Assistance

Reference Librarians have been trained to offer assistance, but you must perform Patent and Trademark searches yourself. Staff are not available to perform searches for individuals, and cannot give legal advice.

Patent searches and Trademark searches are generally very time-consuming. Materials are available on a first come basis, so it is highly recommended that you make an appointment ahead of time. This is especially true if this is your first search. Contact the Reference Desk at (864) 656-3024 for a reservation.

Printing and Photocopying

You may wish to print a copy of a patent while visiting Cooper Library. We have a complete collection of patents and published patent applications on DVD-ROM. Similar trademark documents are also available. You can print entire documents free of charge. In addition, these patent and trademark materials are available on the internet from the USPTO home page. If you have a properly installed TIFF Image Viewer, you may print them yourself. Here is a page of information about the availability of free tiff viewers. You must print documents one page at a time. If you print from the internet at Cooper Library, ther is a cost of 10¢ per page, and you must use a copy card. Cost of the card is $2.00, and money can be added to it.

Most search materials in the patent collection cannot be checked out, but photocopiers are available in the library. Microfilm reader/printers and photocopiers are available on Level 2 in the Reserves and Media Room. The price is 10¢ per page. Additional photocopiers are available on Level 4.

R.M. Cooper Library Hours

The Patent Depository is open at all times that the library is open, however, you may wish to plan your visit when assistance is available. Assistance is available at the Reference Desk during regular Reference Hours, which vary during the semester. Consult the Library Hours page, or call (864) 656-3027 for Library Hours.

Important Telephone Numbers

 Library Hours Hotline (864) 656-3027

 Patent Coordinator (864) 656-5168

 Reference Desk (864) 656-3042

 Reserves and Media (microfilm) (864) 656-0402

 Reference Dept. fax (864) 656-7608