Patents: Searching for U.S. Patents
Important note
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.
U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The role of the USPTO is to grant patents for the protection of inventions and to register trademarks. Their main webpage has a lot of useful information on it but is not the site to visit to actually look for patents.
- The USPTO has a Patent FAQ page, which has useful information on it.
- The USPTO suggests a 7 Step Search Strategy, which is outlined on this page.
Multi Step Search Strategy
Step 1 - Brainstorm terms
Similar to when looking for articles, coming up with some terms is the best first step. Think about the purpose, composition and use of the invention.
Step 2 - Do a keyword search on Patent Public Search
Patent Public Search - that's the name of the search interface, is where you go to look for patents.
This interface allows you to search with keywords or with CPC codes.
Step 3 - Review documents found
Essentially read over what you found.
Different parts of a patent include:
- Front page
- Drawings
- Specifications
- Claims
There is a separate page on this guide about reading or deciphering a U.S. patent.
Step 4 - Expand the search with relevant CPC classifications
CPC stands for cooperative patent classification.
Like things are grouped together in a hierarchical structure from broad to narrow
You can use CPC codes during patent research, as a compliment to keywords
There is a separate page on this guide with more information.
Step 5 - Review cited references
Similar to research with scholarly articles, looking at similar resources that have been cited by the item of interest can be very helpful.
Cited references for patents can be found on the front page. Once you have those patent numbers, search for them is simple.
Step 6 - Broaden your search
As with article searches, patent research is an iterative process. You won't usually find everything you need in the first round of looking.
- Try looking for international patents.
- Search non-patent literature in library databases
- There are patent professionals that can also help with very through searching
