and defines the difference between the pre-existent technology and what the invention contributes to technology development. Information includes:
Claims are written statements of what the inventor asserts is his or her exclusive property. They determine the scope of patent protection and define legal boundaries of the invention.
Many patent documents contain an abstract summarizing the contents of the document.
Patent documents have "classification symbols" to facilitate finding and extracting relevant information from them. Although several classification systems exist, today the International Patent Classification (IPC), which was established by an intergovernmental agreement concluded more than 30 years ago and administered by WIPO, is the most widely applied by all the major industrial property offices.
Patent dates reveal the age of an invention and whether they are still under legal protection. Patent documents may list:
Most patent documents indicate the name and address of at least one or two of the following:
Reused with permission from UOttawa Library's Patents guide.
To allow for easier searching and organization, patents are classified according to a classification system. This groups patents together with similar technical areas, such as chemistry or mechanical engineering.