USPTO Patent Search
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Patent Public SearchSearch patent documents directly from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Get Started with Resources from USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a federal agency that is tasked with granting patents and registering trademarks in the United States. The agency also engages in intellectual property (IP) policy development and the protection of IP belonging to U.S. innovators worldwide.
The USPTO website hosts the Patent Public Search database of all US patents since 1790 as well as high-quality guidance for all user groups from students to entrepreneurs, researchers, and professionals.
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Patent Basics - USPTOLink to basic resources about US and international patents from searching for existing patents to applying for your own patent and managing existing patents.
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Patent EssentialsDetailed overviews of topics related to patents as well as links to additional intellectual property resources.
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USPTO GlossaryBrowse concise definitions of the terms used on USPTO websites.
The 6-Step Patent Search Strategy
Outlined on the USPTO website, Multi-Step U.S. Patent Search Strategy, this 6-step patent search strategy outlines a recommended process for performing a thorough search of existing patents before submitting a patent application.
- Brainstorm terms describing your invention.
- Conduct a keyword search using Patent Public Search.
- Conduct an in-depth review of the documents found by your search.
- Expand the search with relevant CPC classifications.
- Review cited references.
- Broaden your search with foreign patents, non-patent literature and/or a patent professional’s search.
Tools for Patent Searching with USPTO
Search Skills and Tools:
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How to Conduct a Preliminary U.S. Patent Search: A Step by Step Strategy - Web Based Tutorial (38 minutes)A highly recommended overview of patent searching with discussion of everything from what a patent is to a structured research methodology that can be applied for through investigation of existing patents.
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Search for Patents - OverviewAn introduction to searching patents.
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Patent Public Search OperatorsLearn the available Operators for use with the Patent Public Search to maximize your search efficiency.
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Quick Reference Guides - Patent Public SearchQuick reference guides to the features of the Patent Public Search.
Patent Classification:
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USPTO Classification ResourcesThis collection of tools includes the following useful resoruces and many more:
Decoding a Patent Number:
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Patent Number StructureLearn to read and identify patent documents quickly based on their inclusions of leading characters, length, and Kind Codes.
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USPTO Kind CodesKind codes can be used to quickly distinguish the type of patent document that you are looking at purely from the document number.
Exploration:
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USPTO Official GazetteThe official journal of the USPTO is published weekly on Tuesdays and includes records of each patent or trademark published on that date.