Research Guides: Entrepreneurship: Patent Searching

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Getting started: Patent searching

Getting started: Patent seraching - tutorial transcript [Google Doc]

Search for patents

USPTO Patent Public Search
U.S. only coverage
The Patent Public Search tool is a new web-based patent search application that will replace legacy search tools PatFT and AppFT. Patent Public Search has two user selectable modern interfaces that provide enhanced access to prior art.

Quick Reference Guides:

Basic search (PDF)
Advanced search (PDF)
Search results (PDF)
List of searchable indexes (field codes)

Espacenet
Global coverage
Espacenet is the largest public patent database on the internet. It contains 110 million patent documents from more than 90+ countries including Canada and the U.S or a total of 100+ patent authorities, plus 2 million records for non-patent literature cited in EPO search reports. Espacenet is produced by the European Patent Office (EPO).
Google Patents
Global coverage
Google Patents includes over 120 million patent publications from 100+ patent offices around the world, as well as many more technical documents and books indexed in Google Scholar and Google Books, and documents from the Prior Art Archive. See instructions for searching Google Patents.

Additional databases for engineering patents

Web of Science: Derwent Innovations Index This link opens in a new window
Global coverage
Combines unique value-added patent information indexed from various patent issuing authorities for inventions in chemical, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering. Ability to search across clearly written patent titles and abstracts that highlight the novelty, use, advantage, and claims of each invention.

Monitor an invention’s influence by using the “Cited Patent Search” tool to find patents that cite a given patent or patents.

Materials Science & Engineering Collection This link opens in a new window
Global coverage
Includes the renowned METADEX, Copper and Polymer Library databases and provides full-text titles from around the world, including scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings and government publications.

Learn this search: Patent news

The Lens
Global coverage
An initiative of Cambia (an independent non-profit institute), the Lens allows users to discover, analyze, and map global innovation knowledge. Its search system allows for use of advanced Boolean functions, structured search, biological search, and classification search options to find the most relevant and important patents and scholarly works. Analysis tools include mapping the influence of scholarship and identifying experts and collaborators.

To find US companies who own the most patents: Lens.org >> Patents [tab] >> Owners [left menu]
To find the top companies applying for the most patents: Lens.org >> Patents [tab] >> Applicants [left menu]

PatentsView
U.S. only coverage
A patent data visualization and analysis platform that increases the value, utility, and transparency of U.S. patent data. Includes an API tool and bulk data downloads.
USPTO Research Datasets
U.S. only coverage
To advance research on matters relevant to intellectual property, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) releases datasets to facilitate economic research on patents and trademarks.
USPTO Open Data Portal
U.S. only coverage
A “Developer Hub” that improves the discoverability, accessibility, and usability of public patent and trademark data. A shareable, and "social" platform, for anyone to showcase unique ways they're using this data, combining it with other data sets, leveraging the power of the crowd to answer questions about trends in technology and innovation, and provide input on other types of data sets that should be released in the future.
Google Patents Public Datasets
Global coverage
A collection of publicly accessible, connected database tables for empirical analysis of the international patent system.

Classification searching

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical system that groups similar patents together (similar to NAICS codes used for grouping companies in the same industry). CPC facilitates searching for "like" patents, regardless of the terminology used to describe the invention.

Example of CPC scheme: A46B 9/04 - toothbrush bristles arrangement

CPC Scheme Example
Level	CPC code	Description
Section	A	Human Necessities
Class	A46	Brushware
Subclass	A46B	Brushes
Main Group	A46B 9/00	Arrangement of bristles in the brush body
Subgroup	A46B 9/04	... for toothbrushes

Search strategies & tips

Patent Searching Made Easy: How to Do Patent Searches Online and in The Library by David Hitchcock
Effectively research your idea or invention to see whether anyone has already patented it, optimally describe and classify your invention and target your search, figure out whether your idea is new enough to qualify for a patent, verify the patent status of ideas submitted to you (if you're a developer), and use the latest federal and international search-related resources. [eBook]

Multi-Step U.S. Patent Search Strategy
Outlines USPTO's multi-step procedure for patent searching.
How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search: A Step by Step Strategy
A 38-minute web based tutorial from The Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) Program covering the following topics: benefits of thorough searching, patentability, prior art, Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), and patent search steps.