BOOKENDS March 2019, Volume 2, Issue 2

Ankabut is the United Arab Emirates’ Advanced National Research and Education Network (NREN) offering academic institutions connectivity to other education networks around the world. It is an initiative of Khalifa University. In addition to connecting universities, Ankabut can connect schools and public institutions together across the UAE with an effective cost model. Ankabut also co-operates on the national, GCC, regional and international arena representing the UAE in conferences, exhibitions and forums. Ankabut aims to offer QoS based networks with IPv4/IPv6, multicast and introduce advanced services on a “Closed Group Network” with “Public Interest Purposes”. Ankabut supports initiatives in the e-learning environment, library content and distribution systems and research collaboration.

Ankabut conducts annual meetings for its users under different slogans related to the field of Education Technology. On the 20th of February, 2019, Ankabut held their annual meeting at Khalifa University - Main Campus, Abu Dhabi. The meeting was launched with the opening speech and National Anthem, then formally opened with the opening remarks from by Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi. The Ankabut 2019 update report was afterwards presented by Mr. Fahem Al-Nuaimi. The meeting also included a discussion panel and papers on many topics related to educational technology, changing industry landscapes using new technologies, mapping the future, and digital transformation in public education sector. To learn more about Ankabut visit their website HERE.

If you are an inventor, you should be aware of relevant "prior art" in your areas. The term “prior art” is patent term that refers to the question – Is there proof that the idea exists in the public domain somewhere? This has wide implications. If you are an entrepreneur, you should monitor your competitors' new products and where they are patented. If you are a researcher involved in applied research, you need to review new and pending patents in your discipline. If you are an engineer, you should look for ideas to improve your workplace. If you are student, patent can explain how something works. What protection do you need for your unique ideas and how do you protect yourself? Is your patent valid in all countries or not? How long does a patent last? How do you prepare patents with great diagrams and detailed explanations? Join our workshop and we will guide through the best practices and answer questions such as - where to start searching, what are the right steps to make, how to cite your patent, what are the patent laws in UAE and many more. Join our workshop HERE to learn more.

The book could be used for anything from a biography of Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse as much as the innovation in science and technology where light, conductivity, and radio are concerned. But it also showcases the wars that help innovation move forward both in this context but also a larger conversation about how "enemies" always push each other to continually think about the next step. 

Winchell covers all of the bases and I was particularly interested in the chapters regarding Kimmel's being the first to be electrocuted and the reactions of the crowd of invited people. Likewise, it was nice to humanize people like Westinghouse in his wanting to take care of employees, but how greed plays a part, patents sometimes don't recognize the true inventor, the uniqueness of genius brains and the list goes on. 

But so much was included in just a small book! Niagara Falls, the Chicago World's Fair among other historical highlights. Well done and well paced the chapters flowed well and didn't get too bogged down in scientific details but highlighted the elements that were important and included diagrams where necessary.

Whether you're a patent examiner, patent attorney, commercial patent searcher, patent liaison, IP librarian, law professor, or competitive intelligence analyst, you'll find Patent Searching: Tools and Techniques to be just the guide you have been waiting for, with a range of approaches to patent searching that will be useful to you regardless of your technical expertise or role in the intellectual property community. This book is a step towards providing thorough patent search training to non-specialized people. It focuses on principles and approaches in patent searching and not non-specific tools. It is meant to teach the art and science of patent searching regardless of the tools used. It also offers criteria on how to select the appropriate search tools and provides current information on the major databases. Main parts and chapters of the book are: Patent law and examination, Paris convention, patent cooperation treaty, trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS). The book also explains sections of a patent and types of patent searches: patentability, validity, infringement, clearance, state of the art, and patent landscape. One of the main parts of the book explains how to scope patent searching and selecting classification areas.

To know more about patents and patent searching, please go to the library page and search for this title under E-books or click HERE to find this book and many more resources related to patents.

You may have noticed the Library Catalog has a new look. Alternatively, you may be wondering is the Library Catalog and what is an OPAC(Online Public Access Catalog, but only librarians use this as a word). The catalog is the best way to find print books across all campuses. Searches can also be limited to a single campus. If you find a title you'd like to check out, be sure to login with your KU id and Place Hold on the book. It will be taken from the shelf by a librarian and sent to your campus. When it arrives you'll receive an e-mail inviting you to pick it up. You can also recommend titles that library should add to the collection while you're logged in. Check out the new Library Catalog and dig deeper into your research!