Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) (Honours): Codes, Standards & Patents

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Looking for Standards?

Standards are published documents that set out specifications, procedures and guidelines that aim to ensure products, services and systems are safe, reliable and consistent ('What is a Standard?').

Access to both the Australian and International Standards is via the Australian Standards on i2i platform (database) listed on the Databases A-Z page.

Australian Standards on i2i platform (SAI Global)

Australian Standards are sold and distributed worldwide by SAI Global Limited. Australian Standards on i2i contains a collection of Australian and joint Australian/ISO and NZ/Australian standards in full-text, including a small number of selected ISO standards. It also indexes ISO, IEC, EN, ANSI, ASTM, BSI, DIN, ETSI, JSA, and NSAI standards. Refer to the Accessing Australian Standards on i2i platform for the instructions on how to access the platform.

IEEE Xplore 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) develops global standards in a wide range of industries, including information technology, robotics, power utility, energy projects, health informatics, electric systems, telecommunications, nanotechnology, information assurance, and others.

You may search or browse current IEEE published standards through the IEEE Xplore Digital Library database. To view standards available in IEEE Xplore, select 'Standards' under the blue 'Browse' button located on the main menu bar. On the 'Browse' standards page you can search by keywords or standard number.

Additionally, there are some resources such as e-books, print books or media resources referring to AS, ISO and other standards available from the library. To find them, conduct a search by the standard number, or keywords, e.g. ISO9001, or "quality assurance"  for example.

 

Accessing Australian Standards on i2i Platform

Australian Standards database, provided by SAI Global Standards, maintains the world’s largest repository of standards and technical publications, including the complete collection of current Australian Standards. ISO standards are included on the platform. 

Standards Australia have updated how their content can be used, ensuring that users comply with the Digital Rights Management (DRM), and do not breach the license requirements for Standards.

Australian Standards are now accessed via the new i2i Platform through the A-Z Databases. The i2i Platform is a customisable, secure online service for organising standards and technical information for storage, retrieval and distribution. 

Accessing and viewing standards online on the i2i Platform is easy and does not require individual registration and installation of any software. If not already logged in, a user will be taken to the MyVU portal login page to log in with their student or staff ID to access the platform.

It is essential to keep in mind that the Australian Standards on i2i Platform uses Vitrium digital rights management (DRM) software, which applies watermarking to the Standards and further prevents sharing standards or storing them on another device (Since the Vitrium's DRM implementation on the 7th of October 2023, FileOpen DRM plugin is no longer required). Vitrium-protected Standard PDF files can be opened with Adobe Reader, Acrobat, or Foxit Reader, on a PC or Mac desktop environment only.

Contact the VU Library Digital Services at digital.services@vu.edu.au if you require further assistance.

Follow the steps below to obtain your Australian Standard.  

Please Note: The Library has 3 concurrent user licenses to the i2i, so it is important to log out when you have finished using the platform.

Finding Resources: Australian Standards

Follow the steps outlined in the "Finding Resources: Australian Standards" to obtain your Australian Standard.  

Statistics, Legislation, Reports

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics provides statistics on a broad range of subject areas including government, economy, education, population. Refer to it’s Building and Construction site for the statistics information on building and construction activities.

Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII)

It is possible to search for Australian Standards referenced in legislation and case law via the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) freely available database. The AustLII database provides access to a broad range of legislation and cases from across Australia.

EuroMonitor Passport 

EuroMonitor Passport provides data and insight on industries, economies and consumers worldwide, helping our clients analyse market context and identify future trends.

Patents

A patent is a government license that gives the holder (inventor) a set of exclusive rights to a process, design or a new invention for a limited period of time without fear of competition.

Below are some well-known, freely available online patent databases.
 

AusPat - IP Australia

In Australia, most patents are valid for 20 years and applications for patents are handled by the patent office, part of IP Australia. Use the AusPat (Australian Patents Register) to search for Australian patents. Through IP Australia, it is also possible to search for international patents, as well as trade marks.

USPTO - U.S.

In the U.S., the applications and documentations are handled by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Espacenet

Espacenet is a free online service for searching patents and patent applications developed by the European Patent Office (EPO) along with the member states of the European Patent Organisation.

The Lens

The Lens is an open cyberinfrastructure that has as a goal making the innovation system more efficient, transparent and inclusive. It patents the documents from around the world, as well as Australian patents.Through Lens, it is possible to search for patents that cite specific authors in the scientific literature.

Google Patents

Google Patents allows for searching and reading the full text of patent grants and applications from around the world.

The National Construction Code (NCC)

The National Construction Code (NCC) is a key resource for the building and construction industry, that sets the minimum requirements for the design, construction and performance of buildings throughout Australia The NCC, published by the Australian Building Codes Board, incorporates all on-site building and plumbing requirements into a single code. The NCC also provides the minimally necessary requirements for safety, health, amenity and sustainability in the design and construction of buildings.

To access the current NCC 2022, available free of charge, register and create your account with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). The step-by-step instructions to register for and use the NCC are provided below.