Patents: International Patents
Important note
The purpose of this guide is to outline the basic searching and deciphering of patents for scholarly research.
It is not intended to guide research for patent applications; for this depth of research you need to be very thorough and seek help from a Patent and Trademark Resource Center and or legal assistance. Miami University Libraries are not a Patent and Trademark Resource Center and does not offer this level of assistance.
IP5
Depending on your research project, you might want to look outside the U.S. for international patents. This is part of a broader and more comprehensive search.
IP5 is the name given to a group of the largest 5 intellectual property offices in the world. They work together to improve the efficiency of the examination process for patents worldwide.
IP5 Members
- More info on international patent cooperationThe Office of International Patent Cooperation (OIPC) was established in 2014 to support and improve the international patent system. The office leads efforts to assist U.S. inventors and businesses in protecting their patent rights worldwide and supports the global innovation community.
European Patent Office and Espacenet
Espacenet is the search interface for the European Patent Office, and generally speaking it is much more intuitive than PatFT in the U.S. system.
Unlike the U.S's PatFT, you can search here with keywords or with classification codes, including the International Patent Classification (IPC) and the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC), which is an extension of the IPC. See the first few steps on the U.S. Patent Page for determining CPC.
For more guidance, see their Patent Information Tour, a self-guided web course. It's divided into 4 modules: introduction to the tour, patent information (covering the structure of patent documents), practical aspects, and using patent information.
Other Sources
- Lens.orgUser friendly search interface for US and international patents. See the tutorial video here.
