Some information on patents can be found in Nexis Uni
- From the hom page do a search for the patent name. From there, under 'Publican Type' on the left hand side, select 'Patent Filings' and the results will appear.
Also; look at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - USPTO. The office's Patent Statistics Reports Available for Viewing includes statistics on patents by class; by year; by geographic origin; by patenting organization; by inventor; and by patent activity. Two reports; U.S. Patent Activity 1790 - Present and U.S. Patent Statistics Report may be of particular interest.
Patents and Trademarks Websites
Also see the library's Copyright Reference Guide for several useful resources on copyright and fair use. For additional resources visit U of I's Online Journals and Databases. Try searching for a word like "patents."
Please note: pending patent applications are included in Derwent and USPTO. However applications are not published until 18 months after the application is filed.