Library: Electronic & Electrical Engineering: Patents, standards, data

Finding standards

British Standards Online (BSOL) This link opens in a new window
Online access to the full text of all current British Standards, including European Standards (EN) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adoptions.

How to download and install FileOpen
PDFs downloaded from BSOL can only be opened using Adobe software (e.g. Adobe Reader) when you also have the FileOpen plug-in installed. Alternatively, you can use the Quick View option in BSOL to view the standards in your browser.

IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Access to IEEE active, revised, archived and draft standards on the IEEE Xplore platform
ITU Publications This link opens in a new window
International Telecommunication Union ITU-R (Radiocommunication) and ITU-T (Telecommunication) standards and recommendations.

For standards from other bodies (for example IEC, ANSI, ASME, ASTM) please contact your Subject Librarian.

Knovel This link opens in a new window
Searchable full text access to over 4,000 leading handbooks, databases, encyclopedia and reference books across all engineering disciplines. Knovel also provides tools to analyse and display data found.

Video: Knovel - Property Search (8:21)

Engineering Sciences Data Unit (ESDU) This link opens in a new window
Validated data and design guides and software tools in a range of engineering disciplines including Aerospace, Automotive, Mechanical, Structural and Process Engineering.
McGraw Hill AccessEngineering This link opens in a new window
Database providing a wealth of McGraw Hill’s premium textbooks, reference works, videos and data visualisation tools for engineering, sciences and business skills. Includes tools for real-world problem solving, case studies, industry codes and standards, plus course outlines for curriculum planning.

MatWeb
Online database of engineering material properties. Contains 130,000 datasheets, covering polymers, metals, ceramics, fibers and more.

UK Data Service This link opens in a new window
A major resource for UK government, international and longitudinal socio-economic data.
Coverage includes the British Crime Survey, British Household Panel Survey, General Household Survey, Labour Force Survey and the World Bank's data.
Further content includes the British Cohort Study, International Social Survey Programme, Millennium Cohort Study, National Statistics Time Series and statistics from the IMF and IEA (International Energy Agency).
To access some data, you need to log in/register with UK Data Service. Some datasets restrict access e.g. where commercial usage might be sought, permission could be required or sponsoring organisations may vet publications.

Data.gov
US government data
Discovering research data
Library Research Data Services' guide to discovering research data.

SpringerMaterials This link opens in a new window
SpringerMaterials provides curated data and functionalities to support researchers in materials science, chemistry, energy, engineering, physics and other related fields, with over 290,000+ materials and 3,000+ properties.

Office for National Statistics This link opens in a new window
UK's economy, population and society at national/local level: summaries of key areas plus downloadable statistics into spreadsheets.
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
Provides online access to publications and statistics from the OECD Organisation for Economic Development, IEA (International Energy Agency), NEA (Nuclear Energy Agency), OECD Development Centre and ITF (International Transport Forum). Note: IEA datasets are available via the UK Data Service.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista is a Google-like search tool for market research and statistics with facts and figures easily displayed in charts and graphs. It provides access to more than one million statistics, ready to use in PPT, XLS and PNG format.
• Access to 1 million statistics - ready to use in PPT, XLS and PNG formats.
• PowerPoint dossiers on 3000 of the most searched-for topics such as online gaming, e-commerce, car sharing and organic food markets.
• Five year revenue forecasts on 42 countries and 400 industries.
• Industry reports (USA-focused) including SWOT analyses and forecasts.
Eurostat This link opens in a new window
Statistical office of the European Union

Finding patents and registered designs

The following resources provide information about patents. Each database has its own strengths and its coverage will be widest for the first-named geographical area. Also listed are the web sites of national and continental patent offices.

Derwent Innovations Index This link opens in a new window
Search 97 million patents. All titles and abstracts are rewritten, with novel applications and specialist indexing added.
Espacenet This link opens in a new window
Searchable database of over 120 million UK, European and world-wide patents. In addition, images of the paper publications are available back to 1920 for the UK, US, EPO, WIPO, France, Germany and Switzerland. Compiled and maintained by The European Patent Office.
Google Patents This link opens in a new window
Search 87 million US and European patents, plus WIPO applications. Includes an Advanced Search and Prior Art Finder.
SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
SciFinder-n is a new version of SciFinder, the largest index to chemistry and related literature. Search by topic, author, compound name, molecular formula or structure.

European Patent Office This link opens in a new window
How to apply for a European patent plus learning resources on searching for patents.
UK Intellectual Property Office This link opens in a new window
How to apply for a patent in the UK.
IPSUM This link opens in a new window
This is a UK Patent Office resource which allows you to check the status of UK patents/patent applications.
United States Patent and Trademark Office This link opens in a new window
Full text search of US patents.
World Intellectual Property Organization - PATENTSCOPE This link opens in a new window
Access WIPO databases: Patentscope - search over 90 million patent documents: all published PCT applications as well as more than 60 national and regional collections; Global Brands Database; Global Design Database; intellectual property statistics and technology reports.

The design of a product i.e. how it looks, its shape, arrangement of parts and any decoration can be protected too. Designs can cover specific items but also packaging, symbols and typefaces. By registering a design you can prevent others from copying and using it for up to 25 years, subject to renewal every 5 years. Designs can be registered with national (usually the patent office), regional or international design offices. The following tools enable you to search for and view registered designs.

Design View This link opens in a new window
Free online search for designs registered with participating national offices, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), collated into a single platform with daily updates sent by individual offices. Explore designs throughout Europe, the novelty of a design, avoid copying designs and check legal status of registered designs. All official European Union languages are supported.
View Designs Journal This link opens in a new window
View details of UK designs registered with the IPO in the last 25 years.

Legal and regulatory resources

Legislation.gov.uk
The official home of UK legislation, revised and as enacted 1267-present. This website is managed by The National Archives on behalf of HM Government.
EUR-Lex
EUR-Lex offers access to EU law, case-law by the Court of Justice of the European Union and other public EU documents .

Lexis+ UK This link opens in a new window
Legal information: UK and EU case law, UK and EU legislation and UK law journals.
IMPORTANT: Please note Lexis+ UK is licenced for education and research purposes only and cannot be used for University business.

Suite of help videos from Lexis+ UK
more...less...
Short videos showing how to run searches and find cases and legislation.

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) This link opens in a new window
Guidance, and access to publications on health and safety issues and current regulations.
Knowledge Workspace (OHSIS; Environmental Management; Specify It) This link opens in a new window
Select the Knowledge Workspace. Full text access to documents covering health, safety and environmental issues, as well as specifications. OHSIS covers current regulations, standards, guidance and best practice documents from many providers including the HSE, Cabinet Office and Government Departments.