This just came over the transom, a nifty Web-based patent search based on location.
FreePatentsOnline (www.freepatentsonline.com) has launched a patent map.
The Google Map mashup is located at www.localpatents.com, where today 3,143,630 patents and patent applications are shown in their respective locales, based on inventor and assignee cities. An assignee is the entity that holds the rights to the patent.
Users can zoom in and out, drilling down to see the number of patents in a given location, and can also see the patent numbers and titles, with the ability to click to obtain the full text of any document.
Consider, for example, Walcott, Iowa (population: 1,528). Eight patents are shown in Walcott, some belonging to the CAT Scale Company (www.catscale.com). Founded in 1977, CAT Scale has the largest truck-weighing network in the world, with over 1,200 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“A big reason we now show patents on a map is for job searching,” said Erik Reeves, CEO of Patents Online, the company behind FreePatentsOnline. “You may imagine that where you live, or where you’re moving, is a place with limited innovation. But with a few clicks in a given geographic area you may discover one or more companies inventing new products or services of great relevancy to your job interests. And, to interview armed with knowledge about a company’s intellectual property makes you a much better prepared candidate.”
LocalPatents.com can also help guide journalists to compelling, timely local stories. For example, in LaBarge, Wyoming, a recent invention is “Natural Gas Recovery System & Method,” U.S. Patent Application 20090095153.
