From: rishab@dxm.ernet.in
Date: Fri, 16 Sep 94 07:11:09 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: FREE patent searches
Message-ID: <gate.cyLksc1w165w@dxm.ernet.in>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



I haven't seen this here, so I'm forwarding it all:

Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 09:32:15 -0400
From: srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian)
Message-Id: <199409091332.AA16709@world.std.com>
To: patents@world.std.com
Subject: PATENT SEARCHING EMAIL SERVER is now open for business


    APS PATENT SEARCHING ARRIVES ON THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    (well only in a real limited way for the time being :-)

    A few weeks ago, I announced plans to provide limited patent searching
over the Internet, where you can get a list of patents by specifying the
class/subclass.

    I have decided to do this in two stages.  To test out the email-server
software I am writing, I first plan to allow email requests to retreive parts
of the PTO classification manuals (see below).  Once things are running
smoothly, I will then add the capability to retrieve patent titles by
class/subclass.

    So feel free to start sending in requests to the address listed below:

                              search@world.std.com

wish me luck, and start thinking philanthropic.  By the way, if someone has a
machine readable version of the WIPO international classification system,
please send it to me so I can add it to the server.  At some point when I
have lots of equipment, I will sort US patents by their international
classification.

Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service

                              ====================



                          Internet Patent News Service
                                 September 1994

                           PATENT TITLES EMAIL SERVER
                              search@world.std.com


     The Internet Patent News Service is pleased to announced the availability
of the Patent Titles email server, where people can retrieve lists of patent
titles dating back to 1970 for any USPTO class/subclass, and patent numbers 
for additional patents dating back to the 1800's.  The Patent Titles email
server is the first step in our efforts to make the entire USPTO APS patent
text database system accessible over the Internet.

     Approximately one gigabyte of data has been prepared and attached to the
Internet.  As all of the equipment and network access is borrowed, I am
limiting access to an email server until I get a better feel for demand for
the data, and until I can raise funding to set up a proper Internet server.

     Unless the bandwidth and processing load overwhelms the equipment I am
borrowing, the service will be free.

     To use the email server, send requests to the Internet address:


                              search@world.std.com


using any of the following commands sent as text in the body of the email
message:



        SENDTO  account-name@internet.site.adr

                This command is mandatory of all requests and is where you
                specify the email address you want the information sent to.
                Occasionally From: lines in email addresses do not provide
                a correct return address (at least in my experience doing
                the Internet Patent News Service).


        SEND INTRO
        SEND HELP

                Either of these commands will return this message.


        SEND UCLASSES

                This command will return an index to the approximately 400
                patent classes that are currently being used, for example:
                       Class: 69     Leather Manufacturers


        SEND UCLASS XXX

                This command will return that section of the USPTO's Manual
                of Classification covering patent class XXX.  For example,
                the command "SEND CLASS 69" would return a list of all of
                the subclasses in Class 69 by number and title.  These files
                range in size from 5K to 120K.  What follows is a section
                of Class 69:
                              Subclass  Subclass
                              Number    Title
                                1       MACHINES
                                1.5     .Belt-stretching
                                3       .Horse collar shaping
                                4       .Horse collar stuffing


        SEND UCLASS COMPUTING

                This command will return those sections of the USPTO's Manual
                of Classification covering patent classes 395 and 364, the
                two main classes dealing with hardware and software.


        SEND IPNSINFO

                This command will return an introductory message to my
                Internet Patent News Service.

        SEND CONSULT

                This command will return an introductory message to my
                patent searching consulting services I offer.

        SAVE COMMENT

                This command lets me know your request is actually a comment
                about the email server operation, or any inaccuracies you
                detect in the patent information being sent out.




    As I am parasiting the equipment to run the server (which basically means
that I operate the server at nite and on weekends), please send your requests
in at the end of the workday or on weekends.  Within a day or so, you will
receive back ny email whatever you requested.

                                    SECURITY
    A very important concern for anyone using this email server is secrecy,
that what they are searching for is not revealed to others. As a potential
inventor, I appreciate this as much as anyone else.  While I plan to save the
email addresses of people who use the server (but not their search request),
no other information will be retained.  The email address information will be
saved to study who, and how often, people are using the server.  I would
appreciate any suggestions on how to ensure security beyond this.

    Please excuse any mishaps that occur as I get this service off the ground.
This email server is a classic hack that will get better in time as people use
it.  In turn, the experience gathered in running the server will be invaluable
in demonstrating the feasibility of making massive amounts of patent data
available over the Internet.

    Also, get ready for that voluntary registration fee I mention in my intro
piece to the Internet Patent News Service.  If the Patent Titles email server
is successful, and you all like it, this fall I plan to coordinate an effort
to put all of the patent abstract information since 1970 onto the Internet,
making it available through email servers, Gopher, WAIS and Mosaic. But first
things first, getting the Patent Titles email server working.


Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service