Northwestern University Patents
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
These records comprise seven archival boxes and consist of files relating to patents applied for through Northwestern University. Most of the patents are for inventions, procedures, or substances created by Northwestern University faculty. A few patents were transferred to Northwestern as bequests; of particular note is NU 4005, a series of patents for Refrigerator Car Floors, which was donated to the University by Walter P. Murphy.
The first file contains lists of patents applied for through 1987, showing U.S. patent numbers, dates, inventors' names and titles. The Container List for this series is structured in a similar way.
Most records pertain to patents which were actually forwarded to the government and approved. Several, however, were merely under consideration by Northwestern, and the University's sponsorship was ultimately withdrawn.
Dates
- 1939-1994
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection. Collection may contain sensitive materials; consultation with University Archivist required prior to use.
Extent
7.00 Boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
These records comprise seven archival boxes and consist of files relating to patents applied for through Northwestern University. Most of the patents are for inventions, procedures, or substances created by Northwestern University faculty.
Arrangement Note
Information in the patent files includes correspondence, the patents themselves, and notes prepared by the patent applicants. Files are arranged in numeric order according to the "NU Number" assigned by Northwestern to each patent. Matters relating to foreign patents are usually found in separate folders with the same NU number. In a few cases, no NU number was assigned; these files are found at the end of the series (Box 7) and are arranged in order of either a serial number or a U.S. Patent Number.
Method of Acquisition
The University Archives acquired these records from the Office f Legal Counsel at Northwestern University on August 5, 1998 (Accession #98-143).
Separated Materials
Approximately two linear inches of duplicate materials were discarded.
Other Descriptive Information
Since some patent applications took longer than others to be processed by the government, certain patents with higher NU numbers show earlier dates than the patents following them on the Container List.
Processing Information
Eli Bolin; August, 1998.
- Title
- Guide to the Northwestern University Patents
- Author
- Eli Bolin
- Date
- 01/08/1998
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Library Details
Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu