The following is a detailed list of British patent documentation held within the British Library's intellectual property collection.
Intellectual Property stock locations
IP Open Access: Always available in the Business & IP Centre
IP Reserve South: In secure storage, can be delivered to the Centre in typically 1-3 hours
IP Reserve North: In secure storage, can be delivered to the Centre in 48+ hours. If a nine-digit number is shown under "location", these can be ordered for use in the Centre by registered readers through Explore the British Library. Please type the number into the Explore search box to rapidly retrieve the record.
IP Reserve Material cannot be ordered for same-day delivery after 16:00. Sometimes the service may not be available all day on Saturday due to staffing. Some Reserve Material may not be available at times due to stock movements. Please contact us before your visit to check.
Authority
Patent specifications | |||
Title | Holdings | Format | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 to date | |||
| Applications: (A specs) | 2427532- to date | Online | |
| 2000001-2406489 | Paper | IP Reserve North | |
| 2481570 - to date | CD/DVD | IP Open Access | |
| 2000001- 2481569 | CD/DVD | IP Reserve North | |
| Granted: (B specs) | 3rd January 2007- to date | Online | |
| 6th April 2004- 2008 | CD/DVD | IP Reserve North | |
| 2000001-30th March 2005 (last number 2404293) | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| 1916-1977 | |||
| Specifications | 100001-end of series | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| 1852-1915 (patents numbered in yearly series, numbers assigned at filing stage and not always published) | |||
| Specifications | 1/1852-18225/1915 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| 1617-1852 (numbered retrospectively, order not perfect) | |||
| Specifications | 1/1617-14359/1852 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| 1/1617-364/1699 | Paper (unbound) | IP Reserve South | |
Patent databases | |||
| Publication Server | 2007 - to date | Online | |
| Ipsum (status details and some file wrapper material) | 2008 - to date | Online | |
| Access Europe (Bibliographic details) | 2012 - to date | CD | IP Open Access |
| 1978- 2011 | CD | IP Reserve North | |
Indexes and Abstracts | |||
| Classified abridgements of specifications: | |||
| Red bindings | 1979-1996 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Green bindings | 1963-1978 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Maroon bindings | 1931-1963 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Blue bindings | 1855-1930 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Small red bindings | 1617-mid 19th century | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Supplement to Subject-Matter Index (corrections to abridgements) | 1225001-1250000 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Illustrated Journal (Abridgements in numerical order) | 1884-1930 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Abstracts of Patents Relating to Rubber Latex | 1940-1948 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Name Index to Specifications | 1612- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Group Allotment Index | 340001- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Fifty Years Subject Index | 1861-1910 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Annual Subject Indexes | 1852-4,1870 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Subject Matter Index (2 editions) | 1617-1852 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1617-1852 (1st Ed) | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| Chronological Index | 1617-1852 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1999-2002 | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| Chronological and Descriptive Index | 1852-1869, 1871-1875 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Derwent British Patent Abstracts | 1997- to date | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Derwent British Patent Abstracts. | 1975- to end 1998 | Paper | IP Reserve North |
| Reference Index | 1617-1852 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1617 -1852 (2 copies, references to other publications and legal cases) | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
Official journals | |||
| Patent Journal | |||
| (searchable web page) | 05/03/2008- to date | Online | |
| (downloadable print format) | 05/03/2008- to date | Online | |
| Patents and Designs Journal | 2004-2005 | CD/DVD | IP Reserve North |
| 1997-2003 | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| 1998-26/03/2008 | Online | ||
| Official Journal (Patents) | 1953-1997 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Official Journal of the Patent Office | 1929-1952 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Illustrated Official Journal (Patents) | 1896-1928 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Official Journal of the Patent Office | 1884-1895 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Commissioners of Patents Journal | 1854-1883 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
BL patent registers | |||
| Application Concordance Registers | (red) 01/1916- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Stages of Progress Registers (green) | 1600001- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 332001-1600000 | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| Renewal Fees Registers (red) | 500001-1150000 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| British Patent File Lists (large blue vols) | 1911-1000000 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
Legal decisions | |||
| British Library collected Court Decisions (C/xxx/nn) | 1970- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| High Court (Patents Court) Decisions | 1997- to date (selective) | Online | |
| Patents County Court Decisions | 2006 - to date (selective) | Online | |
| Patent Office Decisions (O/xxx/nn) | 1970- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1998- to date (partial) | Online | ||
| Reports of Patent, Design, Trade Mark & Other Cases. (RPC) | 1884- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| RPC Index by Pirani | 1884-1909 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| RPC Consolidated Table of Cases | 1884-1953 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| RPC Digest | 1884-1955 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Fleet Street Patent Law Reports (FSR) | 1965- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Hayward's Patent Cases. (HPC) | 1600-1883 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Carpmael's Patent Cases | 1624-1840 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Webster's Patent Cases | 1600-1855 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents Appeal Decisions (AT/xxx/nn) | 1970-1978 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Intellectual Property Decisions | 1978- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Index to County Court and Office Decisions | 1981-5 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Secretary of State's Decisions | 1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Supreme Court Decisions | 2009- to date | Online | |
| House of Lords Patent Decisions | 1979-86 (partial) | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1996- 2009 | Online | ||
| Registered Designs Appeal Tribunal Decisions | 1979-80 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Litigant Index to Court/Office Decisions | 1986- to date | Card index | IP Open Access |
| Industrial Property Citator (also includes other Common Law countries and Europe) | 1956-1981 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Intellectual Property Citator (also includes other Common Law countries and Europe) | 1982-2001 | Paper | IP Open Access |
Miscellaneous patent publications | |||
| Patent Office Annual Reports | 1852-1999 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 2003- to date | Online | ||
| Patent Design and Trade Mark Act 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Patent Act 1977 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Patent Act 1949 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Patent and Design Act 1907 as amended to 1946 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Patent and Design Act 1907 as amended to 1932 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Patent and Design Acts | 1907-1928 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents Acts collected | 1907 – 1961 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patent, Design and Trade Marks Acts | 1883 – 1888 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents Rules | 1978, 1982, 1990, 1995 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents Rules collected volume | 1908-1995 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Manual of Patent Practice | 2nd to 5th Editions | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instruments Patents | 1987-2003 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instrument Patent Fees Rules | 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Copyright Rules collected volume | 1908-1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instruments Copyright | 1987-1999 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Statutory Instruments Europe | 1998 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instruments Plant Breeders' Rights | 1965-1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instrument Supreme Courts Amendment No. 2 Rules | 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents for Inventions. Key to the Classifications/ Classification Classes/ Classification Divisions (some classes missing in some eds) | 440001-1998 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Reference Index to the Classification Key | 1953, 1953 supplemented version (2 copies), 1963 (2 copies), 1967 (2 copies) | Paper | IP Open Access |
| C2C class manual | 1975, 1987 (2 copies) | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Catchword Index to the Classification key.* | 1979,1982,1985, 1986, 1993, 1996 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Classification Key: Documentation Records | 1993-2004 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Abridgement Classification Key Indexes | 1897,1899-1905, 1910,1927,1932,1954 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Paper | IP Reserve South | ||
| Key to the Classification Classes 1-90 | 1957-1958 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Concordance Between the UK Key and the IPC 3rd Ed. | 1993, 1996 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Classification Key AIP Reserve Northtracts | 2001-4 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Explanatory Notes | 1988 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Notes on the Use of the Classification Key | 1982, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Universal Indexing Schedules | 1987, 1990, 1993 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| C2C Manual | 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Classification and Information Retrieval Services Bulletin | May 1982 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Expired British Patents | 1981 – 1982 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1981 | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| Number Index of Proceedings | 1914-6 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| List of Search Files | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| List of UK Patents by German nationals in force 1.12.1946 | Paper | IP Reserve South | |
| List of Applications by Enemy Aliens Opened to Public Inspection | 1939-1946 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Patents for Inventions. Notes for the Headings in the Classification key.* | 1977,1982,1988 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| List of Patents In Force | 1923-1955 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Term Frequency Tables | 1500, A, B, C, D | Paper | IP Reserve South |
Trade marks | |||
| Trade Marks Journal | 1876 – 2003 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| 1876-1978 | Microfilm | IP Open Access | |
| last 12 months | Online | ||
| Trade Marks Journal Name Index (Name Index bound in main run after last journal issue for each year during 1930-1938 in main paper copy and throughout in spare paper copy. Name Index precedes issues in microfilm) | 1876-1978 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Index of Subsequent Proprietors of Trade Marks | 1876-1888 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Due to the poor condition of the early copies of the Trade Mark Journal, access to the paper copies is permitted only in special circumstances and with permission of the collection manager. | |||
| UK Trade Mark Database | Online | ||
| Patent Office Trade Mark Decisions (O/xxx/nn) | 1970- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1998- to date (partial) | Online | ||
| Trade Mark Act 1994 (two copies) | Paper | IP Open Access | |
| Copyright, Design and Trade Marks Acts | 1938 – 1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| UK TM Classification and Rules with handwritten updates | 1938-1950 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Trade Mark Classification | 1905-1919 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Trade Mark (Amendment) Rules | 1982 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Trade Mark and Service Mark Rules | 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Trade Mark and Service Mark Rules (Fees and Forms) | 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Trade Marks Rules collected volume | 1908-1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instruments Trade Marks | 1987-2002 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1986 – 1987 | Paper | IP Open Access | |
Designs | |||
| (Brief announcements of designs were included in the Official Journal from 1878 on. Most other information on designs, including representations of designs from 1842 to 1996, is not held at the British Library but at the National Archives in Kew) | |||
| Electronic Designs Journal | Last 12 months | Online | |
| March 2008- 2011 | CD/DVD | IP Reserve North | |
| Designs in View | 1997-18/03/2008 | Paper | IP Reserve North |
| UK Design Database (also covers earlier designs still in force on 1.6.97) | 1997- to date | Online | |
| Patent Office Decisions (O/xxx/nn) | 1970- to date | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1998- to date (partial) | Online | ||
| Registered Design Name Index | 1901-1938 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| 1961-1999 | Card index | IP Open Access | |
| Non-Ornamental Design lists | 1843-1883 | Paper | Ask at Reference Desk |
| Designs Rules Collected | 1908-1985 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instruments Designs | 1987-2003 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Statutory Instrument Registered Design Fees Rules | 1986 | Paper | IP Open Access |
Old Scottish patents | |||
| Chronological list of Scottish patents | 1836-1855 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Name index to Scottish patents | 1767-1855 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Subject index to Scottish patents | 1767-1855 | Paper | IP Open Access |
| Calendar of Scottish Patents | 1712-1812 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Name Index to Scottish Patents | 1813-1848 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| Subject Index to Scottish Patents | 1813-1848 | Paper | IP Reserve South |
| (Specifications are held by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. From 1852 Scotland was covered by the British patent system) | |||
