Patents

Step 1: Brainstorm keywords, including synonyms and equivalent terms, to describe the invention.

Ask yourself:

• What does the invention do? Is it a product or a process? How does it work? 
• What is the structure of the invention?
• What is the method or material of fabrication?
• How is the invention used?
• Is there anything unique or special about the invention? 

Step 2: Search the keywords in a patent database to find the classification (class and subclass) of the invention.

Step 3: Use the class and subclass to search for similar patents and patent applications. Keep track of useful and non-useful patents (by patent number) to avoid duplication of efforts.

Step 4: Consult the cited references in the patents you retrieved to find additional related patents.

The Candian Intellectual Property Office's (CIPO) Canadian Patents Database provides access to patent descriptions and images from 1869 to present. You can search, retrieve and study more than 2,180,000 patent documents.

Search by patent document number

1. Go to Canadian Patents Database.
2. Select Number under search options.

By Subject

1. Select the Basic Search option in the Canadian Patents Database to enter your keywords.
2. Find a patent that is similar to what you're looking for.
3. Note the Canadian Patent Classification (CPC) or the International Patent Classification (IPC) number for that patent, e.g. H05B 3/18.
4. Search the CPC or IPC number using the Canadian Patents Database Advanced Search to find more patents on that subject. Use the "Text Field" drop-down menu to select the appropriate search field.

Consult the help page for search tips.

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Database includes full text for patents issued from 1976 to the present and PDF images for all patents from 1790 to the present.

By Patent Number

1. Go to USPTO Patents Database.
2. Select "Patent Number Search" or "Publication Number Search".

By Subject

1. Select "Quick Search" in the USPTO Patents Database and enter your keywords in the search box.
2. Find a patent that is similar to what you're looking for.
3. Note the U.S. Classification/Subclass numberfor that patent, e.g. 280/728.1.
4. Search the Class/Subclass numbers in the USPTO Patents Database to find more patents on that subject.

OR ...

1. Use the Index to the U.S. Patent Classification System to search for common terms or keywords.
2. Verify the Class/Subclass numbers you found are on target on the  U.S. Patent Classification Search Page.
3. Search by Class/Subclass numbers in USPTO Patents Database to find more patents on that subject.

DNA Patent Database

The DNA Patent Database (DPD) contains a collection of DNA-based patents and patent applications issued by the USPTO. It contains patents from 1971 to the present and patent applications from 2001 to the present.

DOEpatents

DOEpatents, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), is a searchable database of patent information resulting from DOE-sponsored research and development (R&D). The database contains patent information from DOE R&D, historic and current, excluding patent applications.

Watch the tutorial from the US Patent and Trademark Office on the patent search process. The Seven Steps in a Preliminary Search of U.S. Patents and Published Patent Applications (PDF handout).

Adapted from UCSD Library's Patent Guide (with permission)

WIPO provides access to 71 million international and national patent documents in the PatentScope database; including 3.4 million published international patent applications.

By Patent Number

1. Go to PatentScope and select "ID/Number" in the drop-down menu.
2. Enter the patent number in the search box.
3. All documents with that number will be listed.

By Subject

1. Go to PatentScope and select the "Front Page" in the drop-down menu.
2. Enter your keywords in the search box.
3. Find a patent that is similar to what you're looking for.
4. Note the International Patent Classification (IPC) number for that patent, e.g. G06Q 30/02.
5. Search the IPC number in PatentScope to find more patents on that subject. Select "Int. Classification (IPC)" in the drop-down menu.

Consult the PatentScope User's Guide and video tutorials for search tips.

Espacenet, the European Patent Office's (EPO) database, offers free access to more than 100 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today.

By Patent Number

1. Go to Espacenet and enter the patent number (with or without the country code) in the Smart Search box.
2. All documents with that number will be listed.

By Subject

1. Enter your keywords in the "Title or abstract" box on the Espacenet Advanced Search page.
2. Find a patent that is similar to what you're looking for.
3. Note the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) number for that patent, e.g. H04J 14/02.
4. Search the CPC number on the Espacenet Classification Search page to find more patents on that subject.

Adapted from UCSD Library's Patent Guide (with permission).

Scifinder Scholar

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) indexes chemical patents from approximately 25 countries and patent organizations in SciFinder Scholar (account registration required).

1. Sign-in to SciFinder Scholar. Go to "Explore References".
2. Select "Patent" in the left-hand menu to search by patent number, assignee name or inventor name.
3. To search by subject, select "Research Topic" and limit to document type Patent.

Consult the Scifinder How To Guides to watch tutorials on searching in SciFinder.

Reaxys

The in-depth patent information in Reaxys covers patents from 1976 to the present in organic, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry.

1. Go to Reaxys. Click the "Literature" icon to open the search form.
2. Enter "patent" as the Document Type.
3. Click "Lookup" to browse patent numbers or enter the patent number in the search box.
4. To search by subject, enter your keywords in the keyword search box.
5. Click the "Search Literature" button to execute your search.

For more information on chemistry patents, visit the American Chemical Society's Committee on Patents and Related Matters website.

• What Every Chemist Should Know About Patents (PDF)

Google's patent search site. Contains US, EPO, and WIPO patent documents.

Get more information on:

• patents and patent documents
• intellectual property law