Discover Patents:
- In the United States
- Around the world
Search for patents at The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Database.
The USPTO offers the following suggested Seven Step Search Strategy:
1: Brainstorm keywords that describe your invention based on it's purpose, composition, and use.
2: Use these keywords to discover relevant Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC).
3: Verify the relevancy of the CPC classification you found by reviewing the CPC Classification Definition linked to it, if there is one.
4: Retrieve U.S. Patent documents with the CPC classification you selected PatFT (Patents Full-Text and Image) database. Review and narrow down the most relevant patent publications by initially focusing on the front page information of abstract and representative drawings.
5: Using this selected set of most relevant patent publications, review each one in depth for similarity to your own invention.
6: Retrieve U.S. published patent applications with the CPC classification you selected in step 3 in the AppFT (Applications Full-Text and Image) database.
7: Broaden your search to find additional U.S. patent publications using keyword searching in PatFt or AppFT databases, classification searching of non-U.S. patents on the European Patent Office's Worldwide Espacenet patent database and searching non-patent literature disclosures of inventions using the free electronic and print resources of your nearest Patent and Trademark Resource Center.
To view the 7 Step Strategy in detail using a search example, review this handout.
