From our friends at WESTLAW EDGE Suppose you want to know how patent judges have construed a technical term (e.g., key operable locking head) that sometimes appears in patents and patent applications. Is there an easy way to find the exact judicial construction?

Patent searching often means inexact results and endless browsing—not to mention sticker shock for your client or your organization. That's because it often involves typing a Terms and Connectors query, wading through the pile of results to identify the relevant documents, and then endlessly modifying and rerunning your query.

Isn't there a better way? In fact, there is: Claims Locator, recently released on Westlaw.

As the library blog migrates to a new format I am reposting the "greatest hits" from the old blog. These entries have been updated with new web links where appropriate and reformatted for the new blog. Think of these entries as catching up with old friends or learning about a resource that you missed the first time.

The entry below was originally published by Roberta Woods on April 9, 2009.