Technology and patent information is one of the most important assessment instruments used by research and development departments in innovative companies. To increase the general awareness of the wealth of information contained in patent documents, Switzerland and other members of the European Patent Organisation have set up a patent database known as esp@cenet. Using this database, anybody can gain a first impression of the kind of knowledge contained in patent certificates. But a word of warning: esp@cenet was designed as an information awareness programme and not as a professional search engine. Therefore, searches using esp@cenet are no substitute for professional data searches. Furthemore, they do not guarantee that all documents which could infringe the novelty have been found. Complete your search with a professional search (ip-search) by our team of specialists. They can answer any question and will explain to you other search possibilities which can reveal far more than just the patent documentation. If you have any questions regarding esp@cenet, please write to us (webmaster@ipi.ch). Start your search on Disclaimer The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property makes every effort to ensure the accuracy at all times of this information, but cannot guarantee it. The information available on this site is not intended to be comprehensive; many details which may be relevant to particular circumstances have been omitted. Accordingly it should not be regarded as being a complete and authoritative source of intellectual property information. Readers are advised to seek independent professional advice before acting on anything contained herein. The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property cannot take any responsibility for the consequences of errors or omissions. Hyperlinks to other web sites imply neither responsibility for, nor approval of, the information contained in those other web sites on the part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.