Each patent, whether issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office or another country's patent office, has a unique number that distinguishes it from any other patent.This number can be used to find the entire patent record.If you don't have a specific patent number but know other information about the invention or technology, you can use that information to search the database.You can find out more about the invention if you know the patent number.
Step 1: Go to the US Patent Full-Text and Image Database.
The PatFT has full-text patents from 1976 to the present.PDF images are the only ones used for older patents.If you know the official classification scheme, you can search for pre-1976 patents.
Step 2: You should gather information about the patent you want to research.
There are US patents issued from 1976 to the present.Multiple related patents can be found through this type of search.You could use PatFT's search function to find all the patents that were issued to Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.You can come up with words to describe the invention or technology.If you have access to the invention itself, these words can help you find a patent for it.
Step 3: You can enter your term in the blank.
If you use more than one search term, the Quick Search page has a drop-down menu called "and" or "or" that you can choose from.You can only use two search terms with a quick search.
Step 4: Define the fields of your search.
The database where the term is located on the patent can be found by using the drop-down menu.If you don't specify the field, the form searches all fields.If you were looking for all patents issued to Bill Gates as an inventor, you would enter "Bill Gates" in the blank for "Term 1" and specify "Inventor Name" as the field for that term.
Step 5: An additional term can be entered.
You can enter a second term in the same way you entered the first one if you have more than one term.The drop-down menu should be adjusted as needed.If you want, you can change the operator on the form.If you wanted to search for all patents with the words "Bill Gates" or "Steve Jobs" in the "Inventor Name" field, you would change the operator from "AND" to "OR."
Step 6: The years of your search should be kept to a minimum.
The entire full-text database covers patents from 1976 to the present.For example, if you only want to search for patents issued in the last 20 years, you can limit your search.
Step 7: Click the button.
The database will give you a list of all the records that matched your search terms.If you don't like the results of your search, you can change it or start over.
Step 8: The Advanced Search page is on the PatFT website.
Clicking the "Advanced" button at the top of the screen will take you to the advanced search page.
Step 9: You can type your search in the box.
You can use command line search to make more complex searches on the advanced search page.Advanced searches are not case sensitive.If you search for "Steve Jobs", you will get the same results as if you used proper name caps.The operators should be in all caps.The search engine will not recognize it as a command.Make sure you don't include any stop words in your search.These words will not show up in your search results because they are too often in patents to be useful.The field codes listed in the table underneath the search box can be used to find a particular word.When fully expanded, searches have a maximum length limitation of 256 characters.If your search is longer than 256 characters, it won't work properly, even if it looks like it did.
Step 10: You can enter a year or a range of years.
The advanced search page has a drop-down menu that you can use to limit the years you search.If you don't choose a specific year or range of years, the form defaults to all records after 1976, which is the full text of the database.
Step 11: Click on the button.
A list of records that matched your search criteria will be produced by the database.If you don't like the results, you can either refine your search or reset the form.
Step 12: Determine which country issued the patent.
Each country has its own database and different ways to format patent numbers.For Japanese patents issued before May of 1996, the letters "JP" are followed by the last two years of the Japanese Emperor year number.Some countries start patent numbers every year, while others start numbering in sequence from the previous year.
Step 13: The World Intellectual Property Organization has a patent database.
There are over two million published international patent applications in the database of the World Intellectual Property Organization.The Lens and Freepatentsonline.com are global databases.
Step 14: There is a patent classification called the Cooperative Patent Classification.
If you don't have a patent number, you can use the CPC to search international databases.The relevant CPC can be found on the website of the USPTO.For example, if you wanted to know the classification of headphones, you could search for them.The CPC is based on the older IPC system.The International Patent Classification catchword index can be used to find appropriate classification words.
Step 15: There are national or regional patent databases.
Most countries have their own English-language patent databases that you can use to find patent numbers or find information about a patent you already have.