Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Invisible Web or Deep Web, Part 3 -- Two search challenges




A.
Go to the Boolean search form for the Canadian Patents database. At most online databases, like this one, you do not have to write your entire Boolean query; the Boolean operators can be chosen from menus.

Try the following four sample searches (answers to be given later in class).

1. -- Find, by list of fifty, the patents that were issued between October 1, 1989, and December 31, 1999, and contain "controller" in the Title field and "Smith" in the Owner field.


2. -- Find the number of patent documents that contain in the Title field the word "tooth" and also "brush" or the word "toothbrush".

3. -- Find the number of Canadian patent documents under the IPC subclass "A63B" or "A63C" which has been laid open in 1999.
Check your answers here - http://patents.ic.gc.ca/cipo/cpd/en/search/boolean/exemple/list.html



B.
PowerReporting is an online resource for journalists operated by the prestigious Columbia School of Journalism. It offers a challenging "Web Treasure Hunt" to for its students. The ten-question test goes beyond the kind of searching we cover in our course, but trying the test will open your eyes to new possibilities.

Be sure to spend some time looking for the information before you
(1) look at the Hint, and finally
(2) look at the answer.
#1 - 11. #2 - 240 #3 - 5,606