The Walls are closing-in....!

[xylstra]

First "POPULAR SCIENCE", then "FLIGHT" magazine archives shut their doors to researchers and nostalgia buffs alike and now, it seems, that GOOGLE has shut down access to its US Patents database. Used to be a regular patron and just the other day I attempted to access "GOOGLE Advanced Patent Search" as usual and was greeted with a totally unfamiliar screen. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't access any US Patent - what the hell is going on?!! Don't get me wrong, their old user interface was always a clunker which never did work properly with keyword and date searches but eventually you got there in the end. Could it be that even this tortuous path to knowledge and enlightenment has now also been barred?
Can anyone shed light on just what is going on? As usual, there is never any way to easily contact GOOGLE to find out. Maybe it would be quicker if someone in the US could just simply telephone (remember those?) them to find out. Any news appreciated.

 

[pops-paolo]

No clue what you are talking about or the problem at hand
but maybe this comment will help boost the popularity of your post?

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

First hit when (ironically) Googling the term "US patents database:" Search for patents

Hopefully that helps?

 

[J_P_C]

First "POPULAR SCIENCE", then "FLIGHT" magazine archives shut their doors to researchers and nostalgia buffs alike and now, it seems, that GOOGLE has shut down access to its US Patents database. Used to be a regular patron and just the other day I attempted to access "GOOGLE Advanced Patent Search" as usual and was greeted with a totally unfamiliar screen. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't access any US Patent - what the hell is going on?!! Don't get me wrong, their old user interface was always a clunker which never did work properly with keyword and date searches but eventually you got there in the end. Could it be that even this tortuous path to knowledge and enlightenment has now also been barred?
Can anyone shed light on just what is going on? As usual, there is never any way to easily contact GOOGLE to find out. Maybe it would be quicker if someone in the US could just simply telephone (remember those?) them to find out. Any news appreciated.

you have to pay for "subscription" - than all data in Flight Magazine are available to you as it use to be before. No more mercy for poor peoples...

 

[xylstra]

First hit when (ironically) Googling the term "US patents database:" Search for patents

Hopefully that helps?

Thanks, but the USPTO database is very cumbersome to use and requires you to have the US Patent number at hand. Not user-friendly and incapable of drag-net searches.

 

[xylstra]

you have to pay for "subscription" - than all data in Flight Magazine are available to you as it use to be before. No more mercy for poor peoples...

Not quite sure what you're talking about as there hasn't been (as far as I know) any talk of paid subscription. Maybe you're getting confused between "FLIGHT' and "FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL"? See: Flight magazine archive
Still, there is still this incomplete offering if you get lucky:- Flight International Magazine : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[GrumpyOldCrewChief]

Paywalls and subscriptions are getting to be more and more of a thing. Revenue generation is being applied to ANYTHING that folks might want.
" Why give away for free what you can make them pay for?"
Capitalism at its purest...

The alternative is adverts on every page, and those are a different level to control. Keep ALL the monies generated for yourself, with subs and similar.

 

[xylstra]

Maybe there's a more down-to-earth explanation for GOOGLE Advanced patent Search dysfunction:
Google and Facebook were hit by a flawed chip that could silently destroy data - Fuentitech
Possibly the 'back-room' boys may have temporarily suspended operations awaiting normal transmission to resume? .......we'll see!