How to find a patent

How to find a patent

The internet is a giant encyclopedia of all things in this world. You can find everything and anything just with a couple of right words. There was a time when research required days for digging material and hours for reading. Using the web for finding information can not only save a considerable amount of time, but also money and effort. The Internet can be highly beneficial for people hoping to find help and ideas. For example, an investor can search a patent for his idea without any trips to offices and be dejected. Not only does it provide a list of already existing innovations but guide him/ her in making the idea more refined.

First, you should know what kind of patent you want to file. A patent is an allocation of property rights issues to a creator for his invention. In the United States, USPTO issues and considers patent applications to exclude other contenders from making profits off of someone’s idea.

To know if someone has already come up with an idea, you can go to the official website of the US Patent Office (USPTO) and search for a patent suitable for your project. USPTO has an online and offline search base in major cities around the country.

Searches for a patent can be conducted by looking into already existing patents and find out if your idea has already been patented. You should also check already existing patents and mark possible similarities. This allows you to improve your work and make it fresh. Moreover, you can avoid infringing on someone else’s work and avoid being rejected by the Office.

It is recommended to hire professional help who provide guidance on the subject and help you file your application. In addition to making the process simpler, they also advise you on the best course of action according to your project and even search a patent for you.


Here are some places to search for a patent for your invention:

USPTO Web Patent Databases

It contains links and information on several databases of the official website. Patents from 1976 to present have full-text material and patents from 1790 have full-page images uploaded for inventors to see.

Google Patent Search

Google version of the USPTO database; has the ability to search a patent by number, inventor, date, keywords or patent type. It also includes applications for patents and international patents. To get more details, you can use an Advanced Patent Search option which enables viewing records easily and provides access to images.
There are other free websites who provide information about existing patents in the US and around the world. It is important to remember that if this website is not showing a patent doesn’t necessarily mean that the patent does not exist.

Steps for searching:

Patent number: you can easily find out full-text information about existing patents through their registered number. Regardless of the date, they were granted, patented objects have a number through which inventors can find information about them. Almost all free sites will let you feed in a US patent number and provide needed information.
Subject of patent: you can search Google Patents by keyword or search USPTO’s database for a specific discipline
Through the innovator: you can search a patent through information about the patentee are available on google or on most free sites
Before 1976: patents after 1976 can be searched by keywords with other criteria. However, if you search a patent from 1790-1975, you will need the Issue Date, Patent Number, and Current U.S. Classification.



Offline searches:

If online search engines are not comfortable, you can visit special libraries called Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs). They have complete information about patent searching, from the first patent ever issued to the latest. These networks of libraries are well-stocked with patent materials. Every state has one in major cities and you can take the help of librarians for any queries, although they will not search a patent and information for you. The USPTO maintains an up-to-date list of contact information for all PTDLs at www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl
When you receive a patent, you get a monopoly over its profits and uses. As important it is important to protect your ideas from being stolen, it is also important to make sure that your idea doesn’t seem copied to someone’s work. By searching for existing patents before applying, you can save yourself hours of hard work and thousands of dollars before being dejected.

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