PROBLEM OF OPTIMAL SELECTION OF INFORMATION RESOURCES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PATENT SEARCH OF METALLURGICAL MATTERS

Abstract

The continuous digitization of patent information sources and the emergence of new world leaders in metallurgical science and production necessitate the correction of traditional approaches to international patent searches, which are carried out by specialists of science & technology libraries for users-inventors. The authors have compiled an exhaustive register of existing national and international electronic patent databases (EPDB), which includes 49 titles and covers the patent offices of countries, whose joint share in steel production, as of 2022, reaches 99% of the world total. Thus, the widest possible breadth of international patent search in the metallurgical field was determined. In order to spare the working time of library specialists and save resources while performing this type of search, the task of its optimization was formulated and subsequently solved. The study developed three possible scenarios of patent search, which include 11, 5 and 1 recommended electronic databases. The authors have carried out a comparative analysis of the three largest multinational free-access EBDBs: Patentscope, Espacenet and Depatisnet. It is determined that Espacenet contains the most complete and up-to-date collection of metallurgical patents and, therefore, is best suited for this type of search. In general, the research has a pronounced practical orientation and is intended to give the specialists of science & technology libraries tools and guidance for performing international patent searches in modern conditions and, thus, to improve the quality of user service. In addition, the obtained work results made it possible to determine promising directions for replenishment of library funds.