Ask me!
Search tips
- Patents are filed before an invention is marketed. Search with words based on function, materials, or purpose, rather than a trade name.
- Patent applications are published months or years before a patent is granted.
- Search by inventor, assignee, date, patent number, or keyword.
- The assignee is usually the company the inventor works for.
- The claim describes the uniqueness of the invention and intellectual property of the inventor.
- Classification codes group similar products together. If you need to do a comprehensive patent search, learn and use the relevant classification codes to search the USPTO database (not Google Patents).
Search tools
- US Patent & Trademark Office Patent SearchMost current database of granted patents, updated weekly. Best choice for searching by class code, company name, or other filters.
- Google PatentsSearch by keyword, from 1790s to recent months. All data from the USPTO.
**Classification and assignee searching not recommended in this database.** - USPTO Applications (not yet granted)Updated weekly.
- US Patent Classification IndexTo search by technology categories, look up Classification codes here.
- USPTO Search Patent Classification SystemsSearch by CPC or map from USPC
Guide for Inventors
Patent It Yourself by Call Number: REF KF3114.6 .P74 2012ISBN: 9781413317190Publication Date: 2012-08-31
