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- Free Sites for Searching Patents
- Free Sites for Printing Patents
- Subject Specific Patent Databases
- Fee-based Searching
- Classification Schemes (includes: How to Use the U.S. Patent Classification System)
- Application Information
- Intellectual Property
- International Patent Information
- Legal Information
- Other Miscellaneous Sites
The United States Patent & Trademark Office
This site is a very informative, detailed, first stop for patent information. It includes a searchable full-text patent database from 1790-present, forms, lists of contacts, links to many other sites and much more.To view and print full text patent images including drawings follow instructions given at - How to Access Full-page Images.
Address:
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
Washington, DC 20231Patent Assistance Center:
1-800-786-9199
FREE SITES FOR SEARCHING PATENTS
Esp@cenet via the EPO
Four databases are listed on this service. The information available varies
as follows:
Worldwide: This database includes some coverage back to 1920. U.S. patents are included. One of the oldest U.S. patents represented in the database appears to be 1,363,547 issued Dec. 28, 1920 to B. Ames for a Heat Engine.
Record content includes the following:
Fulltext:
- European Patent Office
- France
- Germany
- Switzerland
- UK
- US
- World Intellectual Property Organization (PCT)
Abstracts: China and Japan
Bibliographic only: 54 countries (ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe).
The European Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization (PCT): These 2 databases are current awareness services. Basic bibliographic information is included for the most recent 24 months of published applications. An abstract, set of claims and/or a drawing may be included for some applications.
The Japanese patents database: This database includes coverage back to 1976 in English. Record content ranges from basic bibliographic information only, to more complete information consisting of description, claims and drawing(s).
Esp@cenet via
the national offices of the member states
Provides links to nineteen European country patent databases.
United States Patent & Trademark
Office
Includes a searchable full-text database from 1790-present, information
for newcomers to patents, points of contact, USPTO services available,
U.S. and international legal matters, and other links.
Google Patent Search
Google Patent Search covers the entire collection of patents made available by the USPTOfrom patents issued in the 1790s through those issued in the middle of 2006. Patent applications, international patents, or U.S. patents issued over the last few months are not currently available.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) PatentScope
Provides access to over one million published PCT international applications from 1978 to the present . Full-text search for applications published in Latin languages since April 1998. Do a search and click on the graph icon to select the graphical analysis tool that displays a visual summary of search results in four categories: Country of origin (pie chart); Year of publication (line chart); Applicant name (horizontal bar chart); IPC subclass (horizontal bar chart)
FREE SITES FOR PRINTING PATENTS
pat2pdf.org
Covers
all U.S. patents and published patent applications. Allows for
multiple searching
Google
Covers U.S. patents. Example:
type "patent 5676543"
Patent Fetcher
Covers
U.S. Patents and published patent applications
esp@cenet
Search "worldwide
patents" for largest range of document.
USPTO
How to access and view full-page images
SUBJECT SPECIFIC PATENT DATABASES (Free)
The
Electronic Orange Book
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research database provides patent information
and trademark drugs.
FEE-BASED DATABASES & SERVICES (some allow limited free searching)
Chemical Patents Plus (CAS)
This service features free searching by CAS Registry Numbers and Indexing
Terms. Titles and abstracts are free to display. Additional information
involves a per item charge. There is no sign-up fee. Patent coverage mirrors
Chemical Abstracts and includes patents from 26 countries, the European
Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization (PCT)(see STN International for
further information).
Research
Services
This department at the Georgia Tech Library and Information Center will perform
state of the art patent searches and other types of information retrieval
for a fee.
Delphion
Formed by the merging of Internet Capital Group and IBM Company, the patent
collections include US patents (1971+), European Patents (1991+), PCT (1978+),
PAJ (1976+), INPADOC (1968+) and Derwent World Patent Index (1963+). Viewing
and printing front pages is free. Fee for viewing, printing, or downloading
full text. Other enhancements include non-patent prior art sources such including
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, IP.com's database of defensive disclosures
and scientific journal abstracts from ISI.
Derwent
World Patent Services
1963- This service provides abstracts and indexing for patents issued throughout
the world. Features include patent family searching. IFI/Plenum Data
Corporation
U.S. chemical patents are covered from 1950; U.S. mechanical patents from
1963 and U.S. design patents from 1980. Features include fragment searching
and the ability to determine whether a substance is present as a reactant
or product. Access is provided by several other companies:
MicroPatent
This company offers cross-database searching on the internet of US 1976-,
EP and PCT 1978- and JAPIO 1976- patent databases.
CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES
How
to Use the U.S. Patent Classification System
Provides a brief overview of the classification system used by the USPTO
which consists of over 400 classes and 100,000 subclasses. A search by
class and subclass can help facilitate identification of the prior art
because each claim of a patent is assigned a class and subclass.
Index
to the U.S. Patent Classification System
This aid for finding U.S. classes and subclasses lists common and technical
terms representative of machines, manufactures, processes, compositions of
matter, arts, etc., with corresponding classes and subclasses. It includes
hyperlinks to the Manual of Classification. The print version of the index
also includes separate lists of classes (without the subclasses) in alphabetic
or numeric order.
International
Patent Classification (7th edition only)
This classification system is administered by the International Bureau of
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). According to WIPO, approximately
95% of all patent documents currently published carry IPC classes. U.S. patents
have included International Patent Classification symbol(s) in addition to
U.S. class numbers since 1971. The internet version of the 6th edition consists
of a searchable catchword index.
U.S.
Manual of Classification
The web version includes the class schedules and hyperlinked classification
definitions. The print version of the classification includes a list of classes
by examining group and alphabetic and numeric lists of classes.
U.S.
Patent Classification Definitions
Provides definitions of classes and subclasses and provides cross-references
to other classes and subclasses. Classes and subclasses are numeric designators
assigned by classifiers at the USPTO on the basis of subject to facilitate
storage and retrieval of patents by patent examiners and the public. The classification
scheme is located in a separate five volume set called the Manual
of Classification.
The Georgia Tech library maintains an up-to-date copy of this manual along
with the Index to the U.S. Patent Classification
System. The Index to
the U.S. Patent Classification System is an alphabetical listing of technical
and common terms representative of arts, processes, machines, manufactures,
compositions of matter, etc., along with a reference to the classes and subclasses
where pertinent patents or literature (prior art) can be found.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Application Forms
Contains basic U.S. application forms provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Fee Schedule
Lists current fees of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
General Information
Concerning Patents
Provides basic information for newcomers to patents written by the Patent
and Trademark Office.
Guide to Filing
a Design Patent Application Patent
Attorneys & Agents Registered to Practice before the U. S. Patent & Trademark
Office
Only people with technical backgrounds who have passed an examination given
by the USPTO testing their understanding of the patent application procedure
are allowed to prosecute patent applications on behalf of the inventors at
the USPTO. This page provides access to the official USPTO list by state.
Federal
Trade Commission Warning Concerning Invention Development Companies
This brochure from the United States Federal Trade Commission warns consumers
about invention promotion firms. The site also provides an online complaint
form that consumers can use to send the FTC a complaint concerning a particular
company or organization.
National Inventor Fraud Center
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Yahoo:
Patents Section
Links to several other sites.
United
States Patent & Trademark Depository Library Program
Lists Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries around the country.
United States Patent & Trademark
Office
Includes a searchable database from 1790-present, information for newcomers
to patents, points of contact, USPTO services available, U.S. and international
legal matters, and other links.
INTERNATIONAL PATENT INFORMATION
United States Patent & Trademark
Office
Includes links to many foreign patent web sites.
LEGAL INFORMATION
Intellectual Property Mall
Includes an extensive set of links to information on U.S. and international
sources on patents, trademarks and copyrights.
Patent Law Web Server
Includes news, general information and other intellectual property law links.
State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property
Law Section
Includes lists of officers, calendar of events, newsletters and bills of
interest in the Georgia legislature.
Uruguay
Round Treaty (GATT)
Includes information on recent changes made to U.S. patent law.
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS SITES
Inventors' Digest
Includes a list of tradeshows by industry for inventors seeking outlets for
their products.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Inductees are honored annually at the Akron, Ohio site of the NIHF and
during National Inventors Day activities at the Patent and Trademark
Office.
Wacky Patent of the Month
Celebrates the unusual patent