Most patents provide a list of \u201cCited References,\u201d which includes citations added to the patent during the examination process. In addition, most of the modern patent databases also link the references that are citing a particular patent document, under \u201cCiting References.\u201d These citations of a patent\/application are also known as backward citations and forward citations, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These citations may have been added either by the examiner or provided by the applicant in the Invention Disclosure Form and are often related to similar technologies as the area of the concerned patent. Patent Citations can come in multiple forms, including US Patents, Foreign Patents, Search Reports, and Non-Patent Literature. The lists of the cited references are usually found on the cover page of a patent document. Further, one may look into the Prosecution History to find the search strategy of the examiner and also any other document that may have been cited during examination, but may have been missed and not included on the cover page as \u201ccited reference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The references listed under the \u201ccited references\u201d and \u201cciting references\u201d gives a researcher, who may be involved in a prior-art search, an automatic head-start on the research process. These references can be used as a start to learn about the technology area of the patent as these documents contain basic and related information about the technology. If one may use the available information correctly, the cited references can often provide important leads. For example, by examining the cited patents, one may discover relevant classifications, active inventors\/applicants and other industries that may be useful to find relevant references in a prior-art search. Making these connections can greatly increase the breadth of search and this information could be used to find even more relevant prior art. Further, these citations may be used as a standard against which the found references may be assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n