Research Opportunities in the US Patent Record
http://jbt.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/15/4/490
  access restricted (by the publisher) to members/subscribers/customers only
  peer-reviewed

Durack, Katherine T.
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
2001

Abstract:

Although scarcely explored to date, US patent records provide numerous opportunities for research in technical and scientific communication. This article reviews disciplinary research that taps this rich archive of information, describes ways in which patents act as moral and social barometers to technological change, and provides readers with a brief guide to basic information needed to initiate research using patent records.