Pre-Conference Workshop—What Educators and Engineers Need to Know about Patents

摘要

In business and entrepreneurship, patents are used to gain a competitive advantage. Accordingly, engineers and educators should understand basic rules and standard operating procedures relating to patents. In research and development, patents may be used as sources of scientific literature. Patents could help identify technology landscapes and the state-of-the-art in a specific field. Importantly, patents can help inform product and manufacturing design by identifying what has already been done, and what is possible for future improvements and innovations. Accordingly, engineers and educators should understand how to use patents in their R&D work. From a career perspective, knowledge of patents and how to find them can distinguish individuals from their peers and aid them in going beyond the classroom or the lab. In this workshop, attendees will learn some basics about patents, and gain some hands on experience in how to search and identify patents, in order to accelerate their research or design projects. Attendees can expect an interactive workshop where they will learn patent basics and apply knowledge by searching patents using powerful free online search tools.