This text tutorial introduces LexisNexis® TotalPatent™. It will review some of the many features that make searching for patent information easier than ever.

The TotalPatent service is the most comprehensive and relevant, yet easy-to-use, patent research, analysis, and retrieval system available anywhere. To begin your patent research, enter your search information on either the Guided Search or Advanced Search form. Both forms offer a variety of searching options, including multiple full-text authorities which you can access by selecting the Show More Options link on either search form.

The Advanced Search form is a powerful tool that lets you conduct a narrowly focused search or very broad search, depending on your needs. Select the Advanced Search tab to access the form.

On the Advanced Search form, first enter your search terms in the Search Terms field. If you are familiar with another patent searching tool (such as MicroPatent or Delphion), you can use the Syntax Converter link to change your familiar search query into TotalPatent syntax.

Enter any additional information on the form to target your search. For example, you can use the Publication Date field limit the search to a specific date or range of dates. For even more targeted results, choose from the options in the Restrictions field lists, such as inventors. Use the Results Field checkboxes to select which fields, such as Abstract, to include in your search results. You can also save the search to run again in the future by entering a name for the search in the Saved Search Name field.

To run your search, select the Search button.

The Results page displays documents from your search results in List layout. List layout displays basic information in a numbered list about the documents your search found. The information may include the patent name, publication date, assignee, abstract, and image, although information will vary depending on the sources you have searched. You can change the results layout by selecting one of the Layout icons. Other layouts include Full Text, as well as two split-screen layouts. The first split-screen layout displays your results in List and Full Text view at the same time. The second split-screen layout lets you view the same document in two different formats, such as Full Text and Image.

A citation map is an analysis tool available on the Results page. It displays a diagram showing the relationships between up to 20 patents from your results. To create a citation map, first select at least two patent documents from your results by clicking the document check boxes. Then click the Citation Map link to access the diagram.

Work Folders are a personal workspace for you to store and organize your documents online. You can sort and analyze documents, as well as generate reports for use in other applications. To file documents from your search results in a work folder, select the File Documents icon. At the File Documents window, first select an existing folder or create a new one. Then choose which documents to file and click the File button.

To access your work folders, select the Work Folders tab. To open a work folder and display a list of the documents it contains, click the work folder name. Within a Work Folder, you can move, copy, and delete documents using the options in the Select Actions menu. You can also easily share work folders with other subscribers. Just select the Forward icon for the folder you want to share, and enter the appropriate email addresses.

There are multiple options for sorting documents within a work folder. Select the options by clicking the Sort link. You can also generate reports and conduct analysis on work folder documents by selecting the corresponding links.

To view recent search history, as well as saved searches and alerts, select the History and Alerts tab. The History and Alerts page includes three sub-tabs: Alerts, Saved Searches and Recent Searches.

Alerts are searches you set up to run on a regular schedule. You can set up a search as an alert from the Results page, or from the Recent Searches or Saved Searches sub-tabs. If your research criteria changes over time, you can edit an alert to modify the search terms or run schedule. Use the links associated with each alert to do that. You can also delete or pause an alert by clicking the corresponding button. Pausing an alert stops it from running until you decide to resume it.

In addition to setting up alerts, you can save searches to re-run at any time, without having a set schedule. You can save a search when you create it at a search form, or when viewing the search results. To access your saved searches, select the Saved Searches sub-tab. Saved searches are stored in folders you create. To open a folder and display a list of the saved searches it contains, click the folder name. Using links associated with each saved search, you can re-run, edit, or copy a search, as well as set up an alert. You can also combine existing searches to create new ones. Select the searches you want to combine by clicking the appropriate checkboxes, then click the Combine button. At the Combine Searches window, you can select the appropriate connector, such as AND or OR, to use when combining the search terms from the different searches. You can also add new terms if necessary. Click the Create button to create the new search.

Searches you run, along with the results, are temporarily stored on the Recent Searches page. Select the Recent Searches sub-tab to access them. The Recent Searches page displays your last 50 searches. Use the View link to access the results from a search. Use the Run link to re-run a search. You can also edit or save a search, or set it up as an alert using the associated links.

This concludes the LexisNexis TotalPatent tutorial.

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