Databases

Books in Print

(http://ellie.rit.edu:2114/WebZ/LogDbChange?
next=html/advanced.html:dbchoice=1:sessionid=sp03sw05-33879-
cxjrafp4-5h5e99:entitypagenum=2:0:dbname=BooksInPrint)

Using three search criteria (keywords, ISBN, Publisher, etc...)
searching for a book in Print with this database is a piece of cake.
If you happen to be on campus at RIT you can Also use the database
to search the catalog at RIT. If the book is found at RIT, the
database tells you where the book is located.

The site page is fairly easy to navigate, with the "next" and "previous" arrows. The left side vertical navigation menu is consistent through out. Once found, you have the option to have your results e-mailed, printed, or exported. The information you get back from a search is plenty to obtain
the book if one cannot be found at RIT. For example I found the following book
==============================
Title: Handbook of Marine Electronic & Electrical Systems
Author(s): Safford, Edward L.
Publication: New York : T A B Books, Publisher Record
Year: April 1978
Description: ill.
Language: ENGLISH
Standard No:
ISBN: 0830689397 Trade Cloth; US Dollars 14.95 Retail; Out of Print
===============================

With this information (note: the book is "Out of Print"), I can either
search public libraries or on-line auctions for the book.

In this case I really don't know why the site is not called Books
(in print, or out of print). The layout and the features makes this
a good place to go if you are looking for specific information about
a book, like ISBN Author, etc...




Electric Library (http://ellie.rit.edu:2105/s/edumark)

This clean Electric Library, database gives you the option to use a
"Natural Language" or "Boolean Search." The source list for this
database contains more than 500 sources. The Electric Library has Newspapers, Magazines, Books, Pictures, Maps, and TV & Radio Transcripts. Graphics and form boxes make this site a pleasure to search with.
Results are posted with the numbers of relevent hits under any given
selected category. For example if you select to search "Boolean Language" for "Winter and Olympics and Ice and Skating" selecting all media available, you would get a list of 2-books, 46 newspaper articles, 11 magazine articles,
and 1 radio and television transcript sorted by relevancy. Once the search
is completed, you may refine the search within the results too.

Searching books, magazines, newspapers, pictures, maps, and radio & television transcript content for specific phrases or keywords could not be easier. This database is easy to use, and can display your results with various grouping and sorting.




Faulkner Information Services: FACCT's
(https://www.rit.edu:8080/_proxy_/www.faulkner.com/products/faccts/
default.htm)

This is a very clean interface to great IT related news and industry
related products. Users are guided to a query input box, followed by a
link to help with queries. Typing queries in the input box gives users various publications relevant to their query.
Publication types include "Vendor," "Market," "Face Off:," and more.
Relevancy indicator bars corresponding to the various articles, are a nice touch to determine necessary query refinement.

Queries are not the only thing this database is good for. You have an
option to review "special features," where you'll find information, with a browser or index feel. For example; clicking on "Technology Vendor Profiles" you will find a link called "Internet Strategies." Clicking "Internet Strategies" will take you to a list of companies, who's profiles can then be reviewed.

Diversity in information types, yet a maintained consistency in information presentation makes this database a pleasure to browse and search.



Gale Business & Company Resource Center. (http://ellie.rit.edu:2128/menu)

This licensed Database is essential for anyone needing up to date Company
information on a global scale. You get company profiles, industry rankings,
product and brand information, stock value, and more. The search form interface on the Gale Business and Company Resource Centers' web site is easy to use. Even the most novice business researcher is enabled with the power to quickly find a large amount of information on a company.

You may search the database by "Company Name or Ticker Symbol," "Industry
Code/Description," "Subjects in Article," "Geographically," or by "personal name." Search results are displayed with enough information to allow the
individual performing the query, to make an informed decision on which link he/she should follow.

Once you select the company you are interested in, clicking the link takes you to the page where you may review Company Information, News/Magazine Articles, Investment reports, and more. Once on the Company Resources page, The Gale Group Business & Company Resource Center does abandon you to your own devices; you are comforted with an ever-present navigational aid in the form of a "horizontal navigation bar." From this navigation bar, you can refine your search, look at search tips, help, even look for "Subsidiary Companies" relative to the company you are viewing.

In a nutshell, Wall Street Journal, Dunn and Bradstreet, and all you other business resources, look out!



US Patent Office Database (http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html)

Interested in Inventions, or Inventing? When you see the words "Patents Pending" or "reg. US Patent 5,458,809," ever wonder what they really mean? You can answer those questions and many more with a visit to the US Patent Office Database on-line.Learning about a patented product, Trademark, or Copyright could not be made easier. The USPTO home page http://www.uspto.gov/ gives you an easy to use portal into the "inner workings" of "Idea-Protection."

The Patent Databases (Patent Grants and Patent Applications) are searchable with either a "Quick Search" or "Advanced Search." In the case of Patent Grants, You may also search on a specific patent by "Patent Number." If you would like information on Patents Applied for, you might also use a "Publication Number Search." In either case you will be given access to a great deal of information (including drawings).

Information about how the office works, and information pertaining to "Patent Attorneys" can also be obtained on this site. Overall, the US Patent and Trademark Office has done a wonderful job at providing full access to one of the most important concepts for Capitalism (Idea Protection).

Remember the patent number I quoted above? It is one of the many numbers on the side of a "Tide Detergent" bottle. That particular number was titled:

"Surfactant-containing dye transfer inhibiting compositions "

What does this mean really? The USPTO tells us that too:
"The present invention relates to a composition and a process for
inhibiting dye transfer between fabrics during washing. More in
particular, this invention relates to dye transfer inhibiting
compositions comprising polyamine N-oxide containing polymers and surfactants."

So what is in that stuff anyway? Procter & Gamble had to disclose that too:

"A liquid detergent composition according to the present invention is prepared, having the following compositions:
TABLE I
______________________________________
% by weight of the total detergent composition
______________________________________
Fatty acid 10
Oleic acid 4
Citric acid 1
NaOH 3.4
Propanediol 1.5
Ethanol 10
______________________________________"


And there is much more, so when you really want to know about a product, you can go to Consumer Reports or you can go to the Patent office. The choice probably depends on the degree of information you require.

While eating breakfast at Disney World 2000.  I was thinking "What the hell are you doing with that camera???"

With that.....  I look MUCH MUCH much different now.