Technical reports publish the results of scientific or technical research, often using federal funds. The research is performed and reports are produced by companies, universities and government laboratories. These reports are a rich source of information because they report on the entire process of research, not just successful results.
"A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions." (WIPO, 2013) T
Searching the following resources to find patents:
IEEEXplore Digital Library includes IEEE conference proceedings, journal articles, and other technical information