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Internet Resources for Patents
General Information about Patents and Intellectual Property | United States Patent Information | Foreign Patent Information | Searching for Patents | Applying for a Patent
General Information about Patents and Intellectual Property
- General Information Concerning Patents
The online version of the USPTO publication of the same name, this site provides answers to most of the general, informative questions that newcomers to the patenting process need to know. A good place to start for those in need of introductory material on patent information. - Guide to Intellectual Property Law (Hieros Gamos)
This is the Intellectual Property section of the Hieros Gamos Comprehensive Legal and Government Portal. This site contains a multitude of links to sites dedicated to all aspects of intellectual proprty law, including directories, newsgroups, business guides, seminar information, employment, journals, and news. - KuesterLaw: The Technology Law Resource
Another comprehensive site for intellectual property law containing links to attorneys, government information, newslists, and other intellectual law sites as well as numerous intellectual property resources. - Yahoo: Patents
A patent information site created and maintained by Yahoo with links to various associations, foreign patent information sources, specialized patent research areas (biotechnology, software, etc.) as well as newsgroups and publications. Yahoo constantly updates their webpages so there should be regular updates to this page.
Jump to top of page.United States Patent Information
- United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
The home page of the USPTO provides links to all of their services including a database of all U.S. patents issued since 1790. This is the best site for obtaining information about patents in the United States. - Nineteenth Century Masterfile
This database contains a computerized version of the Subject-Matter Index of Patents for Inventions Issued by the United States Patent Office from 1790-1873, Inclusive. This is a licensed product and only available to members of the Univeristy of Delaware community. - Google Patents
The patent site of Google. Searching is available from 1790 to the present through the optically scanned images of the actual patents. Users should be aware that the scans themselves, especially on older patents, are not always of a high quality and this might result in some bad and/or incomplete searches. This is not a recommended site for conducting an actual patent search but is very useful for retrieving older patents by unusual criteris such as application numbers and inventor name. Patents are in PDF format and while printing is allowed the images are often of a poor quality. - Free Patents Online
Free Patents Online offers a wide array of patent information and services. It is free but you must register and create a personal account. Full text keyword searching is available from 1976 onward with earlier patents available through limited fields back to 1836. Patents are in PDF format and offer good quality printing. - Delphion Intellectual Property Network
A good source of patent information maintained by Delphion, this site will provide complete images of patents from 1971 to the present. There are many other features on this site, including foreign patent information, but they are fee-based as part of a subscription service.
Foreign Patent Information
- European Patent Office (EPO)
The home page of the EPO available in English, French, or German. Contains links to information reagarding the EPO, a directory of patent information centers in various countries, official communications from the EPO, news and updates, information on seminars, and other useful information. Also included here is a link to the esp@cenet search system, an interface that allows you to search the patent databases of all the member countries in a variety of languages. - esp@cenet
esp@cenet is the patent searchin ginterface of the European Patent Office. You can search for patents worldwide and often retrieve a PDF copy of the patent, though often it will be in the language of original issue. - Trilateral Web Site
The Trilateral Offices, the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have been cooperating for the administration of their patent functions in order to gain possible mutual benefits since 1983. Their web site provides updated information on the activities of the Office. - World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The homepage of WIPO, available in English, French, or Spanish. WIPO is is an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations system of organizations. WIPO is responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among States, and for the administration of various multilateral treaties dealing with the legal and administrative aspects of intellectual property. - German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA)
The German Patent and Trademark Office, English language version. - Japan Patent Office
The homepage of the Japan Patent Office, English version, with information on the patenting process in Japan and related issues. - State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China
The english language version of the PRC's Intellectual Property Office. - Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO): Patents
The patent page for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office that includes a searchable database of Canadian patents. - Other Intellectual Property Offices
A listing from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's Related Web Sites page containing links to most international patent offices.
Searching for Patents
- Patent Searching Tutorial at the University of Texas
This is a well organized tutorial on how to search for patents, created by Susan Ardis at the University of Texas at Austin. By following this tutorial you will learn how to conduct an invention search, and by the time you are finished, you should be able to conduct a basic search to determine if your invention has already been granted a patent in the United States. - Patent Search Tools
An overview and description of the primary search tools that are required to perform a patent search including the Index to the U.S. Classification System, the Manual of Classification, Classification Definitions, and Original and Cross Reference classification designations. - Searching for Patents by Subject
Step-by-step instructions for conducting a subject search for patents. Users should be familier with the searching tools before begining their search. - Searching for Patents by Inventor or Assignee.
Instructions on how to conduct a patent search by the assignee of the patent rights or the inventor of the patent. The assignee is the person or entity that has been assigned the rights to the patent and, if it is a person, may not be the same person as the inventor.
Applying for a Patent
- Filing a Patent Application and Patent Law
- Application for Patent (USPTO)
- Disclosure Document Program (USPTO)
- PTO Forms (USPTO)
