Thursday, May 17, 2012

Was your ancestor an Inventor?

Do you have an inventor in your family tree? If so, they may have registered a Victorian or Australian patent for their ‘bright idea’. There are two major online sources, both freely available, for searching the names of patent applicants in Australia from the mid 1800s to the present day.
Victorian patents 1854-1904

Prior to 1904 in Australia, inventors were able to register a patent application in each Colonial State. In Victoria, there were over 21,000 patents registered between 1854 and 1904, both by Australian residents and by overseas applicants. You can search for the names of these inventors in the Victoria Government Gazette .
Australian patents 1904 +

After1904, the administration of the State’s patents acts was transferred to the Commonwealth, and the Australian Patent Office was created.  Now named IP Australia, you can search for Australian inventors, from 1904 to the present, using IP Australia’s ‘AusPat‘ online database.

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