Patent searching with Google Patents and more

Need patent information? There are several places where you can find full-text patents, patent applications, and trademark information for both U.S. and international patents and trademarks. Try these sites:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office - Patent Full-Text and Full-Page Image Databases
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website includes U.S. Patent applications published since March 2001 and U.S. Patents issued since 1790. Search by patent number, issue date, patent classification, or keyword, depending on the age of the patent. Many early patents (those issued prior to 1976) are searchable only by issue date, patent number, and current U.S. classification, and may be available only as full-page images (in a .TIFF format) versus full-text (PDF) . Full-page images can only be viewed one page at a time, but can be printed in most cases. See The U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) website for various browser/system requirements for viewing full-page images.

Google PatentsLooking for U.S. Patents with an international patent classifications as well, or just like searching with Google? Try Google Patents. Google Patents currently contains U.S. Patent information gathered from the USPTO, so just like the USPTO website, Google Patents includes U.S. Patents issued since 1790 as well as patent applications published since 2001. Download the full-text (Google Patents does provide PDFs of most patents, even those issued prior to 1976), and use the familiar Google search interface to search by U.S. or international classification number, filing date, patent number, and more. While international patents are currently not included in Google Patents, they do hope to expand their online offerings in the future.

freepatentsonlineNeed international patent information? Try freepatentsonline. This site includes both U.S. and international patents, many of which are available full-text upon a quick registration for a free account. This site also offers a chemical patent search - search by keyword, SMILES strings, or by graphically drawing a compound using java-based drawing tools. The chemical patent search also includes both U.S. and international patents.

Try one, or any combination of these sites for your next search for patent information! Glenn employees can also contact the Library at 3-5671 or 3-5762 for further assistance.