Thomson Scientific Makes File Histories Available Through Dialog

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, January 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Patent and Trademark Researchers Have Instant Access to the World's Largest In-House Inventory

Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, today announced that research professionals can now order file histories directly through patent and trademark databases on Dialog(R), giving researchers the complete information on a patent or trademark in one place.

File histories are up-to-date accounts of the prosecution history for published or granted patent cases and trademarks. Also called "file wrappers," file histories provide the full history of a patent including all documentation of the correspondence between the examiner at the patent office and the applicant or their representatives. Thomson Scientific is the world's largest provider of file histories, with an extensive in-house inventory. Its coverage of international file histories spans over 40 languages and countries.

"Providing access to file histories through Dialog enhances the productivity of intellectual property researchers by giving them streamlined access to the resources they need," said David Brown, Executive Vice President, Thomson Scientific, Corporate Markets. "This is another example of how we are leveraging our capabilities to deliver comprehensive patent solutions to our customers."

Thomson File Histories are available from the following Dialog databases: Patents -- CLAIMS(R)/Current Patent Legal Status (File 123) -- CLAIMS(R)/U.S. Patents (File 340) -- Chinese Patent Abstracts in English (File 344) -- Derwent Patents Citation Index (File 342) -- Derwent World Patents Index (for users in Japan) (File 352) -- Derwent World Patents Index First View(SM) (File 331) -- Derwent World Patents Index(R) (File 351) -- Derwent World Patents Index(R) (File 350) -- Eli EnCompassPat(TM) (File 353) -- European Patents Fulltext (File 348) -- French Patents (File 371) -- German Patents Fulltext (File 324) -- IMS Patent Focus (File 447, 947) -- INPADOC/Family and Legal Status (File 345) -- JAPIO - Patent Abstracts of Japan (File 347) -- LitAlert(R) (File 670) -- U.S. Patents Fulltext (1971-1975) (File 652) -- U.S. Patents Fulltext (1976-present) (File 654) -- WIPO/PCT Patents Fulltext (File 349) Trademark -- TRADEMARKSCAN(R) - U.S. Federal (File 226)

Each electronic patent file history automatically includes a family report with a complete INPADOC family list for the source document. And, for each family member, patent researchers will see:

-- U.S. litigation information -- U.S. post-issuance assignment data -- U.S. post-issuance data, including assignment data -- Maintenance fee status -- Legal status

International file histories cover over 40 countries, providing a comprehensive look at the whole history of an invention.

About The Thomson Corporation

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com) is a global leader in providing essential electronic workflow solutions to business and professional customers. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, scientific research and healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson Corporation. Its information solutions assist professionals at every stage of research and development-from discovery to analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson Scientific information solutions can be found at scientific.thomson.com.

Web site: http://www.scientific.thomson.com http://www.thomson.com